Military branches:
Indian Army, Indian Navy (including naval air arm), Air Force, various security or paramilitary forces (includes Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Rashtriya Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Special Frontier Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Defense Security Corps and several other units) and the Strategic Forces Command.
The Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces is the President of India, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam.
It is one of the largest and most powerful militaries in the world. The Indian Army is the second-most numerous army in the world, after the People's Republic of China Since its formation, the Indian Army has fought in both World Wars. Post-independence, it has fought three wars against Pakistan (1948, 1965, and 1971) lost a war against China in 1962, and fought an extended border skirmish over Kashmir in 1999.
The Indian military possesses both nuclear weapons and missile to carry these weapons. India is not part of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Republic Day Parade
New Delhi, 2004
Military manpower
The data regards Males age 15-49
| Military age
| 16 years of age
|
| Availability
| 293,677,117 (2004 est.)
|
| Fit for military service
| 172 million (2004 est.)
|
| Reaching military age annually
| 11,174,415 (2004 est.)
|
|
| Active troops | 1,325,000 (Ranked 3rd)
|
Military expenditures
| Dollar figure
| $14,018.8 million (2003)
|
| Percent of GDP
| 2.4% (2003)
|
Military Branches of India
The Highest Award given by the Military of India is the Param Vir Chakra.
Further reading: A. Kundu (1998) Militarism in India: The Army and Civil Society in Consensus
External Links
Bharat Rakshak - The consortium of Indian military websites