About the Indian Army

The Indian Army is the land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army,[3] and its professional head is the CHIEF OF ARMY STAFF (COAS).

The Indian Army was established on 1 April 1895 alongside the long established presidency armies of the East India Company, which too were absorbed into it in 1903.

Some princely states maintained their own armies which formed the Imperial Service Troops which, along with the Indian Army formed the land component of the Armed Forces of the Crown of India, responsible for the defence of the Indian Empire.[4][5]

The Imperial Service Troops were merged into the Indian Army after independence.
The units and regiments of the Indian Army have diverse histories and have participated in several battles and campaigns around the world, earning many battle and theatre honours before and after Independence

HISTORY

In 1776, a Military Department was created within the government of the East India Company at Calcutta. Its main function was to record orders that were issued to the army by various departments of the East India Company for the territories under its control.[17]

With the Charter Act of 1833, the Secretariat of the government of the East India Company was reorganised into four departments, including a Military Department. The army in the presidencies of Bengal, Bombay and Madras functioned as respective Presidency Armies until 1 April 1895, when they were unified into a single force known as the Indian Army.[18][19][20][21] For administrative convenience, it was divided into four commands, namely Punjab (including the North West Frontier), Bengal, Madras (including Burma), and Bombay (including Sind, Quetta and Aden).[22]

The Indian Army was a critical force for maintaining the primacy of the British Empire, both in India and throughout the world. Besides maintaining internal security,[5] the Army fought in many other theatres: Third Anglo-Afghan war; the Boxer Rebellion in China; in Abyssinia and in the First and Second World Wars.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Indian Army is tasked with various roles including territorial defense, peacekeeping mission, and disaster relief operation. It also engage in counter-insurgency operations and supports civil authorities in times of need.

Enlisted personnel typically do the following:
Participate in, or support, military operations, such as combat or training operations, or humanitarian or disaster relief.
Operate, maintain, and repair equipment.
Perform technical and support activities.
Supervise junior enlisted personnel.