Structure of Indian Army – Indian Army Structure Explained

Many people don’t know, but India has the fourth largest army globally, making the Indian Army one of the most prestigious defence service sectors of the world. But there are still many candidates who want to join the defence service but are not familiar with the structure of the Indian Army. 

Moreover, if you are one of those candidates who will join the NDA or any other military institute or are interested in joining the Indian Army, this article is for you.  

Structure of the Indian Army 

The Indian Army was established in 1895, but it took its proper shape after the country got independence. 

In India, the supreme commander of all three armies is only the President of India. And the highest post in the Indian Army is the Army Chief. 

The Indian Army is divided into 7 commands, and the following details are given as follows: 

Formation and Structure of Indian Army 

1. Division 

One division of an Indian army consists of 15,000 combat troops and 8,000 support elements headed by the GOC (General Officer Commanding). To today’s date, there are 37 divisions in the Indian Army. Following are the subdivisions: 

  • 4 RAPID
  • 18 Infantry Divisions 
  • 10 Mountain Divisions 
  • 3 Armored Divisions 
  • 2 Artillery Divisions  

2. Brigade 

The following division consists of 3000 combat troops along with the supporting forces. The Infantry Brigade generally has 3 infantry Battalions with Support Arms and Services. 

The Brigadier heads the Bridge. And along with the Infantry Brigade, The Indian Army also has:

  • Firstly,15 Independent Artillery Brigades  
  • 1 Independent Parachute Brigade
  • 5 Independent Armored Brigade 
  • 7 Independent Infantry Brigades 
  • 3 Independent Air Defence Brigades 
  • 2 Independent Air Defence Groups 
  • And lastly, 4 Independent Engineer Brigades 

3. Battalion 

A Battalion is the infantry’s prime fighting unit and is led by a Colonel only. It consists of more than 900 combat personnel. 

4. Company 

A Caption or the Major handles a company that consists of 120 soldiers. 

5. Platoon 

Platoon is an intermediate between a section and a company. With more than 32 troops, the division is led by a Captain or Lieutenant. 

6. Section 

It is a minor division of the Indian Army and has a cumulative strength of 10 personnel. Sergeant or Havaldar are the non-commisioned offiecrs that leads this section. 

The Indian Army Structure 

As discussed earlier, the Indian Army has 7 operational commands, and there is an assigned General Officer Commanding-in-Chief for each of the commands. The Army headquarters of Delhi has a link to each command on a directly. 

Here are the 7 commands given below in the sequence of raising location: 

  1. Central Command: Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh Headquarters 
  2. Eastern Command: Headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal 
  3. Northern Command: Headquarters at Udhampur, Jammu, and Kashmir
  4. Southern Command: Headquarters at Pune, Maharashtra 
  5. South Western Command: Headquarter at Jaipur, Rajasthan 
  6. Western Command: Headquarters at Chandimandir 
  7. Training Command: Headquarter at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh 

Each command which is mentioned above is headed by the Chief of Staff (COS), which also has a designation of Lieutenant General. 

So, if you are a student of the Indian Defence Service or planning to join the Indian Army, these are all the packets of information that you must have.