Some Mindblowing Facts About Indian Army

The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India serves as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army,and it is commanded by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four-star General. 

Indian Army Logo
image source:Google

Two officers have been conferred the rank of Field marshal, a five-star rank, which is a ceremonial position of great honour. 

The Indian Army originated from the armies of the East India Company, which eventually became the British Indian Army, and the armies of the princely states, which finally became the national army after independence.

The units and regiments of the Indian Army have diverse histories and have participated in a number of battles and campaigns across the world, earning a large number of battle and theatre honours before and after Independence.

source:wikipedia

Elite Commando and Tactics teams:

Marcos:

MARCOS (Marine Commandos), is a special forces unit that was raised by the Indian Navy in 1987 for direct action, special reconnaissance, amphibious warfare and counter-terrorism.

MARCOS
Image credit: Pinterest

The training of MARCOS is probably the most stringent in the world with the commandos being tested for physical and mental toughness.

Also read: MARCOS Secretive Military of Indian Navy

Secretive Military of India MARCOS NATIONAL SECURITY GUARD (NSG)

It's an offensive force, specialising in anti-terror operations and giving protection to VIPs. The Black Cats played a major role during the 26/11 anti-terror operations.

National Security Guard
Image credit:Quora

PARA COMMANDO

Para Comando
Image credit:SSBcrack

Formed in 1966, the Para Commandos are part of the highly-trained Parachute Regiment of the Indian Army and are the largest part of the Special Forces of India. The parachute units of the Indian Army are among the oldest airborne units in the world.

SPECIAL PROTECTION GROUP

These elite commandos protect the PM, former PM and their immediate families. It's a defensive force as the commandos' primary task is to protect the VIP.

Special Protection Group
Image credit:Youtube

They are experts in Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defence technique extremely effective in hand-to-hand counter- combats.

 Ghatak Force

True to its name ghatak (which means 'killer' in Hindi), this infantry platoon goes for the kill and spearheads strikes ahead of a battalion. Every infantry battalion in the Indian Army has one platoon and only the most physically fit and motivated soldiers make it to the Ghatak Platoon.

Ghatak Commando
Image credit:google

The Ghatak soldiers are well-trained, superiorly-armed and equipped to handle situations like terror strikes, hostage situations and counter insurgency operations.

COBRA

COBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) is a specialised unit of the CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force) that was formed to counter Naxalism in India. It's one of the few Indian special forces, that's exclusively trained in guerrilla warfare.

Cobra Commando
image credit:Google

Since its inception in 2008, it has successfully wiped out a number of Naxalite groups from India. Set up with a grant of Rs 13,000 million, it is one of the best-equipped paramilitary forces in India.

Guard Commando Force
A Special Forces unit of the Indian Air Force, the Garud Commando Force was established in February 2004. 

Guard Commando Force
Image credit:newsworldindia

Its job is to protect the various bases of the Indian air force, and to provide security and relief in times of disasters. Named after the divine mythical bird-like creature Garuda, it is currently deployed in the Congo region in Africa as a part of the UN peace keeping operations.

 Special Frontier Force

Raised in the aftermath of the 1962 Sino-Indian war as a special force for covert operations behind Chinese lines in the event of another war with China, it was never really used for its intended role and has mainly served as an elite special operations and counter-insurgency force.

Special Frontier Force(SFF)
Image credit:Google

This covert paramilitary special force operates under India's external intelligence agency RAW and reports directly to the Prime Minister via the Directorate General of Security in the Cabinet Secretariat. It’s so classified a set-up that even the army may not know what it’s up to.

When researching about Indian Army on Quora I noticed this, people asking about is there any badass regiment in the Indian Army and I found them: 

Gorkha Regiment (special mention) 

Gorkha regiment is most feared regiment of India. 

They have served in all wars from world war to kargil.

Even foreign country respect to the bravery of gorkha. Some facts about them are:

Gorkha Regiment
Image credit:topyaps

1. Britishers were so impressed by gorkha regiments that after independence they took 2nd, 6th, 7th and 10th regiment of gurkha with them to join the British Army.
2. The Gorkha Regiments have been awarded 3 Param Vir Chakras, 33 Maha Vir Chakras, and 84 Vir Chakras during operations.
3. Field Marshal Manekshaw once said “If a man says he is not afraid of dying, he is either lying or is a Gorkha."
4. The 1 Gorkha regiment was involved in Palestine and Mesopotamia as well as The Afghan War (1919).
5. A large number of men from the 7 and 10 Gorkha Rifles decided to join the Indian Army instead of the British Army. Due to this, the Indian Army decide on re-raising the 11 Gorkha Rifles.
6. ‘Jai Maha Kali, Ayo Gorkhali’ is the war cry of the Gorkha Regiments.
7. Gorkhas have served not only in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Siachen, but also in the UN peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and Sierra Leone.
8. Khukuri, a curved Nepalese knife, is a characteristic of the Gorkhas. All the Gorkha Rifle soldiers carry khukhri as their personal weapon.

Apart from gorkha regiment, sikh regiment and parachute regiment are also famous for their valour.

source: Quora

Some Amazing Facts About Indian Army:

1. India Controls the Highest Battlefield in the World

Siachen Glacier, a battlefield situated at 5000 meters above Mean Sea Level (MSL) is being controlled by the Indian Army.

Siachen World's Highest Battle Ground

It is one of the most important strategic points for the country. Both countries, India and Pakistan maintains their military presence in the region.

2. Largest Volunteer Army in the World

Indian Army is the largest volunteer army in the world. It is not compulsory to join army service once in your life. All soldiers in the Indian Army are appointed based on their application. It is one of the most amazing facts about Indian Army.

3. World’s Best Soldiers in High Altitude and Mountain Warfare

The Indian Army’s High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) is considered as one of the most elite military training schools in the world. Many super power countries sends their special operations teams at this training centre to make them ready for war in mountain and high-altitude zones. It is very interesting facts about Indian Army.

Indian Army’s High Altitude Warfare School

4. 120 Indian Soldiers Defeated 2000 Pakistani Soldiers

The Battle of Longewala was fought in December, 1971 between two most rival countries, India and Pakistan. About 120 Indian soldiers defeated 2000 Pakistani soldiers who were backed by 45 tanks, and 1 mobile infantry brigade. It is one of the unknown facts about Indian Army.

5. World’s Largest Air Force Civilian Rescue Operation

It was a deadly flood in the state of Uttarakhand in 2013 but Indian Air Force saved a lot of lives. According to the trusted reports, Indian Air Force airlifted about 20,000 people which is considered the biggest civilian rescue operation in the world. It is one of the mind blowing facts about Indian Army.

6. Indian Naval Academy – The Largest of its kind in Asia

The Indian Naval Academy was inaugurated by then the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2009. The final project cost of the academy was Rs. 721 crore.

7. World’s Largest Non-Ceremonial Horse-Mounted Cavalry Unit

The Indian Army’s 61st cavalry regiment is considered to the largest non-ceremonial horse-mounted cavalry unit in the world.

8. World’s Highest Altitude Bridge Built by Indian Army

The Indian Army built the highest altitude bridge, the Bailey Bridge in the Ladakh valley in 1982. The bridge is located between Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains.

9. World’s 3rd Largest Military Contingent

The Indian Army has more than 13,25,000 active troops and more than 960,000 reserve troops. It is considered as the third largest military contingent in the world next to USA and China.

10. Indian Army and Pakistani Army Worked Jointly for UN Peacekeeping Missions

It would surprise you but the Indian Army and Pakistani Army worked jointly for the UN Peacekeeping Missions around the world.

Secret military research locations:

Wheeler Island is an island off the coast of Odisha approximately 150 kilometres from Bhubaneswar. India maintains a missile testing facility on the island. This facility was setup by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam himself.

Wheeler Island is located approximately 10 kilometres off the eastern coast of India on the Bay of Bengal. Wheeler Island is the missile test facility for most Indian missiles, including long range ones. Access to the test facility is by ship, as there is no bridge or airport connecting the island to the mainland. There is a small helipad, but missile airframes and all supplies, construction materials and heavy equipment arrive by ship.

Latest Mission:

In the midnight hours of 29 September 2016, the Indian army conducted a 'surgical strike' on terror launch pads 'along' the LoC on PoK.

How to join Indian Army:

If you want to become an Indian army officer.

 Then Join NDA or Try CDS Exam.

Both exam are conducted by UPSC twice in a year.

Eligibility criteria of both examinations are:-

For NDA

1. The candidate must be an Indian citizen.
2. The candidate must be an unmarried male.
3. The candidate must be passed/appeared in 12th with a govt. recognized university/school.
4. The candidate must be medically fit.
5. He must be in between 16.5-19 years.

For CDS (common defense service)

1. Candidate should be completed graduation with subject MATHS & PHYSICS
2. Candidate who are appearing final year exam also eligible

For more info on NDA - Welcome to National Defence Academy ::

How to join NDA - Welcome to National Defence Academy ::

Article sources: dailymail, homegrown