Indian Army Ranks & Insignia of India, Officer Ranks in Indian Army

Indian Army Ranks & Insignia of India, Officer Ranks in Indian Army

 

The Indian Army is the land –based branch of the Indian Armed Forces and it is the largest component of Indian Armed Forces. It is largest standing army in the world with 1,237,117 active troops and 960,000 reserve troops.

 

Insignia of Indian Army

 

                                          The Indian Army Flag(Source:wiki)

The Indian Army is operationally and geographically divided into seven commands, with basic field formation being a division. Below the division level are permanent regiments that are responsible for their own recruiting and training.

Command structure

Headquarters, Indian Army	New Delhi
Central Command	Lucknow
Eastern Command	Kolkata
Northern Command	Udhampur
Southern Command	Pune
South Western Command	Jaipur
Western Command	Chandimandir
Army Training Command	Shimla

Indian Army Ranks & Insignia

The Indian Army Ranks reflect the ranks of Western militaries, especially, the British and Commonwealth Militaries. At present, Indian Army Ranks can be classified into three categories:

1.  Commissioned Officers

2.  Junior Commissioned Officers

3.  Other Ranks (Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers)

Indian Army Ranks For Commissioned Officers

Commissioned Officers who are equivalent to All India Services & Group "A" Service officers. Commissioned officers are the leaders of the army and command anywhere from Platoon, Company, Battalion, Brigade, Division, Corps & the Whole army. The different ranks for Commissioned Officers are as under:

                                

1	Field Marshal
2	General
3	Lieutenant General
4	Major General
5	Brigadier
6	Colonel
7	Lieutenant Colonel
8	Major
9	Captain
10	Lieutenant

Insignia For Commissioned Officers

The insignia for the Commissioned Officers are shown in the image below:

The descriptions of each of these insignia as well as the collar patch for each of these ranks are below:

Ranks	Description	Insignia	Collar Patch
Field marshal	National emblem over a crossed baton and sabre in a lotus blossom wreath.		Crimson patches with five golden stars and golden laurel wreath
General	National emblem over a five-pointed star, all over a crossed baton and sabre.		Crimson patches with four golden stars and golden laurel wreath
Lieutenant General	National emblem over crossed baton and sabre.		Crimson patches with three golden stars and golden laurel wreath (army and theatre commanders) Crimson patches with three golden stars (corps commanders, other positions)
Major General	Five-pointed star over crossed baton and sabre.		Crimson patches with two golden stars
Brigadier	National emblem over three five-pointed stars in a triangular formation.		Crimson patches with one golden star
Colonel	National emblem over two five-pointed stars		Crimson patches with golden braids
Lieutenant Colonel	National emblem over five-pointed star.		None
Major	National emblem.		None
Captain	Three five-pointed stars.		None
Lieutenant	Two five-pointed stars.		None

Note that the rank of Field Marshal is mostly ceremonial in India. Till today, this rank has been conferred on only two officers of the Indian Army – Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Field Marshal KM Cariappa.

The usual highest-rank of the Indian Army is the rank of General which is held by the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army (COAS)..

Indian Army Ranks For Junior Commissioned Officers

 The Junior Commissioned Officers of the Indian Army are equivalent to Group B Gazetted officers. The different Ranks for Junior Commissioned Officers are as under:

1	Subedar Major
2	Subedar
3	Naib Subedar

Insignia For Junior Commissioned Officers

The insignia for the Junior Commissioned Officers are shown in the image below:

   

The description of each of these insignia for each of these ranks are below:

Junior Commissioned Officers	Insignia Description
Subedar Major	Gold national emblem with stripe
Subedar	Two gold stars with stripe
Naik Subedar	One gold star with stripe

Indian Army Ranks: Other Ranks

Other ranks in Indian Army include Non-Commissioned Officers & Soldiers:

1	Havildar
2	Naik
3	Lance Naik
4	Sepoy

Insignia For Other Ranks

The insignia for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the Indian Army are shown in the image below:

The description of each of these insignia for each of these ranks are below:

Indian Army Ranks – Non-Commissioned Officers & Soldiers	Insignia Description
Havildar	Three rank chevrons
Naik	Two rank chevrons
Lance Naik	Single rank chevron
Sepoy	Plain shoulder badge only

Thanks to the men and women of the Indian Army, we are able to live our lives with freedom and great peace of mind.

We thank them with all our heart :)

Jai Hind!

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