Indian Armed Forces
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| Indian Armed Forces भारतीय सशस्त्र सेनाएं | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of India | |
| Service branches |  Indian Army Indian Navy Indian Air Force Indian Coast GuardStrategic Nuclear Command Integrated Space Cell |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Pratibha Patil |
| Ministry of Defence | A. K. Antony |
| Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee | Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik |
| Manpower | |
| Military age | 16 years of age |
| Conscription | None |
| Available for military service | 319,129,420 males, age 16–49 (2010 est.), 296,071,637 females, age 16–49 (2010 est.) |
| Fit for military service | 249,531,562 males, age 16–49 (2010 est.), 240,039,958 females, age 16–49 (2010 est.) |
| Reaching military age annually | 12,151,065 males (2010 est.), 10,745,891 females (2010 est.) |
| Active personnel | 1,325,000[1] (ranked 3rd) |
| Reserve personnel | 2,142,821[1] |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | $36.03 billion (FY11)[2] (ranked 10th) |
| Percent of GDP | 1.83% (2011 est.) |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | Heavy Vehicles Factory Bharat Electronics Limited Gun Carriage Factory Jabalpur Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Ishapore Rifle Factory Ordnance Factories Organization Tata Group Heavy Alloy Penetrator Project Mazagon Dock Limited Cochin Shipyard Bharat Dynamics Bajaj Auto - Joint Venture - Rolta India Ltd Mahindra & Mahindra Ashok Leyland Shaktiman truck Maruti Suzuki Reliance Group HCL L&T |
| Foreign suppliers |  Russian Federation Israel France United States United Kingdom Sweden Belgium Germany Italy Brazil Romania Turkey[3] |
| Annual imports | Russia |
| Annual exports | Sri Lanka, Ecuador, Maldives |
| Related articles | |
| History | Military history of India British Indian Army Indian National Army |
| Ranks | Air Force Army Navy |
The IAF is one of the world's largest military force, with roughly 1.32 million active standing army and 2.14 million reserve forces thus giving India the third-largest active troops in the world as of 2006[1][4] after the People's Liberation Army and US Armed Forces.[5] Auxiliary services include the Indian Coast Guard, the Central Paramilitary Forces (CPF) and the Strategic Forces Command. India's official defense budget stands at US$36.03 billion for FY2011 (or 1.83% of GDP)[2] but the actual spending on the armed forces is estimated to be much higher than that.[6] Undergoing rapid expansion and modernization,[7] the Indian Armed Forces plans to have an active military space program[8] and is currently developing a missile defense shield[9] and nuclear triad capability. The Armed Forces of India possess nuclear weapons and operate short and intermediate-range ballistic missiles as well as nuclear-capable aircraft, and naval vessels. India is the world's largest arms importer accounting for 9% of all global imports and ranks among the top thirty in arms export.[10] Currently, India imports close to 70% of its weapons requirements, with Israel, Russia and the United States as its top military suppliers.[11][12][13] The country’s defence expenditure will be around US$112 billion by 2016.[14][15][16]
The IAF served as India's armed forces in all the country's major military operations — including the Indo-Pakistani wars of 1947, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, Sino-Indian War, 1987 Sino-Indian skirmish, Kargil War and others. India is currently moving to build a
9,970.16 crore (US$2.2 billion) dedicated, highly secure and state-of-the-art optical fiber cable (OFC) network for the Army, Navy and Air Force. This will be one of the world's largest, closed user group (CUG) networks for exclusive use by the million-plus personnel of the Indian armed forces.[17] Following 1962, the IAF has had close military relations with the Russia, including development cooperation, such as on the Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA), Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA), and others as well.[edit] Military history of India
Main article: Military history of India
India has a maritime history dating back to 5,000 years.[18][19][20][21] The first [22][23] tidal dock is believed to have been built at Lothal around 2300 BCE during the Indus Valley Civilization, near the present day Mangrol harbour on the Gujarat coast. The Rig Veda written around 1500 BCE, credits Varuna with knowledge of the ocean routes and describes naval expeditions. There is reference to the side wings of a vessel called Plava, which give stability to the ship under storm conditions. A compass, Matsya yantra was used for navigation in the fourth and fifth century AD.
The earliest known reference to an organization devoted to ships in ancient India is to the Mauryan Empire from the 4th century BCE. Emperor Chandragupta Maurya's Prime Minister Kautilya's Arthashastra devotes a full chapter on the state department of waterways under navadhyaksha (Sanskrit for Superintendent of ships) [1]. The term, nava dvipantaragamanam (Sanskrit for sailing to other lands by ships, i.e. Exploration) appears in this book in addition to appearing in the Buddhist text, Baudhayana Dharmasastra as the interpretation of the term, Samudrasamyanam.
Sea lanes between India and neighboring lands were the usual form of trade for many centuries, and are responsible for the widespread influence of Indian Culture on other societies. Powerful navies included those of the Maurya, Satavahana, Chola, Vijayanagara, Kalinga, Mughal and Maratha empires.[24] The Cholas excelled in foreign trade and maritime activity, extending their influence overseas to China and Southeast Asia.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Maratha and Kerala fleets were expanded, and became the most powerful Naval Forces in the subcontinent, defeating European Navies at various times (See the Battle of Colachel). The fleet review of the Maratha navy took place at the Ratnagiri fort in which the ships Pal and Qalbat participated.[25] The Maratha Kanhoji Angre and Kunjali Marakkar, the Naval chief of Saamoothiri were two notable naval chiefs of the period.
[edit] 1857 to 1947 era
Main article: Royal Indian Navy
The British Royal Indian Navy was first established by the British while much of India was under the control of the East India Company. The first Indian to be granted a commission was Sub Lieutenant D. N. Mukherji, who joined the Royal Indian Marine as an engineer officer in 1928.Indian sailors started a rebellion known as the Royal Indian Navy mutiny in 1946, on board ships and in shore establishments which spread all over India. A total of 78 ships, 20 shore establishments and 20,000 sailors were involved in the rebellion.
When India became a republic on 26 January 1950, the navy became known as the Indian Navy, and its vessels as Indian Naval Ships (INS). On 22 April 1958 Vice Admiral R. D. Katari assumed office as the first Indian Chief of the Naval Staff.
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