Facts about Indian Defence System

Facts about Indian Defence System.jpg

  • Indian Defence system is the world’s third largest Defence System (First is China, and Second is USA).
  • Indian Armed Forces consist of Army, Navy and Air force.
  • Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces is President of India.
  • The administrative control of the Armed Forces is Ministry of Defence.
  • On July 1, 2002 the Defence Ministry was renamed to Integrated Head Quarters of the Ministry of Defence.
  • Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was formed in 1958 for the development of technology in armed forces. The Headquarters of DRDO is at New Delhi.
  • The Integrated Defence Staff has been set up to ensure a high degree of synergy between the Armed forces. It was created on October 1, 2001. It is headed by Chairman, Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.
  • Chiefs of Staff Committee is a forum of service Chiefs to discuss on all military matters and advise the Defence Minister. The Members of Chiefs of Staff Committee are Chief of the Army Staff, Chief of the Naval Staff, Chief of the Air Staff and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff.
  • The Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee is the longest serving Chief of Staff.
  • Strategic Forces Command is responsible for the administration and control of the delivery of nuclear weapons and war heads. It was created on January 4, 2003. First Commander in Chief of Strategic Forces Command is Air Marshal Teja Mohan Asthana.
  • First triservice theatre command of Indian armed forces is Andaman Nicobar Command (ANC). The Headquarters of ANC is Port Blair. ANC was created on 2011. Its role is to ensure safety and security of Andaman and Nicobar island and it conducts maritime surveillance, and disaster relief. The First Commander in Chief of ANC is Vice Admiral Arun Prakash.
  • National Defence University of India is the world's third Defence University. It is at Gurgaon, Haryana in the suburb of the national capital. Only China and USA have such universities.
  • First Defence Minister of India is Baldev Singh (1946-1952)
  • First Malayalee Defence Minister is V.K. Krishna Menon (1957-62)
  • Second Malayalee Defence Minister and longest and continuously served Defence Minister of India is A.K. Antony (2006- 2014).
  • Present Defence Minister of India is Rajnath Singh.
  • Hierarchy of Armed Forces – Supreme Commander (President) -> Administrative Control (Ministry of Defence) -> Headquarters (New Delhi) -> Army, Navy, Air Force

Facts about Indian Army:

  • Indian Army is the World's Second largest Standing Army. (First : China)
  • The minimum enrollment age in the Army has been raised from 16 to 17 ½ years.
  • Apart from conflicts, the Army has also been an active participant in United Nations Peace-keeping missions.
  • The Headquarters of Indian Army is at New Delhi.
  • The Motto of Indian Army is "Service Before Self".
  • The Indian Army is headed by the Chief of Army Staff.
  • The highest rank in the Indian Army is Field Marshal. Field Marshal is an honorary rank. The First Field Marshal of Indian Army is Field Marshal S.H.F.J. Manekshaw (also known as Sam Bahadur). The Second Field Marshal is General K.M. Cariappa. The nickname of K.M. Cariappa is Kipper.
  • The first Commander in Chief of India is Stringer Lawrence. He is also the Father of Indian Army. The first Commander in Chief of Independent India is General Sir Rob. Lockhart.
  • The first Indian Commander in Chief of the Indian Army is K.M. Cariappa.
  • The First Chief of Army Staff is General Maharaj Rajendrasinhji.
  • First women Lieutenant General of Indian Army is Punita Arora.
  • Indian Army's indigenously designed own mobile communication system is Mercury blaze.
  • Army Wide Area Network (AWAN) started functioning from 24th February 2006. AWAN connects all Army formations, units, training establishments and logistic installations in the country. It provides secure and direct information exchange without intermediate handling or intervention.
  • National Defence Academy was established in 7 December 1954. The Motto of National Defence Academy is ‘Service Before Self’ (Seva Parmo Dharma).
  • Cantonments are military residential areas. The Cantonments in India were established by Robert Clive (1765). India has 62 listed Cantonments. The Largest cantonment in India is Kanpur Cantonment, Uttar Pradesh. The only cantonment in Kerala is Kannur. The Kannur Cantonment was established in the 19th Century by the British. India's first and only military base outside its territory is Farkhor in Tajikistan.

Commissioned Ranks of Army

  • General -> Lieutenant General -> Major General -> Brigadier -> Colonel -> Lieutenant Colonel -> Major -> Captain -> Lieutenant

Defence Ministers at the Time of War

  • Indo - Pakistan War (1st Kashmir War) – 1947-48 –> Baldev Singh
  • Indo - China War – 1962 -> V.K. Krishna Menon
  • Indo - Pakistan War – 1965 –> WB Chawan
  • Indo - Pakistan War (Bangladesh Liberation) - 1971 -> Jagjivan Ram
  • Indo - Pakistan War (Kargil War) - 1999 -> George Fernandes

Indian Army Commands & Headquarters

  1. Western Command - Chandigarh
  2. Eastern Command - Kolkata
  3. Northern Command - Udhampur
  4. Southern Command - Pune
  5. Central Command - Lucknow
  6. Army Training Command - Shimla (Mhow, MP earlier HQ)
  7. South Western Command - Jaipur

MILITARY TRAINING INSTITUTES FOR DEFENCE SERVICE

  1. National Defence Academy - Khadakwasla, Pune
  2. Indian Military Academy - Dehradun
  3. National Defence College - New Delhi
  4. Defence Services Staff College - Wellington (Tamil Nadu)
  5. Armed Forces Medical College - Pune
  6. Rashtriya Indian Military College - Dehradun
  7. College of Military Engineering - Kirkee (Pune)
  8. College of Defence Management - Secundrabad
  9. Officers Training Academy - Chennai
  10. Army War College - Mhow
  11. Infantry School - Mhow
  12. High Altitude Warfare School - Gulmarg
  13. School of Artillary - Deolali
  14. Army Air Defence College - Gopalpur
  15. Counter Insurgency & Jungle Warfare School - Vairengte (Mizoram)
  16. Army Airborne Training School - Agra
  17. Army Sports Institute - Pune
  18. Army Cadet College - Dehradun
  19. EME School - Vadodara
  20. Army Clerks Training School - Aurangabad
  21. Institute of National Integration - Pune
  22. Army School of Physical Training - Pune

Facts about Indian Navy

  • Indian Navy is headed by Chief of Naval Staff. The Headquarters of Indian Navy is at New Delhi. The Motto of Indian Navy is Shano Varuna (may the lord of the oceans by auspicious unto us).
  • Two fleets of Navy : The Western Fleet and The Eastern Fleet.
  • Air bases of Navy : Two major naval air bases at Goa and Arakkonam and three other air bases at Visakhapatnam, Port Blair and Car Nicobar.
  • The first Indian to be granted a commission as an engineer officer is Sub Lieutenant P.N. Mukherji in 1928.
  • The father of Indian Navy is Chhatrapati Shivaji Bhosle.
  • A special operation unit of the Indian Navy created for conducting special operations such as Amphibious warfare, Counter terrorism, Direct action, Special reconnaissance etc. is MARCOS (Marine Commando Force).
  • Naval Aviation Museum is in Vasco da Gama, Goa. It was established on 12 October 1998.
  • The first Chief of Naval Staff after independence is Rear Admiral J.T.S. Hall.
  • First Indian to become the Chief of Naval Staff is Vice Admiral Ram Dass Katari.
  • The first and only chief of Naval Staff who was dismissed from service is Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat.
  • Asia's largest Naval Academy is INS Zamorin, Ezhimala.
  • India's largest Naval Base is INS Kadamba, Karnataka.
  • A naval base in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Island is INS Jarawa.
  • A naval base of the Southern Naval Command located on Kavaratti island in the Lakshadweep is INS Dweeprakshak.
  • A naval base located on Wellington Island in Kochi is INS Venduruthy.
  • A navy submarine base of the Eastern Nasal Command located in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh is INS Virbahu.

Commissioned Ranks of Navy

  • Admiral -> Vice Admiral -> Rear Admiral -> Commander -> Captain -> Lt. Commander -> Lieutenant -> Sub-Lieutenant

Indian Navy Commands & Headquarters

  1. Eastern Command - Vishakhapatnam
  2. Southern Command - Kochi
  3. Western Command - Mumbai

Naval Training Centres

  1. INS Venduruthy - Kochi
  2. INS Circars - Visakhapatnam
  3. INS Garuda - Kochi
  4. INS Hamla - Mumbai
  5. INS Shivaji - Lonavala (Maharashtra)
  6. INS Angre - Mumbai
  7. INS Valsura - Jamnagar (Gujarat)
  8. INS Chilka - Odissa
  9. INS Satavahana - Vishakhapatnam
  10. INS Kunjali - Mumbai
  11. INS Hansa - Goa
  12. INS Asvini – Mumbai

Facts about Air Force

  • Air Force is headed by Chief of the Air Staff
  • Headquarters of Air Force is New Delhi.
  • Motto of Indian Air Force is Nabhah Sprsham Diptam (Touch the Sky with Glory).
  • It was officially established on 8 October 1932 as Royal Indian Air Force.
  • Kerala comes under the Southern Command.
  • Headquarters of Southern Command is Trivandrum.
  • The Air Force combat fleet is made up of 45 squadrons.
  • An aerobatic demonstration of the Indian Air Force is Surya Kiran. The Surya Kiran team was formed in 1996. The team is based at the Indian Air Force station at Bidar.
  • Helicopter display team of the Indian Air Force is Sarang. The team was formed in October 2003. The first public performance was at the Asian Aerospace show, Singapore 2004. The team flies four HAL Dhruvs. The Sarang display team is based at the Indian Air Force base at Air Force station Sulur, Coimbatore.
  • Present Chief of Air Staff is Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha.
  • Special Operation Unit of IAF is Garud Command Force. It was established on September 2009.
  • Highest rank attainable in the Indian Air Force is Marshal of the Indian Air Force.
  • The only officer to have achieved Marshal of the Air force rank is Arjan Singh.
  • Sachin Tendulkar was the first sports person and the first civilian without aviation background to be awarded the honorary rank of Group captain by the I.A.F.

Commissioned Ranks of Air Force

  • Air Chief Marshal -> Air Marshal -> Air Vice Marshal -> Air Commander -> Group Captain -> Wing Commander -> Squadron Leader -> Flight Lieutenant -> Flying Officer

AIR FORCE TRAINING CENTRES

  1. Navigation and Signals School - Hyderabad
  2. Air Force Academy - Hyderabad
  3. Air Force Administrative College - Coimbatore
  4. Helicopter Training School - Avadi
  5. College of Air Warfare - Secunderabad
  6. Air Force Technical College - Jalahalli
  7. Flying Instructor's School - Tambaram
  8. Elementary Flying School - Bidar
  9. Institute of Aviation Medicine - Bangalore
  10. Paratroopers Training School - Agra

Indian Airforce Commands & Headquarters

  1. Western Command – New Delhi
  2. Eastern Command – Shillong
  3. Southern Command – Thiruvananthapuram
  4. Central Command – Allahabad
  5. Training Command – Bengaluru
  6. South Western Command – Jodhpur
  7. Maintenance Command – Nagpur

Defence Public Sector Undertakings

  1. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) – 1964 -> Bangalore
  2. Bharat Earth Movers Ltd (BEML) – 1964 -> Bangalore
  3. Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) – 1960 -> Mumbai
  4. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers LTD (GRSE) – 1884 -> Kolkata
  5. Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) – 1954 -> Bangalore
  6. Goa Shipyards Ltd (GSL) – 1957 -> Goa
  7. Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd (MIDHANI) – 1973 -> Hyderabad
  8. Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) – 1970 -> Hyderabad