Defence in INDIA

This Supreme command of the Armed Forces vests in the President of India.

The responsibility for national defence, however, rests with the Cabinet. The Defence Minister (Raksha Mantri) is responsible to Parliament for all matters concerning defence of the country. Administrative and operational control of the armed forces is exercised by the Ministry of Defence and the three Service Headquarters.

The principal functions of the Departments are as follows:

I. The Department of Defence deals with Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) and three Services and various Inter-Service Organisations. It is also responsible for the Defence Budget, establishment matters, defence policy, matters relating to Parliament, defence cooperation with foreign countries and coordination of all activities.

II. The Department of Defence Production is headed by a Secretary and deals with matters pertaining to defence production, indigenisation of imported stores, equipment and spares, planning and control of departmental production units of the Ordnance Factory Board and Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs).

III. The Department of Defence Research and Development is headed by a Secretary, who is also the Scientific Adviser to the Raksha Mantri.

IV. The Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare is headed by an Additional Secretary and deals with all resettlement, welfare and pensionary matters of Ex- Servicemen.

Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) was created on October 1, 2001 as a sequel to the decision by the Group of Ministers based on Kargil Committee Report.

The staff of HQ IDS is provided from three Services, MEA, DRDO, Armed Forces HQ (AFHQ) Civil Services and DoD. IDS is presently functioning as staff in the advisory mode to the Chairman COSC, and are headed by Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to Chairman COSC (CISC).

ARMY
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The Indian Army is the world's second largest army in terms of military personnel.

It is based on five year plans. Focus and core areas of modernisation have been:-

(a) Improvement in the Fire Power and increased Mobility
(b) All Weather Battle Field Surveillance capability
(c) Night Fighting capabilities
(d) Enhance capability of Special Forces
(e) Capability for Network Centric Warfare
(f) NBC Protection.

The main focus for the Artillery is to acquire heavy calibre Guns with enhance ranges with better fire power mobility. Acquisition of additional Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Night Vision Surveillance Devices by Artillery will enhance the Surveillance and Target Acquisition capability.

NAVY
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• INS Shardul, Landing Ship Tank (Large) was commissioned at naval base, Karwar on January 4, 2007.
• INS Jalashwa (ex USS Trenton) acquired from US (Navy) was commissioned at Norfolk (USA) on June 22, 2007. She adds a new dimension to the Indian Navy's operational prowess and provides flexibility of use for a large variety of roles. The ship is the first Landing Platform Dock (LPD) in the Indian Navy.

COAST GUARD
============

• The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) came into existence with the enactment of the Coast Guard Act, 1978 on 18 August 1978.
• The Coast Guard is responsible for surveillance of the Indian territorial waters and the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone to prevent poaching, smuggling and other illegal activities; to conduct search and rescue operations; to protect and preserve marine environment.
• The command and control of the Coast Guard lies with the Director General of Coast Guard, Headquartered at New Delhi. The organisation has three Regional Headquarters at Mumbai, Chennai and Port Blair. The three Regional Headquarters command the entire coastline of India, through 11 Coast Guard Districts and six Coast Guard stations.

AIR FORCE
==========

• The past 75 years have been an eventful journey for the Indian Air Force (IAF) from a flight of 'Wapitis' in 1932, to the fourth largest, professionally acclaimed, strategic Air Force responsible for guarding Nation's vital interests

• The manufacture of HAWK AJT aircraft has commenced in UK. Four aircrafts have been delivered by December 2007 and the deliveries of remaining aircraft will be completed by February 2008. The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) licence-built HAWK AJT will be delivered by May 2010.

• Procurement of Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs) from HAL as a replacement to its Chetak/Cheetah fleet as a utility helicopter is in progress.

• An Inter Government Agreement (IGA) has been signed with the Russian Government on October 17, 2007 for joint development of 'Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft' by HAL and Russians (SDB).

• The airborne warning and control system (AWACS) are being procured from Israel to meet the long felt need of the IAF. The IAF is in the process of acquiring Medium Lift Helicopters from Russia.

RECRUITMENT
===========

The Armed Forces epitomizes the ideals of service, sacrifice, patriotism and our country's composite culture. The recruitment to the Armed Forces is voluntary and every citizen of India, irrespective of his caste, class, religion and community is eligible for recruitment into the Armed Forces provided he meets the laid down physical, medical and educational criteria.

NATIONAL CADET CORPS

• The National Cadet Corps (NCC) was established under the NCC Act, 1948. It has completed 60 years of existence.

• The NCC strives to provide the youth of the country opportunities for all round development with a sense of commitment, dedication, self-discipline and moral values, so that they become good leaders and useful citizens and can take their appropriate place in all walks of life in the service of the nation.

• The total sanctioned strength of NCC cadets is 13 lakh. The NCC's presence can be felt in 607 districts of the country covering 8514 schools and 5255 colleges.

TERRITORIAL ARMY

• The Territorial Army is a voluntary, part-time citizen’s Army.

• The conceptual framework for the Territorial Army is based on the fundamental idea that it should exist for wartime employment, and should be maintainable at the lowest cost during peace time.

• These citizens on joining the Territorial Army undergo a short period of rigorous training, which makes them reasonably competent soldiers. Subsequently, they join their units for two months every year for refresher training, to keep in touch with the art of soldiering.

• Infantry Battalions (TA) have been embodied for operational services since the raising of the force.

• In recent times, a maximum of 22 units were embodied in Operation Rakshak, Operation Vijay and Operation Parakram

TRAINING INSTITUTIONS
===================

The important ones are described in the following paragraphs.

 Sainik Schools: Sainik Schools were established as joint ventures of the Central and State Governments. These are under the overall governance of Sainik Schools Society. At present there are 22 Sainik Schools located all over India.
The Sainik Schools prepare boys academically, physically and mentally to join Armed Forces through the National Defence Academy (NDA).

 Rashtriya Military School: The five Military Schools in the country at Ajmer, Bangalore, Belgaum, Chail and Dholpur are affiliated to CBSE. The Military Schools admit boys in class VI, based on an all-India Entrance Examination. While 67 per cent seats are reserved for the wards of JCOs/ORs called 'entitled category', out of 33% non-entitled category seats, 20% are reserved for wards of service officers.

 Rashtriya Indian Military College: The Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun was founded on 13 March 1922 with the objective of providing necessary preliminary training to boys of Indian birth or domicile, wishing to become officers in Indian Armed Forces of India. The RIMC is now a premier educational institution in the country. Selection for RIMC is through a written examination and interview conducted through the state goverment. The institution now serves as a feeder institute to the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla (Pune).

 National Defence Academy: The National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla is a premier Inter Service training institution where future officers of Armed Forces are trained.

 Indian Military Academy: The Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun transforms young men into courageous, dynamic and erudite young officers of integrity, who are to bear the brunt of battle, or hardship whilst guarding the nation’s frontiers. IMA established in 1932, imparts training to cadets for commission into the Army.

 Officers Training Academy: Established in 1963, the Officers Training School (OTS) was re-designated as Officers Training Academy (OTA) from January 1, 1988 on completion of 25 years of its existence. Its main task before 1965 was to train Gentlemen Cadets for grant of Emergency Commission. From 1965 onwards, the Academy has started training cadets for Short Service Commission. With the entry of women officers into the Army since September 21, 1992, around 100 lady officers now get commissioned from OTA every year.

 Defence Services Staff College : Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington is a premier tri-service training establishment imparting training to middle level officers (Majors and equivalent) of the three wings of Indian Armed Forces, friendly foreign countries and Indian Civil Services.

 College of Defence Management: The Institute of Defence Management (IDM), Secunderabad was established in June 1970 to impart modern, scientific management training to the Armed Forces Officers. The IDM was renamed as College of Defence Management (CDM) in 1980

 College of Military Engineering: The College of Military Engineering (CME) at Pune is a premier technical institution. The training is conducted for personnel of the Corps of Engineers, other Arms and Services, Navy, Air Force, Para-Military Forces, Police and civilians. Besides, personnel from friendly foreign countries are also trained.
CME is affiliated to Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for the award of B. Tech and M. Tech degrees.

 National Defence College: The National Defence College (NDC) inaugurated on 27 April 1960 is the only institution in the country that imparts knowledge on all aspects of national security and strategy. Senior Defence and Civil Services Officers participate in a 47-week comprehensive programme of national security and strategy.

PRODUCTION
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The Department of Defence Production deals with the indigenisation, development and production of defence equipment both in public and private sectors. The Department has 8 Defence Public Sector Undertakings and 39 ordnance factories with a wide-ranging production infrastructure for aircraft and helicopters, warships, submarines, heavy vehicles and earth movers, missiles, a variety of electronic devices and components for the defence sector, and alloys and special purpose steel

ORDNANCE FACTORIES

• The Ordnance Factories Organisation is the largest and oldest departmentally run production organistion in the country and is primarily engaged in the manufacture of Defence hardware for the Armed Forces.

• The first Ordinance Factory was established in 1801 at Cossipore, near Kolkata. There are 39 Ordnance Factories, geographically distributed all over the country at 24 different locations. Ordnance Factory, Nalanda and Ordnance Factory, Korwa is in project stage.


DEFENCE UNDERTAKINGS
======================

 The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was formed in October 1964 with its Corporate Office at Bangalore

The Company has 19 production divisions and 9 R&D Centres located in six States. It is the largest public sector undertaking under the Department of Defence Production.

HAL is a major partner for the space programmes of ISRO. It manufacturers structures and assemblies for the launch vehicles and satellites.

 Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is the leading professional electronics company in the country engaged in the design, development and manufacture of sophisticated state-of-the-art electronic equipment/components for the use of defence services, paramilitary organisations and other infrastructure providers in the telecom sector.

BEL has been accorded "NAVRATNA" Status Company in 2007.

 The Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML) was established in May 1964 and commenced operations from January 1965. BEML is the prime earth moving and construction equipment manufacturer in the country and also produces ground supporting equipment for Armed Forces for movement of men and material.

Recently, BEML has diversified its business by successfully assembling state-of-the-art stainless steel metro coaches for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) under technical collaboration with M/s Rotem of South Korea.

 Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), was taken over by the Government of India on 1st April 1960. GRSE is among the leading shipyards in the country and the premium yard in the East

India's first ever tranker fleet too was built at GRSE. The latest on the list is new generation hovercraft.

 Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), the youngest and smallest of the Defence shipyards, has the privilege of having implemented the first successful enterprises planning system amongst the Defence Public Sector Undertakings

 The Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) was set up in 1970 for manufacture of guided missiles. It is amongst a few strategic industries in the public sector and possesses the capability to produce advanced Guided Missile Systems.

Besides producing indigenously developed P-II missile systems, BDL is engaged in the production of Konkurs M and Invar (3UBK-20) missiles in collaboration with Russia.

BDL is working in close assocaition with DRDO for technology absorption/assimilation and extending support by providing missile sub systems/integrated missiles for conducting various trials of missiles like AKASH, NAG, Article K-15, AGNI VARIANTS (A1, A2 and A3).

 Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) was incorporated as a Public Sector Undertaking in 1973 to achieve self-reliance in areas of Super alloys, Titanium alloys and Special Purpose steels required for strategic sectors like Aeronautics, Space, Armaments, Atomic Energy and Navy. Special products like Molybdenum coins and plates, Titanuium and Stainless Steel tubes, alloys for electrical and electronic aplications like soft magnatic alloys controlled expansion alloys and Resistance alloys are also in the product range of MIDHANI.


DEFENCE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION

• The vision of DRDO is to empower India with cutting-edge defence technologies. It has the mission of achieving selfreliance in critical defence technologies and systems by indigenisation and innovation while equipping the armed forces with state-of-the-art weapon systems and equipment.

• DRDO came into existence in 1958. It was the amalgamation of Technical Dev Establishment (TDEs) of Indian Army and Directorate of Tech Dev and Production (DTDP) with Defence Science Organisation (DSO).

• DRDO is headed by the Scientific Advisor to Raksha Mantri (SA to RM), who is also the Secretary, Deptt. Of Defence R&D and Director General, R&D. The SA to RM is assisted by 7 Chief Controllers. The organisation has a two tier system, viz., the Technical and Corporate Directorates at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi; and laboratories/establishments located at different stations all over the country.


Important Notes:

Indian Army

 The force is headed by the Chief of Army Staff, currently General Deepak Kapoor.
 The highest rank in the Indian Army is Field Marshal. Late General S.H.F.J. Manekshaw and the late General K.M. Cariappa are the only two officers who have attained this rank.
 Army Day is celebrated on January 15 every year in India, in recognition of Lieutenant General (later Field Marshal) K. M. Cariappa's becoming the first Indian Commander-in-Chief in 1948.
 Inclusion of Hyderabad (1948) - Operation Polo
 Goa, Daman and Diu Operation (1961) - Operation Vijay
 Southern Command Pune
 Eastern Command Kolkata
 Central Command Lucknow
 Western Command Chandimandir (Chandigarh)
 Northern Command Udhampur
 South Western Command Jaipur

Indian Navy

 Navy Day: 4th December
 Chief of Naval staff - Nirmal Kumar Verma, former chief was Admiral Sureesh Mehta
 Western Naval Command Mumbai Vice Admiral Jagjit Singh Bedi
 Eastern Naval Command Vishakhapatnam Vice Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma
 Southern Naval Command Cochin Vice Admiral Sunil Krishnaji Damle
 Far Eastern Naval Command Port Blair
 Asia's largest naval academy INS Saamoothiri (Zamorin), was inaugurated at Ezhimala, on January 2009 by the Prime Minister of India.
 INS Viraat is the flagship of the Indian Navy. The oldest carrier afloat, and one of the two aircraft carriers in the Indian Ocean Region.
 INS Vikramaditya the new name for the former Soviet aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, which has been procured by India, and is estimated to enter service in the Indian Navy after 2012.
 INS Vikrant (R11) was a Majestic-class light aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. Her keel was laid down on 12 November 1943 by Vickers-Armstrong [2] on the Tyne and she was launched on 22 September 1945. She was formally decommissioned on 31 January 1997 and is preserved as a museum at Mumbai
 In 2005, the Indian Navy commissioned INS Kadamba at Karwar, 100 km from Goa. This is the third operational naval base after Mumbai and Vishakapatnam and the first to be controlled exclusively by the Navy.

Indian Air Force

 The highest rank attainable in the IAF is Marshal of the Indian Air Force conferred by the President of India only after exceptional service (Equivalent to Field Marshall in the Indian Army).
 MIAF Arjan Singh is the only officer to have achieved this rank.
 Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik assumed office as the new chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF). He succeeds Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major.
 Western Air Command -Subroto Park, New Delhi
 Eastern Air Command - Shillong, Meghalaya
 Central Air Command -Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
 Southern Air Command - Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
 South Western Air Command -Gandhinagar, Gujarat
 Training Command Bangalore, -Karnataka
 Maintenance Command Nagpur - Maharashtra
 Maitri - the new Brahmos - India and France plan to co-produce surface-to-air missiles (SAM) on the lines of the Indo-Russian ‘Brahmos’ missile.
 Sqn Ldr Sanjay Thapar VM is the man of many firsts in the field of parachuting, two of his achievements are acknowledged as world records and seven others as National Records. He was the first Indian to introduce tandem skydiving in the Air Force.
 Sikorsky – first Helicopter

Integrated Guided Missile Development Program
============================== =====

 The Agni missile is a family of Medium to Intercontinental range ballistic missiles developed by India under the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program. As of 2008, the Agni missile family comprises three deployed variants:

1. Agni-I short range ballistic missile, 700 - 800 km range.
2. Agni-II medium range ballistic missile, 2,500 km range.
3. Agni-III intermediate range ballistic missile, 3,500 km range.
4. There will not be an Agni-IV missile, with DRDO leapfrogging from intermediate range Agni-III to a standard ICBM possibly.
5. Agni-V intercontinental ballistic missile, 5,000 - 6,000 km [4] range (under development).

 Prithvi is a tactical surface-to-surface, short-range ballistic missile (SRBM).

• Prithvi I (SS-150) - Army Version (150 km range with a payload of 1,000 kg)
• Prithvi II (SS-250) - Air Force Version (250 km range with a payload of 500 kg)
• Prithvi III (SS-350) - Naval Version (350 km range with a payload of 500 kg)
• Dhanush- Dhanush is reportedly a naval version of Prithvi which can be launched from Ships.[3]. Some sources claim that Dhanush is a System consisting of stabilization platform and missiles, which has the capability to launch both Prithvi II and Prithvi III from Ships[1] while others report that Dhanush is a variant of Prithvi-II Ballistic Missile.
Over the years these specifications underwent a number of changes. While the codename Prithvi stands for any missile inducted by India into its armed forces in this category, the later developmental versions are codenamed as Prithvi II and Prithvi III.

 Sagarika will be a nuclear-capable, cruise missile, capable of being mounted in ships or submarines. Considering the upward capability developments, Prithvi class of missiles could be reclassified from short-range ballistic missile to a medium range ballistic missile. The current codename of the operational variant Dhanush could pave way for the new codename Sagarika as Sagarika becomes operational. Dhanush was successfully tested on March 30, 2007. Sagarika will be inducted into the Advanced Technology Vessel being developed for Indian Navy.


 Akash is India's medium range surface-to-air missile defense system developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Bharat Electronics Limited(BEL) as part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program.[3][4][5] The missile can target aircraft up to 30 km away, at altitudes up to 18,000 m

 Trishul is the name of a short range surface-to-air missile developed by India as a part of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program

 Nag is India's third generation "Fire-and-forget" anti-tank missile. It is an all weather, top attack missile with a range of 3 to 7 km.

 The Shaurya missile is a canister launched hypersonic surface-to-surface tactical missile developed by the Indian Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) for use by the Indian Armed Forces.