The Indian Army is the land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). The Indian Army was established on 1 April 1895 alongside the long established presidency armies of the East India Company, which too were absorbed into it in 1903. Some princely states maintained their own armies which formed the Imperial Service Troops which, along with the Indian Army formed the land component of the Armed Forces of the Crown of India, responsible for the defence of the Indian Empire. The Imperial Service Troops were merged into the Indian Army after independence. The units and regiments of the Indian Army have diverse histories and have participated in several battles and campaigns around the world, earning many battle and theatre honours before and after Independence.
The Battle of Longewala was one of the first major engagements in the western sector during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, fought between assaulting Pakistani forces and Indian defenders at the Indian border post of Longewala, in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. The battle was fought between 120 Indian soldiers accompanied by four Hawker Hunter and three HAL Marut fighter-bombers and 2,000–3,000 Pakistani soldiers accompanied by 30–40 tanks.
Major-General Ranjit Lal Jetley, FIE, FIQA was an Indian soldier and scientist. He served in World War II and the 1947 Indo-Pakistani War, becoming an artillery regiment commander. He went on to work in armaments research and development, his innovations including an Indian 10mm light field gun and upgunning of the Sherman tanks. He also contributed to set up two major laboratories. Jetley retired in 1979 and moved to the United Kingdom.
The 10 RAPID Division was a war formed infantry division of the Indian Army during World War II. In four years, the division travelled over 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from Tehran to Trieste, fought three small wars, and fought two great campaigns: the Anglo-Iraqi War, the Invasion of Syria–Lebanon, the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, the North African Campaign, and the Italian Campaign.
The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force. Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by the Central Armed Police Forces, Indian Coast Guard and Special Frontier Force and various inter-service commands and institutions such as the Strategic Forces Command, the Andaman and Nicobar Command and the Integrated Defence Staff. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces but the executive authority and responsibility for national security is vested in the Prime Minister of India and their chosen Cabinet Ministers. The Indian Armed Forces are under the management of the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India. With strength of over 1.4 million active personnel, it is the world's second-largest military force and has the world's largest volunteer army. It also has the third-largest defence budget in the world. The Global Firepower Index report lists it as the fourth most-powerful military.
The Malir Cantonment is a cantonment town of the city of Karachi, in Sindh, Pakistan. It serves as a military base and residential establishment.
The Byelorussian Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces. Originally formed just before World War I as the Minsk Military District out of the remnants of the Vilno Military District and the Warsaw Military District, it was headed by the Russian General Eugen Alexander Ernst Rausch von Traubenberg.
The 6th Red Banner Leningrad Army of Air and Air Defence Forces is an Air Army of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The Yugoslav Ground Forces was the ground forces branch of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) from 1 March 1945 until 20 May 1992 when the last remaining remnants were merged into the Ground Forces of the new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, under the threat of sanctions.
The Regiment of Artillery is a combat support arm of the Indian Army, which provides massive firepower during all ground operations of the Indian Army. It is a successor to the Royal Indian Artillery (RIA) of British Indian Army, which itself traces its origins to the formation of Bombay Artillery in 1827.
The Pakistan Army Corps of Air Defence is a military administrative and combat service support branch of the Pakistan Army. Reporting direct from the Army GHQ, it is commanded by Major-General Sarfraz Ahmed who served its director-general as of 2023.
The Military installations in Karachi are extensive as the Pakistani military has several military bases for all branches of its uniform services. The Pakistan Army has six military bases, that are noted as Cantts, while the Karachi Port serves as the main naval base for the Pakistan Navy and Qasim Fort as the headquarter for the Pakistan Marines. The Pakistan Air Force has three air force bases in Karachi.
10 Anti-Aircraft Regiment is an anti-aircraft artillery regiment of the South African Army.
The Corps of Army Air Defence, is an active corps of the Indian Army and a major combat support arm tasked with air defence of the country from foreign threats. The AAD is responsible for the protection of Indian air space from enemy aircraft and missiles, especially below 5,000 feet.
The Army Air Defence College,, is the training college for the Army Air Defence Corps of Indian Army. The college is located in the Gopalpur Military Station in Ganjam, Odisha. It spreads over an area of 2728 acres of land. The primary objective of the academy is to impart technical and operational knowledge to the personnel of Indian Army posted to the Corps of Army Air Defence (AAD) about the air defence systems and anti-aircraft warfare. Besides the army personnel, the college also trains personnel from navy, air force and officers from friendly foreign nations.
7th Air Defence Group is a formation of the British Army under the command of HQ Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. It provides all of the United Kingdom's ground based air defence assets. The organisation's subordinate units are drawn from the Royal Regiment of Artillery. The headquarters are located at Baker Barracks, Thorney Island.
The 4th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Peschiera" is an air defence regiment of the Italian Army. Originally an air defence regiment of the Royal Italian Army, the regiment is now based in Mantua in Lombardy and assigned to the Anti-aircraft Artillery Command. During the Cold War, the regiment was equipped with MIM-23 Hawk air defence missile systems and formed, together with the 5th Anti-aircraft Missile Artillery Regiment, the air defence belt of the Italian Army in the country's Northeast. The regimental anniversary falls, as for all Italian Army artillery regiments, on June 15, the beginning of the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918.
27 Air Defence Missile Regiment (Amritsar Airfield) is an Air Defence regiment of the Indian Army.
29 Air Defence Regiment (Samba) is an Air Defence regiment of the Indian Army.
The 5th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment "Pescara" is an inactive air defence regiment of the Italian Army, which was based in San Donà di Piave in Veneto. Originally a regiment of the Royal Italian Army, the unit was last active from 1947 to 2012. During the Cold War the regiment was equipped with MIM-23 Hawk air defence missile systems and formed, together with the 4th Anti-aircraft Missile Artillery Regiment, the air defence belt of the Italian Army in the country's Northeast. The regimental anniversary falls, as for all Italian Army artillery regiments, on June 15, the beginning of the Second Battle of the Piave River in 1918.
