The Strategic Forces Command (SFC), sometimes called Strategic Nuclear Command, forms part of India's Nuclear Command Authority (NCA). It is responsible for the management and administration of the country's tactical and strategic nuclear weapons stockpile. It was created on 4 January 2003 by the Vajpayee Government. Air Marshal Teja Mohan Asthana became its first commander-in-chief.
The Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) is the deputy to the Chief of the Air Staff of India and second-highest ranking officer of the Indian Air Force. The VCAS is a PSO at Air Headquarters at New Delhi. In the event that the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) is absent or is unable to perform his duties, the VCAS assumes the duties and responsibilities of the CAS. The VCAS is normally held by an officer of three star rank and is held by an air officer of the rank of Air Marshal.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) is a statutory office held by the professional head of the Indian Air Force (IAF), the aerial branch of the Indian Armed Forces. Customarily held by a four-star air chief marshal, the CAS is the senior-most operational officer of the IAF, mandated with the responsibilities of supervising the force's overall functioning during states of peace and wartime, committing to the establishment-cum-continuity of air deterrence and executing India's security objectives vis-à-vis the preservation of the country's air sovereignty.
Admiral Arun Prakash, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM is a former Flag Officer of the Indian Navy. He served as the Chief of the Naval Staff from 31 July 2004 to 31 October 2006 and as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 31 January 2005 to 31 October 2006. He is one of India's most decorated naval officers.
The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is a integrated tri-services command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India. It was created in 2001 to safeguard India's strategic interests in Southeast Asia and the Strait of Malacca by increasing rapid deployment of military assets in the region. It provides logistical and administrative support to naval ships which are sent on deployment to East Asia and the Pacific Ocean.
Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar, PVSM, AVSM is a retired Indian Navy Admiral who served as the CINCAN and as the Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Armed Forces. His earlier served as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF). He also served as the Commanding Officer of INS Viraat (R22), INS Ganga (F22), INS Himgiri (F34) and INS Panaji (1960).
The Eastern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Bay of Bengal and parts of the Indian Ocean and the naval establishments on the east coast of India.
INS Baaz is an Indian naval air station under the joint-services Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) of the Indian Armed Forces. It is located near Campbell Bay, on Great Nicobar island in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. It is the southernmost air station of the Indian Armed Forces. It overlooks the Strait of Malacca as well as the Six Degree channel between Great Nicobar and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Lieutenant General Podali Shankar Rajeshwar PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC is a former General officer in the Indian Army. He last served as the 14th Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command, from December 2019 to May 2020. He took office on 1 December 2019 when Vice Admiral Bimal Verma retired. He superannuated on 31 May 2020, handing over command to Lieutenant General Manoj Pande. Earlier, he had served as the 12th Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, from November 2018 to November 2019.
The Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD) is an integrated tri-services division of the Indian Armed Forces. The division is tasked to carry out special operations. The AFSOD draws personnel from all three special warfare branches of the Indian Armed Forces.
Vice Admiral Suraj Berry, AVSM, NM, VSM is a serving Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command. He previously served as the Chief of Personnel, as the Controller Personnel Services and as Chief of Staff of the Andaman and Nicobar Command. He has also commanded the Eastern Fleet and was the Commissioning Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command (CINCAN) is the head of the Andaman and Nicobar Command, the first and only Tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, based at Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a Union Territory of India.
The Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) is the head of the Integrated Defence Staff which acts as the point organisation for jointmanship in the Ministry of Defence. In November 2019, government sources disclosed the post of Chief of Integrated Defence Staff would be converted to that of Vice Chief of Defence Staff some in the future.
General Manoj Pande, is a retired four star general officer of the Indian Army. He last served as the 29th Chief of the Army Staff. He previously served as 43rd Vice Chief of the Army Staff, prior to that he was General Officer-Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Command and also as the Commander-in-Chief (CINCAN) of Andaman and Nicobar Command. He also served as General Officer Commanding IV Corps, before assuming the appointment as commander of Gajraj Corps he was serving as the Chief of Staff, Southern Command. He is the first officer from the Corps of Engineers to become the Army Chief.
Integrated Theatre Commands of the Indian Armed Forces are varying degrees of synergy and cross–service cooperation between the military wings of the Indian Armed Forces. Following Independence, in 1949 a joint educational framework was set up starting with the first tri-service academy in the world, the National Defence Academy, and over the years this joint educational framework has been expanded to bring officers from the different services together at different stages of their careers.
Maritime Theatre Command (MTC), previously referred to as Peninsular Command, is a proposed inegrated tri-services command of the Indian Armed Forces whose responsibilities may include the command and control of the entire Indian naval fleet and coastal defence operations. It is envisioned to include assets from all the branches of the Indian military.
Indian order of battle during the 2020–2021 China–India skirmishes:
Northern Theatre Command is a proposed Inegrated Theatre Command of the Indian Armed Forces. The command will be responsible for looking after the 3,488 kilometres of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India's de facto border with China, starting from Ladakh to Kibithu, Arunachal Pradesh.
Western Theatre Command is a proposed Inegrated Theatre Command of the Indian Armed Forces. The command will be responsible for looking after the India–Pakistan border starting from Siachen Glacier in north to Gujarat in south.
