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Looking back from the 1990s, when the Indian Army projects power and sinew, it becomes difficult to remember the kind of fledgling it was in 1947. Grit and experience affect the growth of an institution. Fighting four major wars, insurgency and other low intensity wars has indeed made the Indian Army an efficient battle-trained, war machine.

A look at the command and structuring of the Indian Army shows how finely these have been tuned to meet India's threat perceptions, based on the experience of the major wars that it has fought and the present-day geo-political context.

Officer Ranks

Field Marshal
General
Lieutenant General
Major General
Brigadier
Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel
Major
Captain
Lieutenant

Junior Commissioned Officer Ranks

Subedar Major / Risaldar Major
Subedar / Risaldar
Naib Subedar / Naib Risaldar

Non-Commissioned Ranks

Regimental Havildar Major
Regimental Quarter Master Havildar
Company Havildar Major / Squadron Daffadar Major
Company Quarter Master Havildar / Squadron Quarter Master Daffadar
Havildar / Daffadar
Naik / Lance Daffadar
Lance Naik / Acting Lance Daffadar
Sepoy / Sowar

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) wears multiple hats. To the entire army, now some 1.1 million men and women strong, he is the Chief. A number of Staff Officers assist him, such as Principal Staff Officers (PSOs), Heads of Arms and Services, etc. It would take a book of considerable length to even set down their designations and functions.

Until the 1960s, staff coordination was a one-man affair in the form of a three-star General Officer designated the Chief of the General Staff, with direct access to the Chief available to some -the PSOs. Today, a Vice Chief and two Deputy Chiefs of Army Staff handle coordination.
PSOs at Army Headquarters (and others down the line) have retained their nineteenth-century designations, not having succumbed to new managerial nomenclatures or alpha-numeric designations. The Quartermaster General, Master General of Ordnance, Adjutant General, Military Secretary, Engineer-in-Chief, Signal Officer-in-Chief, therefore, find traditional mention. At the sharp end a brigade-level General Staff Officer and his logistic equivalents are still called Brigade Major, Deputy Assistant Adjutant General and Deputy Assistant Quartermaster General respectively.

General Deepak Kapoor, PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC took over the reins of the Indian Army, as the 23rd Chief of Army Staff, on 30 September 2007. He was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery on 11 June 1967. An alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, he has also attended the Higher Command and National Defence College Courses.

The General is a veteran of the 1971 Indo-Pak operations, launched for the liberation of Bangladesh. He served as the Chief Operations Officer with the United Nations Forces deployed in Somalia from 1994 to 1995. The General Officer has commanded a brigade during active operations in the mountains and a division as part of Strike Corps in the deserts. He has been the Chief of Staff of a Corps actively involved in combating insurgency, and latter commanded a Corps in the mountains including the high altitude terrain. As Army Commander, he headed the Army Training Command and later, the Army's Northern Command where he oversaw planning and conduct of active counter-terrorist operations. He was the Vice Chief of the Army staff, before taking over as the Chief of Army Staff.

General Kapoor has been appointed as the Honorary Aide-De-Camp to the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the President of India. He is also the senior Colonel Commandant of the Regiment of Artillery. The General Officer has an abiding interest in self-education, and acquisition of knowledge. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration. He is also a keen sportsman, and an accomplished golfer.

ELIGIBILITY

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OPPORTUNITIES

An officer in the Indian Army inherits glorious heritage and timeless traditions, blended perfectly with the latest technology in the fields of management, engineering and medical sciences. It offers a golden opportunity to be a part of the world's finest army and get trained not only to be an officer but also a gentleman for life.

The Indian Army promises both, professional and personal growth at every stage of the career. Opportunities to upgrade through various courses are abundant. The adventure and extra-curricular activities in the Army ensure an all round development essential in today's world. An opportunity is even provided to upgrade your civil qualification by availing two years paid study leave. The Army teaches the art of War, Engineering, Medicine, Administration, Human Resource Development, Management, moulding officers into leaders capable of reaching the top in any field. Joining the Army is possible both, after school as well as after graduation.

BENEFITS

In addition to pay, an officer at present receives the following allowances:

(a) Compensatory (city and dearness) Allowances are admissible at the same rates and under the same conditions as are applicable to the Civilian Gazetted Officers from time to time.
(b) A kit maintenance allowances of Rs 200 p.m.
(c) Expatriation Allowance is admissible when serving outside India. This varies from 25% to 40% of the corresponding single rate of foreign allowance.
(d) Depending upon rank and area of posting, officer posted to field areas will be eligible for compensation. Field Area Allowance at the rate of Rs 1,050 to Rs 1,300 p.m. and Compensatory Modified Field Area Allowance at the rate of Rs 400 to 500 p.m.
(e) In addition to the Compensatory Field Area Allowance, officers posted to areas situated at a height of 9,000 ft to 15,000 ft and area above 15,000 ft, High Altitude/Uncongenial Climate allowance would be admissible at the rate of Rs 265 to Rs 530 and Rs 400 to RS 800 p.m. respectively.
(f) Siachen Allowance at the rate of Rs 7,000 per month will be admissible in addition to Compensatory Field Area Allowance (Rates under revision) to officers of all ranks. This allowance is, however, not admissible in conjunction with High Altitude/Uncongenial climate allowance.
(g) Outfit Allowance: Initial Outfit allowance is Rs 6,000. Renewal outfit allowance, Rs 6,000 after seven years of effective service.
(h) Free ration is provided to all officers.

(i) Transport Allowance: Transport allowance at Rs 800 p.m. to officers not provided with government accommodation within a distance of 1 km from the place of duty or facility of government transport or not residing in a campus housing the place of work and the residence. (j) Retirement benefits, pension, gratuity and casual pensionary award will be admissible in accordance with the rules in force from time to time.

REMUNERATION

Rank Pay Scale

A Sepoy gets a starting pay of Rs 3,050 to 4,650 depending on the group he belongs to, besides DA, CCA & other allowances as admissible to the Central Govt Employees.

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HOW TO APPLY

All recruitments are done only through rallies. Please contact your nearest Branch Recruiting Office/Zonal Recruiting Office for details. Rally schedule is also published in leading vernacular newspapers/Employment News. Report to rally site on the dates announced on notice board along with your educational certificate, birth certificate (in original) domicile certificate, character certificate and six passport size photographs.

Physical Fitness Tests (PFT)

To determine your physical fitness, the following tests carrying 100 marks are held:

(a) 1 mile run
(b) Pull ups
(c) Balance
(d) 9-feet ditch

Written examination

Common Entrance Examination (CEE) is conducted on last Sundays of each month for recruitment of soldiers. It comprises the following two papers:

(a) Paper I - Compulsory for all soldier categories.
(b) Paper II - For Sol. Technical, Sol. ClK (GD/SKT) and Sol. Nursing Assistant.