Indian Defense Forces – A Complete Guide

If you are reading this, either you are a defense lover or just a curious reader, well, that does not matter, but your time does, and I’m pretty sure that you will gain some knowledge about our defense forces after going through this article and no, you won’t be bored.

Indian Defense Forces

The Indian Defense Forces can be categorized into Indian Armed Forces, Paramilitary Organizations, and Central Armed Police Forces, apart from standard police service (not covered here).

1. The Professional Uniformed Services

The Indian Armed Forces have 3 professional uniformed services under its domain, namely the –

• Indian Army (3rd largest in the World)
• Indian Navy (Arguably 7th largest and among a few blue water navies)
• Indian Air-force (One of the largest and strongest in the world)

2. Paramilitary Organizations

The Paramilitary Organizations support the Indian Armed Forces. They are Assam Rifles (very old and robust), Indian Coast Guard (sister of the Navy. Almost literally), and Special Frontier Force. All these forces are governed by the Defense Ministry led by the union cabinet minister of defense.

3. Ministry of Home Affairs

However, the Central Armed Police Forces are governed by the Ministry of Home Affairs.  They consist of various forces like –

• Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) – Largest among all central armed police forces
• Border Security Force (BSF) – Also called First Wall of Defense, the most significant border guiding force, see Wagah Border ceremony
• Sahastra Seema Bal – For Nepal and Bhutan borders
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)
• Central Industrial Police Force (CISF) – personnel who guard the airports, PSUs, and various other industries.

4. Other Forces

There are other forces too (too many forces? well, we are almost done) like

• National Security Guard (NSG)
• Special Protection Group (SPG)
• Railway Protection Force (RPF)

5. Blue Water Navy

After that ‘brief’ introduction, I would like to shed some light on some of the points that I mentioned, like ‘blue water navy’; as simple and obvious it may sound, it is equally interesting to know that three terms are used to define the navies all around the world. Brown Water Navy, Green Water Navy, and Blue Water Navy.

Without further details, A blue-water navy is, in theory, a maritime force capable of operating in the deep waters of the open oceans with the capability of prolonged and sustained operations in open waters. Phew! Apart from that, for those who don’t know what RAW is (even after the excessive use of its name in Bollywood in recent times), it stands for Research and Analysis Wing, the country’s external intelligence agency.

6. Special Forces

Furthermore, let’s talk about some of the various other Special Forces that make us stand out (really out).

6.1. Para (Special Forces)

The largest of all special forces and probably most important. Being a part of the Indian Army, these are some seriously badass units capable of going behind enemy lines and executing a surprise attack to break the enemy’s bone.

6.2. MARCOS

Stands for Marine Commandos, an elite special operations unit of the Indian Navy; they are it. Be it any condition, mission, terrain, or enemy, they most probably already have if you think no one can do it.

They are the most advanced and specialized force and among the few units in the world with the capability of jumping in the water with a full combat load. They surpass para regiments with this ability and the capability to perform maritime operations. They also helped during the 2008 Mumbai Attacks.

6.3. Guard Commando Force

The particular unit of the Indian Air force. They were formed in 2004 and take their name from a bird-like creature in Hindu Mythology.

This is not an exhaustive list as with almost every force. The unit has its particular commando unit used for special operations but is definitely among the best.

We have come to an end of this ‘guide.’ I hope you liked it, enjoyed it, and, more importantly, learned something.

Salute to the Heroes.

Last Updated on June 1, 2022 by Steffy Michael