Hello, Warriors! India has the 3rd largest Army, 4th largest Air Force and the 7th largest Navy in the world enough to counter any threat to the boundary lines, aerospace or coastal lines of the country.
With the growing technology and it’s use in the defence sector, Indian armed forces has come a long way to the present. India has one of the longest military histories, dating back several millennia. From swords and bow-arrows to the present day drones and missiles, India’s defence history is very rich, which transformed the sections of militaries to a united military that now fights for a single nation.
Here are the 9 facts worth knowing about the Indian Armed Forces today:
- First things first: Indian Army is the largest volunteer army in the world- a fact to make every Indian proud that India has the largest number of willing soldiers to serve the nation.
- In the Indian army, there is no provision for reservations based on caste or religion. While this is a common practice in other government organisations and institutions in the country, the army looks out for a set of OLQs in the candidates which is irrespective of caste or religion.
- The Bailey Bridge is the highest bridge in the world and it is built by the Indian Army in August 1982. It is located in the Ladakh valley between Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains..
- It is important to note that the Central Armed Police Forces, which are commonly and incorrectly referred to as ‘Paramilitary Forces’, are headed by officers from the Indian Police Service and are under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs, not the Ministry of Defence.
- The Indian Air Force has an out-station base in Tajikistan. It is the only IAF base outside India and is seeking another in Afghanistan.
- In the Battle of Longewala, on which the famous Bollywood movie “Border” is based, there were only two casualties on the Indian side.
- Celebrities are often awarded honorary ranks in the armed forces. While Sachin Tendulkar has been granted the rank of Honorary Group captain in the I.A.F, M.S Dhoni is an Honorary Col in the Indian Army. Many film stars are conferred with military ranks. Some of them are Nana Patekar and Mohan Lal.
- India’s indigenous nuclear-capable ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile) AGNI-V puts India into the Elite Club consisting of USA, China, France and Russia.
- The Indian Naval Academy (NavAc) or The Ezhimala Naval Academy in Kerala is the largest of its kind in Asia.
- The Military Engineering Services (MES) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are together responsible for the construction and maintenance of some of the most awesome roads and bridges ever to have been built. Some of their works include the Khardungla Pass (the highest motorable road in the world), the Magnetic Hill in Leh, etc. The MES is also one of the biggest construction agencies in India.
- Indian Army controls the highest battlefield in the world – the Siachen Glacier.
- The Indian Armed Forces are the world’s largest arms importer, with Russia, Israel, France and the United States being the top foreign suppliers of military equipment.
With one of the toughest Militaries in the world, the Indian Armed forces proved themselves in various missions and peacekeeping operations. Thank to all the soldiers of the country that we have a peaceful sleep at nights.
