An army man is uniquely identified by three things from the civilians – their haircut, the way they carry themselves, and the way they dress.
The Indian Army is an organization where every man is a potential leader. And it is very well reflected in the way they carry themselves and dress up. But these dresses, these uniforms come at a cost. There are 8 types of uniforms in the Indian Army:
Indian Army Uniform
The Indian Army has a variety of uniforms that are worn depending on the occasion, function, and weather conditions. Here are some of the main uniforms of the Indian Army:
- Combat Uniform: This is the standard uniform worn during combat operations and field exercises. It consists of a camouflage patterned shirt and pants, along with a matching cap, helmet, and combat boots.
- Service Dress: This is the formal uniform worn for ceremonial occasions, parades, and official functions. It consists of a khaki-colored shirt and pants, with black leather shoes and a beret.
- Mess Dress: This is the formal evening dress uniform worn during formal dinners and receptions. It consists of a black jacket and pants with a white dress shirt and black bow tie.
- PT Dress: This is the physical training uniform worn during fitness and training exercises. It consists of a gray-colored shirt and pants with running shoes.
- Winter Dress: This is the cold-weather uniform worn during the winter months. It consists of a thick woolen sweater, jacket, and pants along with a cap and gloves.
- Ceremonial Uniform: This is the special uniform worn during ceremonial occasions, such as Independence Day and Republic Day parades. It consists of a white dress jacket, white pants, black leather shoes, and a black turban.
- Jungle Dress: This is the specialized uniform worn during jungle operations. It consists of a green-colored shirt and pants with a camouflage hat and jungle boots.
Uniforms of the Indian Army
- General Duty:
GD dresses are the ones that make the army man look smart and formal. These are different for winters and summers. For winters, the officers wear a peach colour shirt, black tie and an olive green blazer along with a beret or a peak cap. This is called Dress 5SD. Angola Shirt is worn by some regiments. Regiments also preserve certain colour of their traditions.
In summers, all ranks wear the popular Olive Greens which is also a standard uniform in all peace areas. It was first worn in 2005 when Army moved from Khaki to Olive Greens to distinguish from the Pakistan Army.
- Blue Patrol:
Blue Patrol is the dress code for ceremonial uniform during winters. The blue patrol is worn with a ‘bandgala’ coat. The shoulder pips are embroidered along with ranks on the coat except for armoured corps officers who wear a chain mail along with their ranks on the shoulders. This is also preferred as the mess dress and formal dress during winters.
- 6A/6B:
The code 6 is the mess dress for the Indian Army. The 6 Alpha is the white mess/formal dress for winters similar to the blue patrol. It is worn with a white coat with black trousers. It is worn very rarely as officers prefer blue patrol over 6A. Dress 6 Bravo is the summer mess dress worn with a cummerbund with respective regimental colours.
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- Ceremonials:
These are worn during military ceremonial occasions like guard of honour, wreath laying, military funeral, etc. These include wearing ceremonials with Dress SD during winters and half sleeves during summers. The ceremonials include neck scraf, cummerbund, medals and decoarations.
- Combats:
This is the standard field uniform of Indian Army. The disruptive pattern uniform have a forest camouflage pattern and hence, is also called “Jungle Dress”. In winters, a sweater or a jacket is worn over it. The ranks on this dress are embroidered on flaps and the usual metal ranks are not worn. While in war or exercise, only the basics, rank and name are worn on the dress and other decorations are worn during peace. The soldiers wear this on all Fridays including in peace areas.
Combat Uniforms You Need To Earn:
- Black:
The men in black are the badasses of the Indian Army. The black dress is worn by the officers and men of the Armoured Corps, the NSG and alike. While all the above are general dress codes for regular men, you really need to prove your worth to earn these colours.
- Dungarees:
Again, for the guys who like flying and like being airborne, they have to earn the dungarees for the pilots and aircrews. Only the name tab and rank is worn on the dungarees along with the aircraft symbol they are associated with.
- Smocks:
While black is the colour for badasses of the Indian Army, Smock is worn by the highly qualified badasses of the Indian Army. Smocks are worn by paratroopers of the Indian Army during winters are ceremonies.
Conclusion:
There are various uniforms of Indian Army which are worn by them during occasions and posting of their service. For example, there are certain modifications for ceremonies at Rashtrapati bhavan and visit of foreign dignitaries and the uniform shift is totally different for soldiers serving in the Siachen Glacier.
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Also Read: Here Are 9 Berets Worn In Indian Military And What Their Colour Means
