![COAS and VCOAS Commendation Cards Independence Day 2026 [Full List]](https://media.ssbcrack.com/2026/08/COAS-and-VCOAS-Commendation-Cards-on-Independence-Day-2026-1.webp)
The Indian Army has released the lists of personnel awarded the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Commendation Card and Vice Chief of the Army Staff (VCOAS) Commendation Card on the occasion of Independence Day 2026.
According to the official lists issued by the Ministry of Defence through the Press Information Bureau on August 14, 2026, a total of 790 personnel have been selected for the COAS Commendation Card, while 221 personnel have been awarded the VCOAS Commendation Card. Together, the two lists recognise 1,011 personnel for their distinguished service and professional contributions.
The COAS Commendation Card list is particularly extensive and includes personnel from virtually every major arm and service of the Indian Army. The 21-page official document begins with personnel from the Armoured Corps and continues through the Mechanised Infantry, Infantry, Artillery, Engineers, Signals, Army Air Defence, Army Aviation, intelligence, logistics, medical and other supporting branches.
Among the first recipients named in the COAS list are Colonel Sanjay Jain and Colonel Nikhil Bhardwaj of the Armoured Corps. Lt Col Nakul Punia, Lt Col Sanjeev Kumar, Lt Col Kasi Trinadh Netti and Lt Col Rishabh Mamgain are also among the Armoured Corps officers recognised.
The COAS Commendation Card list also includes young officers and soldiers serving in operational formations. Major Avinash Shukla of 55 Rashtriya Rifles, Captain Rajat Ranjan Keron of 6 Lancers and several personnel of armoured regiments have been selected for the honour. Agniveers are also represented, with Agniveer Vikas of 86 Armoured Regiment and Agniveer Chinnam Madhu of 16 Light Cavalry appearing in the official list.
The Mechanised Infantry has a substantial representation. Lt Col Bhagirath Narasimha Somayaji, Major Tapeesh Gautam, Major Udai Pratap Singh and Major D Phaneendra are among those recognised, alongside JCOs and Other Ranks serving in mechanised formations and Rashtriya Rifles units.
A significant number of awardees come from the Infantry, reflecting the contribution of soldiers deployed across operational, counter-insurgency, training and headquarters appointments. Colonel Hitender Parti of the Punjab Regiment, Colonel Udayraj Kulgude of the Maratha Light Infantry, Colonel Gaurav Thakur of the Bihar Regiment, Colonel Pradeep Kumar of the Garhwal Rifles, Colonel Ankur Singh of the Punjab Regiment and Colonel Brajendra Singh Bora of the Madras Regiment are among the senior Infantry officers named.
Officers of the Parachute Regiment and Special Forces also feature prominently. Lt Col Nikhil Kumar Maurya of 11 Para (Special Forces), Major Shashank Shivshankar Biradar of 12 Para (Special Forces), Major Ayush Kumar Singh of 2 Para (Special Forces), Major K Karthik of 6 Para (Special Forces) and Captain Khagendra Pun of 12 Para (Special Forces) are among those included.
Personnel serving with Rashtriya Rifles formations have also been recognised in large numbers. The list includes officers and soldiers serving with units such as 22 RR, 26 RR, 31 RR, 39 RR, 42 RR, 50 RR, 55 RR and 59 RR, underlining the commendation of personnel engaged in demanding counter-insurgency and operational assignments.
The Infantry representation extends across regiments including the Punjab Regiment, Madras Regiment, Maratha Light Infantry, Garhwal Rifles, Rajputana Rifles, Rajput Regiment, Mahar Regiment, Bihar Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Kumaon Regiment, Gorkha Rifles, Dogra Regiment, Grenadiers, Assam Regiment, Naga Regiment and the Brigade of the Guards.
The COAS list is not restricted to Army personnel alone. It also includes members of the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and police organisations who have been recognised for contributions connected with defence and joint-service responsibilities. The concluding page of the list includes four Indian Navy personnel, Coast Guard DIG Devasigamani Angello Innocent, and police personnel from the Manipur Police and Delhi Police.
Civilian personnel serving with defence establishments have also been awarded the COAS Commendation Card. The list includes employees working with organisations such as the Central Public Works Department, Military Secretary’s Branch, Adjutant General’s Branch, Ministry of Defence Security Office, Naval Headquarters, Military College of Telecommunication Engineering, Rashtriya Indian Military College, NCC Headquarters and Army Base Workshops.
The COAS Commendation Card list concludes at serial number 790, confirming that 790 personnel have been selected for the honour on Independence Day 2026. The diversity of the recipients highlights the wide range of operational, administrative, technical, training and support functions that contribute to the effectiveness of the Indian Army and the wider defence establishment.
Alongside the COAS honours, the Indian Army has announced 221 recipients of the VCOAS Commendation Card. This seven-page list similarly includes officers, Junior Commissioned Officers, Other Ranks, Territorial Army personnel, NCC personnel, Border Roads Organisation employees, Military Engineer Service personnel and civilians working with Army establishments.
The VCOAS list includes personnel from the Armoured Corps, Mechanised Infantry, Infantry, Regiment of Artillery, Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, Army Air Defence, Army Aviation, Intelligence Corps, Army Service Corps, Army Medical Corps, Military Nursing Service, Army Ordnance Corps, Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers and several other organisations.
Personnel from the Territorial Army and National Cadet Corps are also among those recognised. The inclusion of personnel serving outside conventional field formations reflects the broader role played by training, logistics, engineering, medical, administrative and institutional organisations in supporting Army operations.
The General Reserve Engineers Force and Border Roads Organisation also feature in the VCOAS list. AE (Civil) Vibhishan Kumar Sharma, JE (Civil) Mumtaz Ahmad and OEM Grade-II Rajendra Prasad Saini have been recognised, while Ajay Kumar Chadha represents the Military Engineer Service.
Thirteen civilian employees appear at the end of the VCOAS Commendation Card list. They include Parveen Yadav, Manisha Katyal, Anuj Panwar, Bharat Bhushan, Prashant Sharma, Pratyush Mishra, Manish Kumar, Rekha Rani, Om Prakash Tiwari, Sanjay Kumar Shrivastava, Akshay Kumar, Kuldeep and Sourav Pundhir.
The COAS and VCOAS Commendation Cards are important forms of recognition within the Indian Army, awarded to personnel whose devotion to duty, professional excellence and contribution to the service merit formal appreciation.
The Independence Day 2026 honours demonstrate that exemplary service is recognised across the entire military ecosystem — from combat formations and Special Forces units to headquarters, training establishments, engineering organisations, medical services, logistics branches and civilian support institutions.
With 790 COAS Commendation Card recipients and 221 VCOAS Commendation Card recipients, a total of 1,011 personnel have been recognised through the two commendation lists released for Independence Day 2026.
