Army ranks and insignia of India

Indian Armed Forces
Military Manpower
Active troops 1,440,000 (2nd) Reserve forces 2,096,000 (5th) Paramilitary forces and CAPF 1,585,950 (6th)
Components
Indian Army  Indian Navy  Indian Air Force Paramilitary forces of India Central Armed Police Forces Strategic Nuclear Command
History
Military history of India
Ranks and insignia
Army • Navy • Air Force
v t

Indian Army Ranks can be broadly classified into three categories: Commissioned Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks.

These ranks generally correspond with those of Western militaries, and in particular, reflect those of the British and Commonwealth armies. Traditional names for ranks are still used, as well as Western names.

show Equivalent ranks of Indian military
Indian Navy	Indian Army	Indian Air Force
Commissioned ranks
Admiral of the fleet	Field marshal	Marshal of the Indian Air Force
Admiral	General	Air chief marshal
Vice admiral	Lieutenant general	Air marshal
Rear admiral	Major general	Air vice marshal
Commodore	Brigadier	Air commodore
Captain	Colonel	Group captain
Commander	Lieutenant colonel	Wing commander
Lieutenant commander	Major	Squadron leader
Lieutenant	Captain	Flight lieutenant
Sub lieutenant	Lieutenant	Flying officer
Junior commissioned ranks
Master chief petty officer 1st class	Subedar major[Alt 1]	Master warrant officer
Master chief petty officer 2nd class	Subedar[Alt 2]	Warrant officer
Chief petty officer	Naib subedar[Alt 3]	Junior warrant officer
Non-commissioned ranks
Petty officer	Havildar	Sergeant
Leading seaman	Naik	Corporal
Seaman 1	Lance naik	Leading aircraftsman
Seaman 2	Sepoy	Aircraftsman
Footnotes
^ Risaldar major in cavalry and armoured regiments ^ Risaldar in cavalry and armoured regiments ^ Naib risaldar in cavalry and armoured regiments. Called jemadar until 1965.

History[]

Until 26 January 1950, when India became a republic, the Indian Army utilised the British-pattern rank badges of the British Indian Army. Upon independence in 1947, India became a dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations, but the old rank insignia, incorporating the Tudor Crown and four-pointed Bath Star ("pip"), was retained, as King George VI remained Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. After 26 January 1950, when India became a republic, the President of India became Commander-in-Chief, and the Ashoka Lion replaced the crown, with a five-pointed star being substituted for the "pip."^[1]

Field Marshal[]

India has a field marshal rank, but it is mostly ceremonial. There are no field marshals in the army organizational structure at present and it has been conferred on only two officers in the past, the late Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and the late Field Marshal K M Cariappa.^[2]

Field marshals hold their rank for life and are considered to be serving officers until their death. Unlike other officers, they do not draw a pension. A field marshal gets the full pay of a general equal to the Chief of the Army Staff. They wear full uniforms on all official occasions.^[3]

Ranks and insignia[]

Current ranks[]

Officers

Rank group	General/flag officers										Field/senior officers						Junior officers								Officer cadet
Indian Army[4] v t																									No insignia
	Field marshal फ़ील्ड मार्शल		General जनरल		Lieutenant general लेफ्टिनेंट - जनरल		Major general मेजर - जनरल		Brigadier ब्रिगेडियर		Colonel कर्नल		Lieutenant colonel लेफ्टिनेंट - कर्नल		Major मेजर		Captain कप्तान		Lieutenant लेफ्टिनेंट						Officer cadet
	Honorary/ War time rank		Held by the Chief of Defence Staff or the Chief of the Army Staff

Enlisted ranks

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Indian Army[4] v t																													No insignia
	Subedar Major / Risaldar Major						Subedar / Risaldar		Naib Subedar / Naib Risaldar		Havildar												Naik				Lance Naik		Sepoy
	सूबेदार मेजर / रिसालदार मेजर						सूबेदार / रिसालदार		नायब सूबेदार / नायब रिसालदार		हवलदार												नायक				लांस नायक		सिपाही

• Risaldar Major in cavalry and armoured regiments
• Risaldar in cavalry and armoured regiments
• Naib Risaldar in cavalry and armoured regiments. Called Jemadar until 1965.
• Sowar in cavalry and armoured regiments

Ranks that are no longer in use[]

The rank of Second Lieutenant is no longer in use; all new officers are commissioned as Lieutenants.

The appointments of Regimental Quartermaster Havildar and Regimental Havildar Major are no longer used in the Indian Army and those duties are now performed by JCOs.^[5][6][7]

Ranks of the Indian Army no longer in use

	Officers		Non-commissioned officers
Shoulder Insignia		Arm
Rank	Second Lieutenant		Regimental Havildar Major	Regimental Quartermaster Havildar	Company Havildar Major	Company Quartermaster Havildar

Notable holders include 2Lt. Arun Khetarpal, 2Lt. Rama Raghoba Rane, CHM Piru Singh Shekhawat and CQMH Abdul Hamid.

Rank descriptions[]

• Indian Army Ranks can be classified into three categories.
  • Commissioned Officers who are equivalent to All India Services & Group "A" Service officers.^[8]
  • Junior Commissioned Officers who are equivalent to Group B Gazetted officers.^[9]
  • Other Ranks comprising non-commissioned officers and soldiers.

Commissioned officers[]

Commissioned officers are the leaders of the army and command anywhere from Platoon, Company, Battalion, Brigade, Division, Corps and the whole army.

At the time of joining, all Indian Army officers are inducted as officer cadets. The rank of officer cadet is denoted by an officer's uniform with no insignia.

Indian Army officers are continually put through different courses and assessed on merit throughout their career, for promotions and appointments. Substantive promotions up to Lieutenant Colonel or equivalent (subject to clearance of Part B and Part D exam for Major and Lieutenant Colonel) ^[10][11] and are based on time in service whereas those for Colonel and above are based on selection, with promotion to Colonel also based on time served. Due to steep hierarchy and few vacancies, most of the officers retire at the rank of Colonel and only a few make it to the rank of Brigadier and above.^[12][13][14] Civilian equivalents are in accordance with government policies on functional allocation of duties in staff billets, otherwise the rank structure of the armed forces is different from the civilian with regard to years of service and vacancies available.^{[citation needed]}

Indian Army officers undergo various courses such as Young Officers Course, Junior Command Course, Defence Services Staff College course at DSSC Wellington, Management Development Programme: Senior Defence Management Course, Higher Defence Management Course at the College of Defence Management (Secunderabad), Higher Command Courses, NDC courses at various premier institutions of Armed Forces for promotions. The same is applicable to officers other two services namely Indian Navy and Indian Air Force

Dress insignia are in Gold/Black/Silver based on regiments of the officers commissioned

Ranks	Description	Insignia	Collar Patch[15]	Notes[16][17]	Retirement age
Field Marshal	National emblem over a crossed baton and sabre in a lotus blossom wreath.		Crimson patches with five golden stars and golden laurel wreath	Only two appointments have ever been made.	Not applicable. Life Long
General	National emblem over a five-pointed star, all over a crossed baton and sabre.		Crimson patches with four golden stars and golden laurel wreath	Held by the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army and Chief of Defence Staff, if from the army (but with slightly different insignia). Equivalent to Cabinet Secretary of India Pay Level 18, Rs. 250,000	As CDS: 3 years as CDS or at age of 65, whichever is earlier. As COAS: 3 years as COAS or at the age of 62, whichever is earlier.
Lieutenant General	National emblem over crossed baton and sabre.		Crimson patches with three golden stars and golden laurel wreath (army and theatre commanders) Crimson patches with three golden stars (corps commanders, other positions)	By selection. 36 years of commissioned service required. Lieutenant generals appointed as Vice Chief of Army Staff/Army Commanders/Equivalent at Pay Level 17, Rs.225,000 HAG + Scale: Admissible to 1/3rd of total strength of Lt Generals Pay Level 16, Rs.205,400–224,400 HAG Scale: Pay Level 15, Rs. 182,200–224,100	60
Major General	Five-pointed star over crossed baton and sabre.		Crimson patches with two golden stars	By selection. 28 years of commissioned service required. Pay Level 14, Rs. 144,200–218,200	58
Brigadier	National emblem over three five-pointed stars in a triangular formation.		Crimson patches with one golden star	By selection. 25 years of commissioned service required. Pay Level 13A, Rs.139,600–2,17,600	56
Colonel	National emblem over two five-pointed stars		Crimson patches with golden braids	First selection-grade rank; highest rank which may be attained by officers on time-scale promotion if not promoted to colonel by selection. 15 years of commissioned service required for selection. 26 years of commissioned service required for time-scale promotion. Pay Level 13, Rs. 130,600–215,900	54
Lieutenant Colonel	National emblem over five-pointed star.		None	On completion of 13 years reckonable commissioned service subject to clearance of Part D exam. Pay Level 12A, Rs. 121,200–212,400	NA
Major	National emblem.		None	On completion of 6 years reckonable commissioned service subject to clearance of Part B exam. Pay Level 11, Rs. 69,400–207,200	NA
Captain	Three five-pointed stars.		None	On completion of 2 years reckonable commissioned service. Pay Level 10B, Rs. 61,300–193,900	NA
Lieutenant	Two five-pointed stars.		None	On commissioning into Indian Army as an Officer in Pay Level 10 Rs. 56,100–177,500	NA
Officer Cadet	Shoulder tags with training academy name	No insignia	Term and Company badges	On getting inducted in the Indian Army. Fixed stipend as applicable	NA

In the Indian Army, officer cadets are known as Gentlemen Cadets or Lady Cadets. Gentlemen Cadets (GCs) join the Indian Military Academy (IMA)/Officer's Training Academy (OTA) after going through the Service Selection Board (S.S.B.) interview. Gentlemen Cadets undergo a pre-commission training programme at IMA/OTA, which is equally divided into terms.

Junior commissioned officers[]

Junior commissioned officers are promoted from non-commissioned officers and are broadly equivalent to warrant officers in Western armies. Senior non-commissioned officers are promoted to JCO rank on the basis of merit and seniority, restricted by the number of vacancies. In between the Commissioned Officer and the NCOs lies the Junior Commissioned Officers. They are treated with great respect as they have a minimum of 28 yrs and over service and are referred to as Sahab by all ranks.^[18]

The current living recipients of the Param Veer Chakra are all from JCO ranks namely Bana Singh Retd, Sanjay Kumar, and Yogendra Singh Yadav.^[19]

JCOs are entrusted with supervisory roles and the three JCO ranks are Subedar Major, Subedar and Naib Subedar. JCOs are equivalent in status to Group B (Gazetted) of Government of India.^[20]

Junior commissioned officers are treated as a separate class and hold many additional privileges. In the army, they have a separate mess (the JCO's mess), get well-furnished family quarters, and are authorized to travel in AC II-tier on the railways.^{[21] [22]}

Ranks		Description	Insignia	Retirement Age
Infantry and other arms	Cavalry and Armour
Subedar major	Risaldar major	Golden national emblem with stripe		After 34 years service or at the age of 54, whichever is sooner.[23]
Subedar	Risaldar	Two golden stars with stripe		After 30 years service or at the age of 52, whichever is sooner.[23]
Naib subedar	Naib risaldar	One golden star with stripe		After 28 years service or at the age of 52, whichever is sooner.[23]

JCOs are currently enrolled as jawans and few of them get promoted to officers over a period of time-based on their performance and on their ability to clear promotion examinations. A few JCOs are directly enrolled as religious teachers and in certain technical arms such as the Corps of Engineers. As of 2021, the Indian Army is discussing a proposal to directly enroll Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) in all arms of the service to address the shortage of commissioned officers. According to the proposal, the Indian Army will directly induct JCOs who have cleared the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview. The UPSC will conduct an entrance examination, which would be followed by an SSB interview and a medical examination. Selected candidates would then be trained for one and a half years before joining the units as JCOs. Subsequently, they would be promoted to officers up to the rank of Colonels based on their length of service and qualifications.^[24]

Other ranks[]

Other ranks in the Indian Army include Non-Commissioned Officers ("NCOs") and Soldiers ("sepoys" or "jawans")

Non commissioned officers[]

Non-Commissioned Officers ("NCOs") are soldiers promoted to positions of responsibility and are equivalent to junior non-commissioned officers (sergeants and corporals) in Western armies.

Ranks		Description	Insignia	Retirement Age
Infantry and other arms	Cavalry and armour
Havildar	Daffadar	Three rank chevrons		After 26 years service or at the age of 49, whichever is sooner.[23]
Naik	Lance Daffadar	Two rank chevrons		After 23 years service or at the age of 49, whichever is sooner.[23]
Lance Naik	Acting Lance Daffadar	Single rank chevron		After 19 years service or at the age of 48, whichever is sooner.[23]

Soldiers[]

Ranks		Insignia	Retirement Age
Infantry and other arms	Cavalry and armour
Sepoy	Sowar	Plain shoulder badge only	After 15 years 56 Days service or at the age of 42, whichever is sooner.[23]

Honorary ranks[]

Brevet[]

Honorary ranks and honor, also called brevet, are granted in the Indian Army, and its branches such as India Territorial Army (TA), for various reasons. These ranks may not entitle the rank holder to pay, pension, or perks (e.g. ranks given to celebrities).

Retiring Soldiers[]

Since the time of the British raj,^[25] exemplary soldiers who are about to retire are given honorary ranks, usually a few days before their retirement, although these ranks can be granted at any time. Examples include the grant of the rank of Field Marshal, which is rarely granted. Most frequently, honorary ranks that are granted are those of junior commissioned officers, which are granted 1 or 2 weeks before retirement.

Prominent citizens as brand ambassadors[]

In order to inspire Indian youths to join Indian Army, and to acknowledges contribution towards the nation, honorary ranks are awarded to the accomplished and eminent personalities who act as brand ambassadors for the defence forces. The following were awarded honorary titles:^[26]

• Indian Army's Territorial Army (TA)
  • Kapil Dev, 2008, Lieutenant Colonel, TA, cricketer.^[26]
  • Mohanlal Viswanathan, 2009, Lieutenant Colonel, TA, Malayalam actor.^[26][27]
  • Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 2011, Lieutenant Colonel, TA (Para), cricketer.^[26]
  • Abhinav Bindra, 2011, Lieutenant Colonel, TA (Sikh Regiment), sport shooter and politician.^[26]
  • Deepak Rao, 2011, Major, TA (Para), military trainer and author.^[26]

Foreign trainees of India's military academies[]

Trainees of foreign nations who are trained by the military academies of India, such as the National Defence Academy (NDA) or the Indian Military Academy (IMA), are sometimes awarded honorary ranks in the Indian Army. The trainees are usually from friendly armies, such as the Singapore Army.

Reciprocal awarding of honorary ranks to other nations[]

Nepal[]

Since 1950, when former Indian army chief General K. M. Cariappa visited Nepal, awarding the highest reciprocal honorary ranks to the newly appointed serving chiefs of each other’s armies is a practice followed by India and Nepal. For example, in 2009 the newly appointed Nepal Army Chief General Chhatra Man Singh Gurung was decorated with the honorary rank of General of the Indian army in New Delhi by the President of India who is also the Supreme Commander of Indian Army. Similarly, in 2010 the newly appointed Indian Army Chief General V. K. Singh was awarded the honorary rank of General of Nepal Army at Shital Niwas by the President of Nepal who is also the Supreme Commander of Nepal Army.^[28]

British Colonial era: Indian Army ranks to British Army[]

Some members of the ruling families of Princely states were given ceremonial honorary ranks during the colonial era.^[25]

A 1832 journal reports that during the colonial British raj era, the Commander-in-Chief of British Army (ex officio role of the serving Monarch of Britain) promulgated an order directing that the Lieutenant colonel of H.M. (Royal British Army) can not be superseded by the East India Company's Indian Army's Lieutenant Colonel. Whenever an Indian Army's Lieutenant colonel was promoted to Colonel, all the British Army's Lieutenant Colonels who were deployed with the Indian Army and had the equal date and rank with the newly-appointed Colonel of Indian Army were also mandatorily given the local Indian Army's honorary rank of Colonel from the date of his Lieutenant Colonelcy with British Army. This unfair system preserved the fictional equivalency of British Army officers with Indian Army officers while denying the officers of Indian Army their hard-earned honors and ranks within their peculiar service. This was not a reciprocal system, i.e. Lieutenant Colonel of East India Company (EIC) (Indian Army) were not promoted to Colonels rank when a British Army Lieutenant Colonel of equal date and rank was promoted to Colonel's rank in Indian army. For example, when a ranked Lieutenant Colonel of Bengal Presidency's Indian Army was promoted to Colonel he was ranked 34th on general list, he superseded 33 other Lieutenant Colonels of Indian Army, along with him all of the British Army's Lieutenant Colonel serving with the Bengal Presidency were also given honorary rank of Colonel of Bengal Presidency and they superseded 33 Lieutenant Colonels of Indian Army who were their seniors. The army officers of EIC appealed against this derogatory and non-reciprocal system in EIC's Court of Directors. EIC directors had no authority to revoke or amend the order issued by the British monarch.^[29]

Retired officers: form of address[]

On 21 July 2014, the Indian Army issued a circular for retired personnel informing them that the correct form of addressing a retired officer is "Brigadier ABC (Retd) and not Brigadier (Retd) ABC",^[30] the correct example is "Brigadier Sant Singh (Retd)". The stated rationale of army was, "Rank never retires, it is an officer who retires."^[30] This form of address applies to both living and deceased officers.^[30]

See also[]

• Comparative military ranks
• Air Force ranks and insignia of India
• Naval ranks and insignia of India
• Police ranks and insignia of India
• Indian Army cap badges

References[]