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Module - IV Indian Army

Armed Forces Today
13.1.1 Indian Army During The British Rule

The British never trusted Indians. Yet, because of mutinies the British East India
Company created "Native" armies. The soldiers were not given any weapons.
Therefore, the army so formed was treated separately and differently. When the British
Government took over from the 'East India Company', they created a British army
Note and native army, which was commanded by British officers. The barracks for Indian
army were separate and they did not mix with the British. Majority of the officers in the
British Indian Army were British. However, British Indian Army had Viceroy
Commissioned Officers (VCOs) who were Indians, commissioned as officers by the
Viceroy, due to their ability and leadership. In the 1920s, Indians were permitted to
attend Royal Military College, Sandhurst in England and became Kings Commissioned
Officers (KCO). A process of "Indianization" started in 1930 with the intention of
gradually replacing British officers with Indian officers. Indian soldiers were all volunteers
drawn from various races and religions. The main task of the Indian Army during
British rule was to police the Indian empire. As the First World War came about, the
government sent Indian troops to serve abroad. By the end of Second World War the
Indian Army had grown to be the largest volunteer army ever raised. Indian participation
in both the World Wars has been explained in detail in the previous lessons.

13.1.2 Armed Forces After Independence

During the British rule, the Indian Army was modeled similar to the British army. Before
the British left India, the entire armed forces were divided proportionately into two
parts for India and Pakistan. Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck, the British Commander-

in-Chief of the Indian Army, recommended in his report, a force structure for the
armed forces of independent India. His recommendations included the formation of
two lakhs strong army of 10 divisions, devoted primarily to internal security; 20
squadrons of air force and a navy of 69 capital ships. But the conflict between India
and Pakistan in 1948 caused a disruption in these structural changes. The Government
did not act much on this report but brought about changes in a gradual manner.

13.1.3 Restructuring After 1962 India - China War

The 1962 war against China took place in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. You will
learn about the war in the next Lesson. This war brought about more changes in the
organization of the armed forces. Most importantly, the government understood the
need of a strong army and increased the expenditure on defence. These changes took
place at all levels and impacted the structure of the armed forces. What changes did
take place?

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MILITARY HISTORY