Reference
How India's forces are organised
The Ministry of Defence, the four Services, tri-service institutions and the forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Sources: Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs.
Supreme command and the Ministry of Defence
The President of India is Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces; policy and accountability run through the Union Cabinet and the Ministry of Defence, which has five departments.
- arrow_rightDepartment of Military Affairs (DMA), headed by the Chief of Defence Staff
- arrow_rightDepartment of Defence
- arrow_rightDepartment of Defence Production
- arrow_rightDepartment of Defence Research & Development (DRDO)
- arrow_rightDepartment of Ex-Servicemen Welfare
The Services
| Service | Headquarters | Commands and role |
|---|---|---|
| Indian Army | New Delhi | Six operational commands (Northern, Western, South-Western, Southern, Central, Eastern) and the Army Training Command (ARTRAC). |
| Indian Navy | New Delhi | Western Naval Command (Mumbai), Eastern Naval Command (Visakhapatnam) and Southern Naval Command (Kochi, training). |
| Indian Air Force | New Delhi | Five operational commands (Western, South-Western, Central, Eastern, Southern), Training Command (Bengaluru) and Maintenance Command (Nagpur). |
| Indian Coast Guard | New Delhi | Maritime law enforcement, coastal security and search and rescue, organised in five regions. |
Tri-service institutions
| Institution | Notes |
|---|---|
| HQ Integrated Defence Staff | New Delhi; supports the CDS on jointness and planning |
| Andaman & Nicobar Command | Port Blair; India's first geographic tri-service command, 2001 |
| Strategic Forces Command | Manages strategic forces under the Nuclear Command Authority, 2003 |
| Defence Cyber Agency | Tri-service cyber agency |
| Defence Space Agency | Tri-service space agency |
| Armed Forces Special Operations Division | Tri-service special operations |
Forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs
Border guarding, internal security and disaster response.
| Force | Mandate |
|---|---|
| Assam Rifles | India–Myanmar border and the North-East; administrative control MHA, operational control Army |
| Border Security Force | India–Pakistan and India–Bangladesh borders |
| Indo-Tibetan Border Police | Himalayan border along the LAC |
| Sashastra Seema Bal | India–Nepal and India–Bhutan borders |
| Central Reserve Police Force | Internal security and counter-insurgency |
| Central Industrial Security Force | Airports, nuclear and space installations, ports and critical infrastructure |
| National Security Guard | Federal counter-terrorism contingency force |
| National Disaster Response Force | Specialist disaster response |