Have you ever wondered, the unexpected Discomfort that our Indian Armed Forces undergo throughout their service? Have you ever researched about the tedious work Schedule that they Follow? Ever thought about the difficulties they balance, along with the moral responsibility of protecting the largest democracy in the world?

To apprise oneself with the Operational strategy of Indian Army, one needs to know the mechanism of the body managing the most crucial aspect of Security.

Indian Army has 6 operational commands and one training command. Each one is headed by a General-Officer-Commander-in-Chief(GOC-i-C) known as the Army Commander, who is among the senior-most Lieutenant Generals in the army:

• Corps : A command generally consists of two or more corps. Indian Army has 13 Corps each one commanded by a General Officer Commander (GOC), known as the Corps Commander, who holds the rank of Lieutenant General. Each corps is composed of 3 or 4 Divisions. There are three types of corps in the Indian Army: Strike, Holding and Mixed. The Corps HQ is the highest field formation in the army.
• Division : Each Division is headed by GOC (Division Commander) in the rank of Major General. It usually consists of 3-4 Brigades. Currently, the Indian Army has 37 Divisions including four RAPIDs (Reorganized Army Plains Infantry Division), 18 Infantry Divisions, 10 Mountain Divisions, 3 Armored Divisions and 2 Artillery Divisions.
• Brigade : A Brigade generally consists of around 3,000 combat troops with supporting elements. An Infantry Brigade usually has three Infantry Battalions along with various Support Elements. It is commanded by a brigade commander who is a Brigadier. In addition to the Brigades in various Army Divisions, the Indian Army also has five Independent Armoured Brigades, 15 Independent Artillery Brigades, 7 Independent Infantry Brigades, 1 Independent Parachute Brigade, 3 Independent Air Defence Brigades, 2 Independent Air Defence Groups and 4 Independent Engineer Brigades. These Independent Brigades operate directly under the Corps Commander (GOC Corps).
• Battalion : Composed of 4 rifle companies. Commanded by a battalion commander who is a Colonel and is the Infantry's main fighting unit. Every infantry battalion also possesses one Ghatak Platoon.
• Company : Composed of 3 platoons. Commanded by a Company Commander who is a Major or Lieutenant Colonel.
• Platoon : Composed of 3 sections. Commanded by a Platoon Commander who is a JCO.
• Section : Smallest military outfit with a strength of 10 personnel. Commanded by a Section Commander of the rank of Havaldar.

There's more to it and the complete Micro-management practiced by our Defence department. Thus, to offer a Tribute to the Indian Armed Forces, Atharva Foundation is proudly organizing an event on 31st January 2018 at NSCI Dome Worli, Mumbai. I personally invite you to avail your presence & feel proud of the Defence that India is blessed with.This programme seeks to raise awareness among the youth about the armed forces and their supreme sacrifice. It aims to inspire young people to take pride in these brave Superheroes and follow their path to serve their country.

Prem Raval
Atharva College of Engineering