Structure of Indian Army

A single soldier sits inside six layers of command before reaching the Army Chief. This lesson shows how the Indian Army is actually organised, from Command down to Battalion. It also covers the new Army Chief and the theaterisation plan.

1Chapter 1: The Chain of Command

Must Know

Five levels

• The Army’s internal chain runs Command → Corps → Division → Brigade → Regiment/Battalion.
• A single soldier sits inside six layers of command before reaching the Army Chief.
• This is the Army’s own chain. It is separate from the tri-service Chief of Defence Staff structure above it.
• Read more: India’s Defence Organisational Structure.

Sizes

• A Corps holds two to five divisions.
• A Division, led by a Major General, holds three to four brigades.
• A Brigade, led by a Brigadier, holds three battalions.
• Read more: Divisions of Indian Army and Regiments of Indian Army.

2Chapter 2: The Seven Commands

Must Know

Where they sit

• The Army has seven Commands: six operational and one training.
• Northern Command: Udhampur.
• Southern Command: Pune.
• Eastern Command: Kolkata.
• Western Command: Chandimandir.
• Central Command: Lucknow.
• South Western Command: Jaipur.
• Training Command (ARTRAC): Shimla. Read more: Himachal Pradesh.

The oldest Command

• Southern Command, established in 1908, is the Army’s oldest Command.
• It predates independence by nearly four decades.
• Its colonial-era origins sit beside Northern Command’s present focus on Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
• So the Command map reflects both colonial origins and current strategic priorities.

3Chapter 3: Corps and Strike Corps

Good to Know

About 14 Corps

• The Army fields around 14 operational Corps.
• Some are dedicated Strike Corps built for offensive operations.
• Most Corps are “holding” formations. They are built to defend a fixed stretch of border.
• A Strike Corps is built, equipped and placed to launch a fast offensive push into enemy territory if war breaks out.
• India keeps a small number of them. Offensive capability, not just border defence, is central to its deterrence posture.

Why a separate Training Command

• Training sits in its own Command, not inside each operational Command.
• This is a deliberate choice. It centralises doctrine and instruction as one specialised function.

Two layers, slowly merging

• The Army’s Command structure and the tri-service CDS structure are two separate layers today.
• Reforms like theaterisation aim to merge pieces of both, without fully replacing either.

4Chapter 4: Past Paper

Exam Point of View

CDS (II) 2016: the fake-Command trap

• The question asked which of four options is not one of the Army’s Commands: South Western, North Eastern, Central or ARTRAC.
• The trap is “North Eastern Command”. It sounds real because the Army works heavily in the northeast, but no such Command exists.
• The real seven are Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, Central, South Western and ARTRAC.
• (Source: CDS (II) 2016, Q103.)

5Chapter 5: In the News, 2026

Current Affairs

A new Army Chief

• On 30 June 2026, Lieutenant General Dhiraj Seth became Chief of the Army Staff. He succeeded General Upendra Dwivedi.
• (Source: PIB.)
• He was commissioned into the Armoured Corps in December 1986.
• He is the first Armoured Corps officer to lead the Army in nearly three decades, since General Shankar Roy Chowdhury.
• He had commanded both South Western Command and Southern Command before becoming Chief. That is a rare distinction.
• A Chief’s own Corps background often shapes which operational priorities get emphasis at the top.
• Read more: Dhiraj Seth.

Theaterisation enters its final phase

• India’s long-delayed plan to merge Army, Navy and Air Force units into joint Theatre Commands is nearing final government approval in 2026.
• (Source: The Federal.)
• The plan centres on three Theatre Commands: a Northern one focused on China, a Western one focused on Pakistan, and a Maritime one covering the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• Chief of Defence Staff General N.S. Raja Subramani took over on 31 May 2026. He inherited the final blueprint and is presenting it for Cabinet Committee on Security approval.

Two Army legends

• Read more: Sam Manekshaw and K.M. Cariappa, who rose within this same hierarchy.

Quick Q&A

• Commands in the Army? Seven.
• Oldest Command? Southern, 1908.
• Corps holds? Two to five divisions.
• Army Chief 2026? Lt Gen Dhiraj Seth.
• Theatre Commands planned? Three.