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referenceArchival Dossier

Indian Armed Forces, Tri-Service Commands & Border Guarding Forces Overview

Structural reference on India’s defence and security forces under the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Home Affairs.

1. Supreme Command & Ministry of Defence

The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. National defence policy and parliamentary accountability are exercised through the Union Cabinet and the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which comprises five departments:

  • Department of Military Affairs (DMA) — headed by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS)
  • Department of Defence (DoD)
  • Department of Defence Production (DDP)
  • Department of Defence Research and Development (DDR&D / DRDO)
  • Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW)

2. The Four Armed Forces under the Ministry of Defence

  1. Indian Army: Headquartered in New Delhi, structured across six operational commands (Northern, Western, South-Western, Southern, Central, and Eastern) and the Army Training Command (ARTRAC).
  2. Indian Navy: Headquartered in New Delhi, structured across three commands — Western Naval Command (Mumbai), Eastern Naval Command (Visakhapatnam), and Southern Naval Command (Kochi — Training).
  3. Indian Air Force: Headquartered in New Delhi, structured across five operational air commands (Western, South-Western, Central, Eastern, and Southern) plus Training Command (Bengaluru) and Maintenance Command (Nagpur).
  4. Indian Coast Guard: Maritime law-enforcement, coastal security, and search-and-rescue force operating across five Coast Guard regions.

3. Tri-Service Institutions

  • Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS): New Delhi
  • Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC): Port Blair (India’s first geographic tri-service command, est. 2001)
  • Strategic Forces Command (SFC): Tri-service command managing strategic assets (est. 2003)
  • Tri-Service Agencies: Defence Cyber Agency (DCyA), Defence Space Agency (DSA), and Armed Forces Special Operations Division (AFSOD)

4. Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) & Other Forces (MHA)

Under the Ministry of Home Affairs, border guarding, internal security, and disaster response are supported by:

  • Assam Rifles (AR): Indo-Myanmar border & North-East security (administrative control with MHA; operational control with Indian Army)
  • Border Security Force (BSF): India–Pakistan and India–Bangladesh borders
  • Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP): Himalayan border along the LAC
  • Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB): India–Nepal and India–Bhutan borders
  • Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF): Internal security and counter-insurgency
  • Central Industrial Security Force (CISF): Aviation, nuclear, space, port, and critical-infrastructure protection
  • National Security Guard (NSG): Federal counter-terrorism contingency force
  • National Disaster Response Force (NDRF): Specialist disaster response