Indian Army Ranks: Indian Army Ranks as per the structure of Officers ranks are given here in detail. The Indian Army is one of the Indian Armed Forces which is a land-based branch. The other two armed forces of India are the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. In the world, the Indian army is the second-largest army.
Working with Indian Army is a great matter of pride and honour. Join Indian Army is the recruitment process to hire the eligible candidates who wish to join the Indian Army and serve the nation. Every year many candidates give the exams to join Indian army. Firstly they need to clear the written test, where the questions related to their academics will be asked along with reasoning and aptitude. After they have passed the test, they have to undergo an interview and medical test conducted by the Indian army.
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If they have cleared the interview round and passed the medical test as well, then they will be appointed for training and based on their performance in training they will be given the designation in the Indian army.
Candidates who are willing to join the Indian Army should have the knowledge of various ranks or positions with the army. It will help them to understand the importance of each rank and how to achieve them one by one. It will help them to grow their career in the Indian army. Usually, the candidates are joined in the Indian army as a soldier or a sepoy. This position is the start of the career of the candidate in the Indian army. The ranking positions and insignia of India will help candidates to check which place does each designation holds in the Indian army. Check out the list here.
Indian Army Ranks Categories
Here in this article, we will provide the rank table of Azad Hind Fauj. The ranks shown here are with respect to Western Militaries, also in accordance to British and Commonwealth armies. The Indian army rank is classified into three major categories:
- Commissioned Officer
- Junior Commissioned Officer
- Non-Commissioned Officer
Under each of these categories, there lie different ranks. Let us have a look at each of them.
Ranks and Insignia for Commissioned Officers
The ranks of commissioned officers are similar to Group A service officers and all India services. They are leaders and commanding officers of the Indian army.
| S.No. | Ranks | Insignia | Collar Patch |
| 1 | Field Marshal | National emblem over a crossed baton and saber in a lotus blossom wreath. | Crimson patches with Five golden stars |
| 2 | General | National emblem over a five-pointed star, all over a crossed baton and saber. | Crimson patches with Four golden stars |
| 3 | Lieutenant general | National emblem over crossed baton and saber. | Crimson patches with Three golden stars |
| 4 | Major general | Five-pointed star over crossed baton and saber. | Crimson patches with Two golden stars |
| 5 | Brigadier | National emblem over three five-pointed stars in a triangular formation. | Crimson patches with One golden star |
| 6 | Colonel | National emblem over two five-pointed stars | Crimson patches with golden braids |
| 7 | Lieutenant Colonel | National emblem over the five-pointed star. | – |
| 8 | Major | National emblem. | – |
| 9 | Captain | Three five-pointed stars. | – |
| 10 | Lieutenant | Two five-pointed stars. | – |
| 11 | Second lieutenant | Five-pointed star. | – |
See the image below for all the ranks insignia.
The Field Marshal rank is the most honorary and ceremonial rank in the Indian army. There were only two officers named Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Field Marshal KM Cariappa, who was conferred this rank. A field marshall does not get pension, like other officers, instead, he gets full salary equal to the chief of the army staff till his demise. He runs his office in army headquarters and always represents himself in complete uniform for all official occasions. A dedicated secretariat is provided to field marshals.
Usually, the rank of General is the highest rank held by the Chief Officer of the Indian army. Lieutenants are the new officers in the Indian army and then they are promoted to higher ranks.
Ranks and Insignia for Junior Commissioned Officer
Junior commissioned officer, in Indian Army, is similar to the post of Group B Gazetted officers. It is also equivalent to senior non-commissioned officers in Western armies.
| S.No. | Ranks | Insignia of Junior Commissioned Officer | |
| Infantry and other arms | Cavalry and armor | ||
| 1 | Subedar major | Risaldar major | Gold national emblem with stripe |
| 2 | Subedar | Risaldar | Two gold stars with stripe |
| 3 | Naib subedar | Naib risaldar | One gold star with stripe |
Rank and Insignia for Non-Commissioned Officers
These positions are entry-level positions in Indian army. The non-commissioned officers are no one but soldiers or the sepoy, who are given responsibilities. They are Havildar, Naik, Lance Naik and Sepoy. Let us see their ranks and insignia in the Indian army.
| S.No. | Ranks | Insignia |
| 1 | Quartermaster havildar | Gold national emblem with three chevrons |
| 2 | Havildar | Three rank chevrons |
| 3 | Naik | Two rank chevrons |
| 4 | Lance naik | Single rank chevron |
| 5 | Sepoy (Sipahi)/Jawan | Plain shoulder badge only |
FAQ’s on Indian Army Ranks
Question 1.
What are the categories of different ranks in the Indian Army?
Answer:
In the Indian Army, there are ranks based on three different categories:
- Commissioned Officer
- Junior Commissioned Officer
- Non-Commissioned Officer
Question 2.
Who has commissioned officers and what are ranks under them?
Answer:
The ranks of commissioned officers are similar to Group A service officers and all india services. They are leaders and commanding officers of the indian army. The different ranks under them are:
Field marshal > General > Lieutenant general > Major general > Brigadier > Colonel > Lieutenant Colonel > Major > Captain > Lieutenant > Second lieutenant.
Question 3.
What are the ranks under Junior commissioned officers?
Answer:
Junior commissioned officer, in the Indian Army, is similar to the post of Group B Gazetted officers. It is also equivalent to senior non-commissioned officers in Western armies. The ranks are as follows:
Subedar major > Subedar Naib > subedar
Question 4.
Who are non-commissioned officers?
Answer:
The non-commissioned officers are no one but soldiers or the sepoy, who are given responsibilities. They are Havildar, Naik, Lance Naik, and Sepoy.
Question 5.
Which is the highest or top-level rank in the Indian Army?
Answer:
Field Marshal rank is the highest rank in the Indian Army.
Question 6.
Which is the lowest rank in the Indian Army?
Answer:
A soldier or a sepoy holds the lowest rank in the Indian army. It is an entry-level position.