Indian Army

The Indian Army traces its institutional roots to the presidency armies of the British East India Company, later consolidated and reorganized as the British Indian Army, before being divided at independence and partition in 1947 into the separate armies of India and Pakistan, with the modern Indian Army inheriting much of the organizational structure, regimental traditions and combat experience of its colonial-era predecessor, including extensive service in both World Wars. Since independence the Indian Army has fought multiple wars with Pakistan, including over the disputed Kashmir region in 1947-48, 1965 and the 1999 Kargil War, as well as the 1962 Sino-Indian War against China and the decisive 1971 war that led to the creation of Bangladesh, in which Indian forces achieved one of the most complete military victories of the postwar era. Organized around numerous infantry, armored and specialized regiments maintaining distinct historical identities and recruitment traditions dating to the colonial period, the Indian Army is among the largest standing armies in the world by active personnel and maintains a significant peacekeeping role, contributing substantial troop contingents to United Nations peacekeeping missions worldwide over many decades. The Army continues to maintain a heavy operational presence along India's disputed borders with both Pakistan and China, including extreme high-altitude deployments in the Siachen Glacier region, among the highest and most physically demanding military deployments anywhere in the world.