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October 5, 2024Indian Army Ranks: Indian Army has introduced various ranks and cadres for administrative efficiency. Candidates aspiring to join the Indian Army must be familiar with various positions and the rank hierarchy before applying for any post. Ranks in the Indian Army are broadly classified into three categories. These are Commissioned Officers (CO), Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO), and other ranks (Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers).
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The Indian military ranks are based on candidates’ qualifications, performance, and experience in a particular field. All the posts in the Commissioned Officers come under the Group A Service Officers. In comparison, posts in Junior Commissioned Officers come under the Group B Gazetted Officers. Read on to know about the Indian Army Officer ranks and salary, JCO ranks, how to join the Indian Army, and more.
The Indian Army ranks reflect the ranks of western militaries, especially the British and Commonwealth militaries. At present, the Indian army ranks list is classified into three categories:
Let us look at the ranks under each of these three categories.
The Commissioned Officers are equivalent to All India Services and Group A Service Officers. The different ranks for Commissioned Officers are as under:
Sl. No | Rank |
---|---|
1 | Field Marshal |
2 | General |
3 | Lieutenant General |
4 | Major General |
5 | Brigadier |
6 | Colonel |
7 | Lieutenant Colonel |
8 | Major |
9 | Captain |
10 | Lieutenant |
The insignia for the Commissioned Officers are shown in the image below:
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The description for each of these insignia, as well as the collar patch for each of these ranks, are tabulated below:
Indian Army Ranks – Commissioned Officers | Insignia Description | Collar Patch |
---|---|---|
Field Marshal | National emblem over a crossed sword and baton in a lotus blossom wreath. | Crimson patches with five golden stars |
General | National emblem over a five-pointed star, all over a crossed baton and sabre. | Crimson patches with four golden stars |
Lieutenant General | National emblem over crossed baton and sabre. | Crimson patches with three golden stars |
Major General | Five-pointed star over crossed baton and sabre. | Crimson patches with two golden stars |
Brigadier | National emblem over three five-pointed stars in a triangular formation. | Crimson patches with one golden star |
Colonel | National emblem over two five-pointed stars | Crimson patches with golden braids |
Lieutenant Colonel | National emblem over five-pointed star. | – |
Major | National emblem | – |
Captain | Three five-pointed stars. | – |
Lieutenant | Two five-pointed stars. | – |
Note that the rank of Field Marshal is primarily ceremonial in India. To date, this rank has been conferred to only two officers of the Indian Army – Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Field Marshal KM Cariappa.
The usual highest rank of the Indian Army is the rank of General, which is held by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). New officers in the Indian Army are commissioned as Lieutenants, and after that, they get promoted to higher ranks in the order mentioned above.
The Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO) of the Indian Army are equivalent to Group B Gazetted Officers. The different ranks for Junior Commissioned Officers are as under:
Sl. No | Rank |
---|---|
1 | Subedar Major |
2 | Subedar |
3 | Naib Subedar |
The insignia for the Junior Commissioned Officers are shown in the image below:
The description of each of these insignia for each of these ranks is tabulated below:
Junior Commissioned Officers Ranks | Insignia Description |
---|---|
Subedar Major | Gold national emblem with stripe |
Subedar | Two gold stars in one line with a stripe |
Naik Subedar | One gold star with a stripe |
Other ranks in the Army include Non-Commissioned Officers and soldiers. They are authorised to wear Chevron as per the Corp Pattern or Regiment. Check the other different ranks below:
Sl. No | Rank |
---|---|
1 | Company Quarter Master Havildar |
2 | Havildar |
3 | Naik |
4 | Lance Naik |
5 | Sepoy |
The insignia for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers of the Indian Army are shown in the image below:
The description of each of these insignia for each of these ranks is tabulated below:
Non-Commissioned Officer and Soldier Ranks | Insignia Description |
---|---|
CQMH | Three Strips and Ashoka Chakra on top |
Havildar | Three rank chevrons |
Naik | Two rank chevrons |
Lance Naik | Single rank chevron |
Sepoy | Plain shoulder badge only |
There are several entry schemes available for both men and women to join the Indian Army.
The entry schemes for men are given below:
The entry schemes for women are given below:
Check the comparison of ranks of the Army, Navy, and Airforce in this section.
Please find the ranks of the Indian Armed Forces Officers below:
Indian Army Ranks | Indian Navy Ranks | Indian Airforce Ranks |
---|---|---|
Field Marshal | Admiral of the Fleet | Marshal of Air Force |
General | Admiral | Air Chief Marshal |
Lieutenant General | Vice Admiral | Air Marshal |
Major General | Rear Admiral | Air Vice Marshal |
Brigadier | Commodore | Air Commodore |
Colonel | Captain | Group Captain |
Lieutenant Colonel | Commander | Wing Commander |
Major | Lieutenant Commander | Squadron Leader |
Captain | Lieutenant | Flight Lieutenant |
Lieutenant | Sub Lieutenant | Flying Officer |
Please find the JCO ranks below:
Indian Army Ranks | Indian Navy Ranks | Indian Airforce Ranks |
---|---|---|
Subedar Major | Master Chief Petty Officer I | Master Warrant Officer |
Subedar | Master Chief Petty Officer II | Warrant Officer |
Naib Subedar | Chief Petty Officer | Junior Warrant Officer |
Havildar | Petty Officer | Sergeant |
Naik | Leading Seaman | Corporal |
Lance Naik | Seaman I | Leading Aircraftman |
Sepoy | Seaman II | Aircraftman |
Not all levels are recruited directly through the NDA or CDS exams. In reality, only a small number of people are hired directly, and the remainder is promoted following a training period. These levels are further classified as Non-Commissioned Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers, and Commissioned Officers.
Please check the salaries of the Indian Army ranks below:
Rank/Pay Level | Salary (After 7th Pay Commission) |
---|---|
Chief of Army Staff (Level 18) | INR 2,50,000/- (Fixed) |
VCOAS/Army Cdr/Lieutenant General (NEGS) (Level 17) | INR 2,25,000/- (Fixed) |
Indian Army Lieutenant General Salary (Level 15) | INR 1,82,200/- – INR 2,24,100/- |
Indian Army Major General Salary (Level 14) | INR 1,44,200/- – INR 2,18,200/- |
Indian Army Brigadier Salary (Level 13 A) | INR 1,39,600/- – INR 2,17,600/- |
Indian Army Colonel Salary (Level 13) | INR 1,30,600/- – INR 2,15,900/- |
Indian Army Lieutenant Colonel Salary (Level 12) | INR 1,21,200/- – INR 2,12,400/- |
Indian Army Major Salary (Level 11) | INR 69400/- – INR 2,07,200/- |
Indian Army Captain Salary (Level 10 B) | INR 61,300/- – INR 1,93,900/- |
Indian Army Lieutenant Salary (Level 10) | INR 56,100/- – INR 1,77,500/- |
Indian Army Subedar Major Salary (Level 8) | INR 34,800/- |
Indian Army Subedar Salary (Level 7) | INR 34,800/- |
Indian Army Naib Subedar Salary (Level 6) | INR 34,800/- |
Indian Army Havaldar Salary (Level 5) | INR 34,800/- |
Indian Army Naik Salary (Level 4) | INR 20,200/- |
Indian Army Lance Naik Salary (Level 3) | INR 20,200/- |
Indian Army Sepoy Salary (Level 3) | INR 20,200/- |
Now that the candidates have all the details necessary to start the preparation for a career in the defence forces, it is time to learn the important concepts required to crack defence exams. Embibe offers interactive videos that explain defence exam concepts in-depth and offers personalised guidance to suit each aspirant’s level of preparedness. Our AI-powered system guarantees remarkable improvement in a matter of a few days.
Candidates can also check:
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India Army Salary | Indian Territorial Army |
Following are some of the frequently asked questions related to the Indian Army Ranking and Insignia:
Q.1: What are the different ranks of the Indian Army?
A. In the Indian Army, the ranks are classified into three categories:
Q2: What is the highest rank in the Indian Army?
A. The highest rank in the Indian Army is the Field Marshal. However, this has been conferred only to two officers of the Indian Army – Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw and Field Marshal KM Cariappa. The usual highest rank is the rank of General which is held by the Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army (COAS).
Q.3: What is the lowest rank in the Indian Army?
A. The lowest rank is the Sepoy in the Indian Army.
Q.4: Which is the first rank of commissioned officers in the Indian Army?
A. Candidates who join the Indian Army as officers will be commissioned as Lieutenant.
Q.5: Which rank is given after NDA?
A. For candidates joining the army through the NDA exam, they will be commissioned as Lieutenant after completion of training.
Candidates can check this page for Sarkari Naukri latest updates that will help them to know about the ongoing and upcoming Sarkari exam. Moreover, they can also check the Sarkari result to know their status of qualifying for the exam for which they have appeared. If you aspire to join the Indian Army, you must prepare in a serious manner. Embibe provides NDA mock tests for. These tests will be of great help in your Indian Army recruitment preparation.
We hope that we have managed to provide you with all the necessary details on the Indian Army Ranks. Feel to check our website or download our app if you have any queries. We will be happy to help you out.
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