Indian Army Hierarchy: From Section to Command

The Ladder in One Table

Read the table from the bottom up. The ratios (10 soldiers, 3 sections, 3 platoons, 4 companies, 3 battalions, 3 to 4 brigades, 3 to 4 divisions) are those in the NIOS military studies text; the strengths are rounded from them.

Strengths are approximate and vary by arm and role: an armoured, a mountain and an infantry brigade differ in headcount. The Army publishes no table of strengths, so we give ranges, not orders of battle. Rank is the safer thing to learn; our ranks and insignia page shows each badge, and rank equivalence lines them up with the Navy and Air Force.

A unit (section to battalion) belongs to a regiment or corps. A formation (brigade and above) mixes units from different regiments and arms for a task. Our brigades and battalions page shows how.

The Chain as an Org Chart

The same ladder as a tree. Several units sit side by side at every level, so read each node as "one of many".

• CommandGOC-in-C · Lt Gen · several corps
  • CorpsGOC · Lt Gen · 3 to 4 divisions · tens of thousands
    • DivisionGOC · Maj Gen · 3 to 4 brigades · ~10,000 to 15,000
      • BrigadeCommander · Brigadier · 3 battalions · ~3,000 to 5,000
        • BattalionCommanding Officer · Colonel · ~800 to 1,000
          • CompanyCompany Commander · Major · ~100 to 130
            • PlatoonJCO · ~30 to 40
              • SectionNCO · ~10

The fan-out is a guide, not a law. Some brigades are independent and report to a corps, and a command also holds static formations, the Areas and Sub Areas that run cantonments and depots. The commands page covers the top rung. In common usage the ranks climb by stars: Brigadier one-star, Major General two-star, Lieutenant General three-star.

The Bottom Rungs: Section, Platoon and Company

Soldiers meet the Army at these three levels, and an interview board expects you to know them.

• Section. The smallest team, 10 soldiers under a non-commissioned officer.
• Platoon. Three sections, headed by a JCO according to the NIOS text. The JCO, a Subedar or Naib Subedar, is the experienced link between the soldiers and the officers.
• Company. Three platoons under a Major. PIB records that the Rezang La memorial in Ladakh honours Charlie Company of 13 KUMAON, who defended the post on 18 November 1962: one company, in one battalion, of one regiment.

The section is also the idea behind the GTO tasks at the SSB. A group of candidates must act as one small team, sharing a plan, a load and a leader.

Inside an Infantry Battalion

The battalion is the infantry's basic fighting unit, and the level at which a soldier belongs to a regiment. It is commanded by a Colonel, the Commanding Officer (CO). The NIOS text gives four rifle companies; in public descriptions an infantry battalion adds a support company and a headquarters company.

The make-up differs by battalion and role, and the Army publishes no detailed table. In July 2025 the Army chief spoke of drone-equipped infantry battalions, and PIB records an Ashni platoon among the new organisations shown in October 2025. A drone platoon is a new kind of platoon inside the same battalion, not a new rung. A battalion carries a number and its regiment's name, such as "13 KUMAON"; see regiments.

Regiment, Battalion and Corps: Three Words, Two Meanings

Regiment and corps each carry two meanings, and marks are lost here.

A Corps of Signals has no divisions under it: it is the arm that runs the Army's communications. A corps commander is a Lieutenant General who commands divisions. The Army Service Corps, EME and Army Medical Corps are services.

A brigade is made of battalions from different regiments, for example one of the Sikh Regiment and one of the Rajputana Rifles. PIB shows the pattern: the Khaan Quest 2026 contingent came from "a Battalion of the JAT REGIMENT", and the Bhairav contingents at Army Day 2026 from the Rajputana Rifles and Sikh Light Infantry. Armour and artillery use their own words at each rung, roughly matched below.

Types of Divisions and Brigades

The Army publishes no full list of division types, so we give the general ones. The NIOS text lists Infantry, Mountain, Armoured, Artillery and RAPID divisions. Its total (37) differs from other books, so we give no count; the divisions page handles numbers.

Brigades follow the same types: infantry, mountain, armoured and mechanised. A brigade is the lowest level that mixes arms. The brigades and battalions page goes through them.

Integrated Battle Groups. Press reports describe an Integrated Battle Group (IBG) as a self-contained force combining infantry, armour, artillery and support under one commander. PIB's 18 May 2025 note "Forging One Force" lists Integrated Battle Groups, with theatre commands, among the restructuring under way; on 9 April 2026 the Army chief said the Army had operationalised IBGs; and the September 2026 Yudh Abhyas with the United States aimed at employing IBGs in mountain and semi-mountain terrain. The Army has published no order of battle, and press accounts differ on how IBGs relate to Rudra brigades, so learn only this: IBGs combine arms under one commander.

New Formations Since 2025: Rudra, Bhairav, Shaktibaan, Divyastra

On 26 July 2025, the 26th Kargil Vijay Diwas, the Army chief outlined the Army's transformation through Rudra all-arms brigades, Bhairav light commando battalions, Shaktibaan artillery regiments and Divyastra batteries, and drone-equipped infantry battalions, as PIB records. Press reports said a Rudra brigade combines infantry, mechanised infantry, armour, artillery, Special Forces and unmanned aerial systems with its own logistics. These are reorganisations of rungs you already know, not new rungs.

Pages in This Branch

Each rung or theme has its own page; those not yet live turn into links as they are published.

The other services build different ladders. The Air Force goes from command to wing, station, squadron and flight: see stations, wings and squadrons and the Indian Air Force section. The Navy groups ships into fleets under its commands: see fleet operations. The Coast Guard and the tri-services section cover the rest.

Exam pins

Asked in past papers

The official papers rarely ask for headcounts. They ask what belongs where: which family a unit comes from, which unit fought where.

Practice MCQs (with answers)

1. Which level of the Army's field ladder is commanded by a Brigadier?
   1. Battalion
   2. Brigade
   3. Division
   4. Corps
2. Which statement about the word "corps" in the Indian Army is correct?
   1. Every corps is headed by a Major General
   2. The Army Service Corps is a formation of three to four divisions
   3. A corps sits below a division
   4. It names a formation under a Lieutenant General and also an arm such as the Corps of Signals
3. The "Rudra" formations announced in July 2025 are described as
   1. all-arms brigades
   2. light commando battalions
   3. drone platoons
   4. air defence regiments
4. Which statement about an infantry regiment is correct?
   1. It is the level above a brigade
   2. It is commanded by a Major General
   3. It is the parent family of many battalions and not a fighting formation
   4. It always has exactly four rifle companies
5. The "Bhairav" units that marched at Army Day 2026 are
   1. artillery regiments
   2. light commando battalions
   3. corps headquarters
   4. armoured brigades
6. According to the NIOS text, how many soldiers make up a section?
   1. 10
   2. 30
   3. 100
   4. 800

Where to Go Next

Go next to corps, then divisions and brigades and battalions. The career in the Indian Army page shows where a commission begins on this ladder, and our notes on the change of Army chief show how the top of the chain moves. The NDA study material carries the same ladder, and boards ask "know your service", so read our SSB interview tips with this page open. Our NDA coaching batches cover the Army's structure with weekly tests and SSB training.