Indian Armed Forces: Ranks, Commands, Gallantry Awards and Important Days of the Army, Navy and Air Force for SSC
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Updated 21 Oct 2026
In this note
- 1.Structure of the Armed Forces
- 2.Ranks of the Indian Army
- 3.Ranks of the Indian Navy
- 4.Ranks of the Indian Air Force
- 5.Commands and Headquarters
- 6.Gallantry Awards
- 7.Important Days
- 8.Service Chiefs (as of 2025)
- 9.Tricks to Remember
- 10.Quick Tips
- 11.Quick Revision Points
- 12.Practice Questions With Answers
- 13.How to Practise This Chapter
- 14.Frequently Asked Questions
PDF Notes: Indian Armed Forces: Ranks, Commands, Gallantry Awards and Important Days of the Army, Navy and Air Force for SSC
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Defence GK is a regular source of SSC questions: ranks, commands, headquarters, gallantry awards and important days. This guide on Indian armed forces ranks, commands and gallantry awards for SSC gives all of them in tables, with the important days and practice questions.
Names of the serving chiefs change; the details in this note are as per the information available up to 2025.
Structure of the Armed Forces
- The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
- The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), a post created in 2019, heads the Department of Military Affairs; General Bipin Rawat was the first CDS (2020–2021) and General Anil Chauhan took over in September 2022.
- The Army, Navy and Air Force are each headed by a Chief of Staff.
- The Ministry of Defence is headed by the Defence Minister.
Ranks of the Indian Army
| Group | Ranks (from Highest to Lowest) |
|---|---|
| Generals | Field Marshal (honorary; K. M. Cariappa and Sam Manekshaw), General, Lieutenant General, Major General, Brigadier |
| Senior officers | Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel, Major |
| Junior officers | Captain, Lieutenant |
| Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) | Subedar Major, Subedar, Naib Subedar |
| Non-commissioned officers | Havildar, Naik, Lance Naik |
| Soldier | Sepoy (Rifleman, Gunner, Sapper and so on in the different arms) |
Ranks of the Indian Navy
| Rank | Equivalent in the Army |
|---|---|
| Admiral of the Fleet (honorary) | Field Marshal |
| Admiral | General |
| Vice Admiral | Lieutenant General |
| Rear Admiral | Major General |
| Commodore | Brigadier |
| Captain | Colonel |
| Commander | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Lieutenant Commander | Major |
| Lieutenant | Captain |
| Sub Lieutenant | Lieutenant |
Ranks of the Indian Air Force
| Rank | Equivalent in the Army |
|---|---|
| Marshal of the Air Force (honorary; Arjan Singh, 2002) | Field Marshal |
| Air Chief Marshal | General |
| Air Marshal | Lieutenant General |
| Air Vice Marshal | Major General |
| Air Commodore | Brigadier |
| Group Captain | Colonel |
| Wing Commander | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Squadron Leader | Major |
| Flight Lieutenant | Captain |
| Flying Officer | Lieutenant |
Commands and Headquarters
| Force | Commands (Headquarters) |
|---|---|
| Army (6 operational commands and ARTRAC) | Northern (Udhampur), Western (Chandimandir), Eastern (Kolkata), Southern (Pune), South Western (Jaipur), Central (Lucknow); Army Training Command (ARTRAC) at Shimla |
| Navy (3 commands) | Western (Mumbai), Eastern (Visakhapatnam), Southern (Kochi) |
| Air Force (7 commands) | Western (New Delhi), Eastern (Shillong), Southern (Thiruvananthapuram), South Western (Gandhinagar), Central (Prayagraj), Training (Bengaluru), Maintenance (Nagpur) |
Gallantry Awards
| Award | For | Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Param Vir Chakra (PVC) | The highest wartime gallantry award | Instituted on 26 January 1950; designed by Savitri Khanolkar; first recipient Major Somnath Sharma (1947, posthumous); 21 recipients |
| Maha Vir Chakra (MVC) | Second-highest wartime gallantry award | – |
| Vir Chakra (VrC) | Third-highest wartime gallantry award | – |
| Ashoka Chakra | The highest peacetime gallantry award | Earlier called Ashoka Chakra Class I |
| Kirti Chakra | Second-highest peacetime gallantry award | Earlier Ashoka Chakra Class II |
| Shaurya Chakra | Third-highest peacetime gallantry award | Earlier Ashoka Chakra Class III |
| Sena, Nao Sena and Vayu Sena Medals | Gallantry and distinguished service in the three services | – |
| Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) | Distinguished service of the highest order | – |
| Param Vir Chakra Recipient | Facts |
|---|---|
| Major Somnath Sharma | The first PVC; 1947 war, Badgam, Kashmir |
| Subedar Joginder Singh | 1962 war |
| Major Shaitan Singh | 1962, Rezang La |
| Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid | 1965 war |
| Lt Arun Khetarpal | 1971 war; the youngest PVC (posthumous) at 21 |
| Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon | The only Air Force PVC, 1971 |
| Captain Vikram Batra | Kargil War 1999 (posthumous) |
| Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey | Kargil War 1999 (posthumous) |
| Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav | Kargil War 1999; the youngest living PVC |
| Rifleman Sanjay Kumar | Kargil War 1999 |
Important Days
| Day | Date |
|---|---|
| Army Day | 15 January (Field Marshal Cariappa took over as the first Indian Commander-in-Chief in 1949) |
| Air Force Day | 8 October (the IAF was established in 1932) |
| Navy Day | 4 December (Operation Trident in the 1971 war) |
| Kargil Vijay Diwas | 26 July (1999) |
| Vijay Diwas | 16 December (1971 victory over Pakistan) |
| Armed Forces Flag Day | 7 December |
| Territorial Army | Raised in 1949; Territorial Army Day on 9 October |
| Coast Guard Day | 1 February (the Indian Coast Guard was set up in 1977) |
| Border Security Force Raising Day | 1 December (set up in 1965) |
Service Chiefs (as of 2025)
| Post | Name |
|---|---|
| Chief of Defence Staff | General Anil Chauhan (since September 2022) |
| Chief of the Army Staff | General Upendra Dwivedi (since June 2024) |
| Chief of the Naval Staff | Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi (since April 2024) |
| Chief of the Air Staff | Air Chief Marshal A. P. Singh (since September 2024) |
Tricks to Remember
- The ranks in the Army: Lt, Capt, Major, Lt Col, Col, Brigadier, Maj Gen, Lt Gen, General.
- Navy equivalents: Lieutenant, Lt Cdr, Commander, Captain, Commodore, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, Admiral.
- Air Force equivalents: Flying Officer, Flt Lt, Sqn Ldr, Wg Cdr, Gp Capt, Air Cdre, AVM, Air Marshal, ACM.
- PVC > MVC > VrC in wartime; Ashoka Chakra > Kirti Chakra > Shaurya Chakra in peacetime.
Quick Tips
- Learn the rank equivalents of the three services.
- Remember the headquarters of the commands.
- Learn the order of the gallantry awards.
- Remember the dates of the defence days.
Quick Revision Points
- The President is the Supreme Commander.
- The Param Vir Chakra is the highest wartime gallantry award.
- The Ashoka Chakra is the highest peacetime gallantry award.
- Army Day: 15 January; Air Force Day: 8 October; Navy Day: 4 December.
- General Bipin Rawat was the first CDS.
Practice Questions With Answers
- Who is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces?
Answer: The President of India - What is the highest wartime gallantry award?
Answer: Param Vir Chakra - What is the highest peacetime gallantry award?
Answer: Ashoka Chakra - Who was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra?
Answer: Major Somnath Sharma - On which date is the Indian Army Day celebrated?
Answer: 15 January - On which date is the Navy Day celebrated?
Answer: 4 December - Who was the first CDS of India?
Answer: General Bipin Rawat - What is the Navy rank equal to Colonel?
Answer: Captain - Where is the headquarters of the Southern Naval Command?
Answer: Kochi - Which is the only Air Force Param Vir Chakra recipient?
Answer: Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon
How to Practise This Chapter
Practise 10 questions every day and write the steps on paper. Then attempt timed sets from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. See all topics on the General Knowledge notes page, read the previous topic Sports Trophies, Venues and Terms.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the head of the Indian Armed Forces?
The President of India is the Supreme Commander.
What is the highest rank in the Army?
Field Marshal, which is an honorary five-star rank; the highest serving rank is General.
Who are the Indian Field Marshals?
K. M. Cariappa and Sam Manekshaw.
What is the Param Vir Chakra?
The highest wartime gallantry award of India.
What is the Ashoka Chakra?
The highest peacetime gallantry award.
How many Param Vir Chakra awards have been given?
21.
Where is the headquarters of the Northern Command?
Udhampur.
When is the Air Force Day?
8 October.
What is the rank of the Air Force equal to a Major?
Squadron Leader.
Is this topic asked in SSC?
Yes. Defence GK is regularly asked.
Who was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief of the Army?
General K. M. Cariappa in 1949.
What is the role of the CDS?
To head the Department of Military Affairs and to coordinate the three services.
About the Author
Rahul Kumar
SSC Exam Expert & Content Editor
Rahul is a senior SSC exam strategist with 8+ years of experience helping aspirants crack CGL, CHSL and MTS exams. He writes in-depth notification breakdowns, exam pattern guides and preparation strategies.