India has the second-largest army in the world, ahead of the USA, only behind China. Over 1.4 million active personnel are deployed, making the force the largest volunteer army. It has more than 3,500 battle tanks and 3,000 infantry fighting vehicles.
Per the Global Firepower ranking, India ranks fourth on the list of the most powerful military.
India has the 4th largest defense budget. In 2018, we spent $58 billion, which made up 2.1 percent of the country’s GDP.
Many other such numbers underline the might of the Indian army.
However, that said, there’s much more to the Indian army than just their large number, weapons, and muscle power.
I believe one of the biggest strengths of the Indian army isn’t just courage but compassion. Army men and women across the world have courage – very, very few of them have the height of compassion that ours have though.

They not only protect us from the enemies outside but are also always there to help whenever needed inside… To help during natural calamities, to handle law and order situations, and to maintain peace. The fact that despite being provoked time and again by the neighbors they stood calm and took well-measured and thoughtful counters is incredible. Remember, during difficult times, it’s easy to lose emotions and get angry – only amazing individuals can maintain their composure and act in balance.
The fact that they look just any other person and yet have so many unique factors that make them so much better than the rest – it’s outstanding.
There are just too many things that make the Indian army so great. Unlike other countries’, they aren’t just a trained bunch ready to handle guns and missiles. They are the trained people with very high emotional intelligence who remain committed to serve the country irrespective of the political and social ecosystem in the country. They are the people who choose not to go on war – but they are also ready to go head-on-head if any war comes on.
People in the military, in India, or anywhere in the world, should be respected highly. It sounds cliche but it’s true – they risk their lives for us. I wish, in India, people genuinely respect and care about our army and not just do “hamare jawan” for the sake of politics. Sadly, most of the people don’t. If they did, the demand to invest in better equipment and better care of our jawans should have been echoing from every corner of the country.
This is another interesting strength of the Indian army. Despite their name being used by political gains, theycontinue to remain apolitical and stay committed to their service towards the country.
