Officer ranks in Indian Army Air Force and Navy
Red Book
Red Book

Pre-cum-Mains GS Foundation Program for UPSC 2026 | Starting from 5th Dec. 2024 Click Here for more information

The Indian Defence Services are one of the best organisations in the world to deal with natural and man-made disasters. The Indian Armed Forces comprise the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy. Given below are the equivalent ranks of the commissioned officers in the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian Navy.

Indian Army Indian NavyAir Force
*Field MarshalAdmiral of the FeetMarshal of the Air Force
GeneralAdmiralAir Chief Marshal
Lieutenant GeneralVice AdmiralAir Marshal
Major GeneralRear AdmiralAir Vice Marshal
BrigadierCommodoreAir Commodore
ColonelCaptainGroup Captain
Lieutenant ColonelCommanderWing Commander
MajorLieutenant CommanderSquadron Leader
CaptainLieutenantFlight Lieutenant
LieutenantSub-LieutenantFlying Officer

 

Equivalent ranks of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard

The ranks go in increasing order from bottom to top.

Indian Coast Guard RanksNavy Ranks
Director GeneralVice Admiral (FOC-in-C’s Scale)
Additional Director GeneralVice Admiral (HAG scale)
Inspector GeneralRear Admiral
Deputy Inspector General (Senior)Commodore
Deputy Inspector General (Junior)Captain
CommandantCaptain (with seniority) or Commander

Additional Information-

1) The top ranks of the three Indian Defence forces Field Marshal (in Army), Marshal of the Air Force (in Air Force), and Admiral of the Fleet (in Navy) are 5 star ranks. It is considered a huge prestige to receive such a rank.

2) The Field Marshal rank has been awarded to Kodandera Madappa Cariappa and Sam Manekshaw till date.

3) Arjan Singh has received the rank of the Marshal of the Indian Air Force and is the only living Indian military officer with a 5 star rank.

4) Indian military officers who hold a 5 star rank are considered to be serving officers till death and hold their rank for life.


Discover more from Free UPSC IAS Preparation For Aspirants

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Print Friendly and PDF
Blog
Academy
Community