2025 Indian Army Day to be held in Pune, Maharashtra
Defence
6 min read
Pune, Maharashtra, will host the Indian Army’s ceremonial annual 2025 Army Day on 15 January 2025. This was announced during the launch of the parade's promotional video, which features Bollywood stars R. Madhavan and Rakul Preet Singh, at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.
Why is Army Day celebrated?
Army Day marks an important transition in the Indian Army, where the command was formally vested in an Indian. Even after independence on 15 August 1947, the Chief of the Army Staff was a British officer.
On 15 January 1949, an Indian General, K M Carriapa, took over as the Chief of the Army Staff from the British General Sir Roy Butcher.
To commemorate this momentous event in the Indian Army, 15 January is observed as Army Day in India every year. On this day, the officers and Jawans of the Indian Army conduct an impressive parade.
Third Army Day Parade outside New Delhi
Traditionally, the Army Day Parade was held in New Delhi, where the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force headquarters are located. In 2022, the Narendra Modi government decided to hold the annual Army Day, Air Force Day, and Indian Navy Day Parades outside New Delhi in other parts of the country.
According to the government, the decision to hold the Armed Forces annual parade was made to involve the public in these celebrations, instil a sense of pride in the armed forces amongst the public, and promote national unity.
Rotation of the Army Day
The government has decided to rotate the annual Army Day parade among the Indian Army's six operational commands.
- First time in 2023, the Army Day Parade was held outside New Delhi, Bengaluru, Karnataka.
- In 2024, it was held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Command structure of the Indian Army
Following is the list of the Indian Army’s 6 operational commands and one Training command.
|
Command |
Headquarters |
|
Western Command |
Chandimandir (Haryana) |
|
Eastern Command |
Kolkata (West Bengal) |
|
Southern Command |
Pune(Maharashtra) |
|
Northern Command |
Udhampur(Jammu ) |
|
Central Command |
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) |
|
South -Western Command |
Jaipur (Rajasthan ) |
|
Army Training Command |
Shimla(Himachal Pradesh) |
Air Force Day
The Indian Air Force celebrates its foundation day, October 8, as Indian Air Force Day. On this day in 1932, the British established the Royal Indian Air Force, which, after independence, was renamed the Indian Air Force.
- Till 2021, the Air Force Day has been celebrated at the Hindon Air Base, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.
- 2022- Chandigarh Air Base.
- 2023- Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh.
- 2024 - Marina Beach Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Command Structure of the Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force has 5 operational commands, one Training command and one Maintenance command.
|
Command |
Headquarters |
|
Western Air Command |
Delhi |
|
South-Western Air Command |
Gandhinagar (Gujarat) |
|
Central Air Command |
Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) |
|
Eastern Air Command |
Shillong (Meghalaya ) |
|
Southern Air Command |
Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) |
|
Training Command |
Bengaluru (Karnataka) |
|
Maintenance Command |
Nagpur (Maharashtra) |
Navy Day
The Indian Navy celebrates Navy Day on 4 December to commemorate the successful conclusion of Operation Trident of the Indian Navy during the 1971 India-Pakistan war, which crippled the Karachi port of Pakistan.
- 2022 Indian Navy Day - Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
- 2023 Navy Day - Sindhudurg Fort off the Maharashtra coast. Maratha King Shivaji Maharaj built the Sindhudurg Fort in the 17th century.
- 2024 Indian Navy Day - Blue Flag Beach, Puri, Odisha,
Command Structure of the Indian Navy
The Indian Navy has three operational commands.
|
Command |
Headquarters |
|
Western Naval Command |
Mumbai (Maharashtra) |
|
Eastern Naval Command |
Visakhapatnam(Andhra Pradesh) |
|
Southern Naval Command |
Kochi (Kerala) |
Tri-Service Command
The headquarters of the Tri-Service command of the Indian Air Force, Indian Navy, and Indian Army is in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar.
