Territorial Army: India
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Contents |
History
1857 onwards
May 10, 2025: The Times of India
The defence ministry has granted the Army Chief expanded authority to mobilise the Territorial Army amid heightened tensions with Pakistan. Under Rule 33 of the Territorial Army Act, 1948, the Army Chief can call upon all officers and enrolled personnel of the Territorial Army to provide essential security or supplement regular Army operations. But what is the Territorial Army?
How It Started
After the 1857 revolt, the British reorganised local militia into volunteer forces, which saw action in overseas conflicts like the Second Boer War and World War I. In 1920, the Indian Territorial Force was established, which is the direct precursor to today’s Territorial Army.
After Independence, the need for a homegrown citizens’ army was recognised and the Territorial Army Act was passed in Aug 1948. Indian Territorial Army was inaugurated on Oct 9, 1949, envisioned as a volunteer reserve force of “citizen soldiers” who would serve part-time in defence of the nation. The primary motive was to create a second line of defence that could be mobilised in emergencies. By allowing civilians to serve in uniform on a part-time basis, India’s leaders sought to harness the patriotism and skills of ordinary citizens for national defence.
Membership & Training
TA is a volunteer force comprising professionals, businessmen, and others who undergo military training in their spare time. Applicants must be Indian citizens, 18-42 years old and be medically fit. TA personnel train for about two months every year.
Roles And Purpose
An Army Order in 1984 succinctly described the TA’s role as: To “relieve the regular Army from static duties and assist civil administration in
dealing with natural calamities and maintenance of essential services, and to provide units for the regular Army as and when required”. In practice, this means the TA is tasked to:
Augment the Army’s manpower in war
Bolster counterinsurgency operations and maintain law and order in troubled areas
Ensure critical services (like railways, telecommunications, etc) continue running during war or emergencies
Assist civil authorities during natural disasters (floods, earthquakes, cyclones) or other emergencies
Past Participation
Often nicknamed the “Terriers”, TA units have helped out on several occasions: 1947-48 & 1962 | Soon after inception, TA units were involved in supplementary roles during the first Indo-Pak conflict in Kashmir (1947–48) and the border skirmishes preceding the 1962 Sino-Indian War. During the 1962 hostilities, TA 50k Current strength of Territorial Army, comprising 65 units across India was fully mobilised. They provided logistical support in the Himalayas and manned defensive positions in rear areas.
1965 & 1971 | In both the IndoPakistani wars the TA was again called upon en masse. TA battalions performed vital combat support and logistics roles alongside the Army.
1980s | The TA was deployed in Operation Rakshak, supporting counter-insurgency operations first in Punjab (against Sikh militancy) and later in Jammu & Kashmir (against Pakistan-backed militants). TA soldiers carried out patrols, manned checkpoints, and protected infrastructure in these states. In the late 1980s, Operation Pawan saw the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka (1987–1990) battling Tamil insurgents. TA units were sent to Sri Lanka as part of this mission, primarily in logistical and support roles to the peacekeeping troops.
1999 | They secured rear zones, ammunition depots, and lines of supply during the Kargil conflict.
In brief
The Indian Express, August 8, 2016
Sushant Singh
What is the Territorial Army (TA)?
A military force that can be mobilised for the defence of the country in case of an emergency. It is composed of volunteers already gainfully employed in civilian professions, but who receive military training for a few days in a year. The TA Act was passed in 1948, and the TA was inaugurated by C Rajagopalachari on October 9, 1949. Its origins lie in the Territorial Army raised by the British in 1920 through the Indian Territorial Act, 1920. The British TA was organised into two wings: ‘The Auxiliary Force’ for Europeans and Anglo-Indians, and ‘The Indian Territorial Force’ for Indian volunteers.
Is TA a part of the regular Army?
Yes. Its role is to relieve the regular Army from static duties and assist the civil administration in dealing with natural calamities. It is also tasked to maintain essential services in situations where the life of the community is affected or the security of the country threatened. The TA also provides units in support of the regular Army as and when required.
How many men currently serve in TA?
TA currently has a strength of approximately 40,000 first line soldiers, and another 160,000 second line troops. They serve in departmental TA units such as Railways, IOC, ONGC, Telecommunications and General Hospital, and in the non-departmental TA units of Infantry (TA) and Ecological (TA), which are affiliated to various infantry regiments of the Army.
How is the training in TA organised?
Training in non-departmental TA is carried out in urban and provincial systems. In the urban system, training is over weekends and on holidays. Four hours of training is counted as one day of training. A minimum of 30 days of training, extendable to a maximum of 60 days, including a camp for 14 days, has to be completed during the calendar year. All officers are required to undergo 10 weeks of post-commission training within two years of their commissioning. In the provincial system, the annual training is for a continuous period of two calendar months in the first and subsequent years.
Who is eligible to be an officer in TA?
Any Indian graduate, between the ages of 18 and 42 years, can apply in response to advertisements issued twice every year. After clearing a preliminary interview board, the candidate has to successfully go through the SSB Interview, Medical Board and Police Verification to be granted commission as an officer in the TA.
Cricketers M S Dhoni and Kapil Dev were earlier granted commission in TA. Did they go through the selection process?
No. They were granted ‘honorary’ commission to act as brand ambassadors for the Army. That is more of a decorative role. But others like former Union Minister K P Singh Deo, former MP Manvendra Singh, former Union Minister Sachin Pilot and the current BJP MP Anurag Thakur have been selected after going through the due process.
Are TA personnel entitled to benefits like canteen services etc.?
Yes. They are entitled to all benefits applicable to regular Army personnel, including medical care during embodiment for training and in case of war. Gratuity, pension and other benefits are applicable depending on the years of service and on matching other criteria.
When can they wear military uniform?
Only at certain occasions, including recruitments/training, military parades as spectators, functions where uniform is prescribed, weddings/funerals at which regimental military officers and gazetted civil officers wear uniform, when summoned by a regular Army officer, etc.
Women’s recruitment
Delhi HC allows women to serve in Territorial Army
Ending a 70-year-old bar, the Delhi high court on Friday threw open a career in the Territorial Army (TA) for women.
A bench of acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar quashed an advertisement issued by the government imposing a blanket bar on appointment of women to both departmental and non-departmental battalions of TA.
The HC said the restrictions fail the test of constitutional validity and are “without any credible, reasonable or compelling justification for imposing such restrictions”, adding that the policy is “neither reasonable nor rational and has to be quashed”. It said the government “failed to show any decision of policy, let alone binding policy, enabling them to deny opportunity to the women to serve in all units of TA”. It pointed out that even as per the brochure printed and circulated by TA, all gainfully employed civilians, irrespective of their gender, who are graduates between 18 to 42 years are eligible for applying for consideration for appointment.
For its ruling, the HC relied upon landmark decisions of the Supreme Court and Delhi HC that ended gender discrimination in film industry and the defence forces.
