The Indian Navy (IN), the naval component of the Indian Armed Forces follows a certain hierarchy of rank designations and insignia derived from the erstwhile Royal Indian Navy (RIN).[1]
History
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1947-2023
editUpon the establishment of establishment of India's independence in 1947, the country became a dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations; nevertheless, the armed forces, namely, the British Indian Army (BIA), the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) and the Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF) - under the helm of King George VI as the Commander-in-Chief, retained their respective pre-independence ranks and corresponding insignia.[2]
In May 1949, Lord Mountbatten, the inaugural Governor-General of India and himself a naval officer, dispatched a note to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, titled Names and Insignia of Indian Armed Forces, containing a list of suggestions regarding the nomenclature of the armed forces that were to be enforced upon the dominion's conversion to a republic.[2] In the note, Mountbatten proposed that the future IN should retain its predecessor's nomenclature as much as possible - advocating the retention of the RIN's ranks, insignia and uniforms; the only exemption to these retentions was the force's naval ensign, which was modified to feature the Indian tricolor as a substitute for the Union Jack.[2] In September 1949, Nehru forwarded the proposals to the country's minister of defence, Baldev Singh, recommending Mountbatten's suggestions, which were consequently enforced upon India's emergence as a republic on 26 January 1950.[2]
2023 modifications
editIn December 2022, Admiral R. Hari Kumar, the IN's Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), proposed several alterations to the force's rank structure, namely, a proposal to drop the rank of Petty Officer and to integrate IN ranks with that of the IA and the IAF, reasoning the present rank nomenclature reflected of what was termed by several as a colonial mindset.[3]
Following a review of the IN rank structure in October 2023, the IN announced that the rank nomenclature of the Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) cadre would be revised to reflect a gender-neutral perspective.[4] Multiple sources indicated that the seven ranks of the PBOR cadre would be allotted Indian-origin names.[5] In March 2024, R. Hari Kumar suggested that "seaman" be replaced with the gender-neutral "nausainik" (navy soldier).[6]
Consequently, the revision plan was publicized during the IN's 2023 Navy Day celebrations, when prime minister Narendra Modi announced that the rank structure's designations would be retitled with domestic names to reflect Indian-origin traditions, while the shoulder board epaulettes worn by flag officers would be altered to bear the octagonal-shaped naval crest, which had been adopted by the IN the previous year.[5] Accordingly, the alterations to the flag officer insignia were revealed later that month; notably, other observable emendations in the new insignia included the introduction of an Indian sword-cum-telescope design in lieu of the older sword-cum-baton design and a gold button embossed with a clear anchor in lieu of a fouled anchor.[7]
Structure
editPresently, the IN's rank hierarchy is divided into three broad categories:
- Commissioned Officers (CO)
- Junior Commissioned Officers (JCO)
- Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO)
Commissioned officers
edit(Note: Rank insignia to be altered according to IN specifications.)
| Rank group | General/flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
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 Indian Navy[8] |
 
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| Admiral एडमिरल |
Vice admiral वाइस एडमिरल |
Rear admiral रियर एडमिरल |
Commodore कमोडोर |
Captain कैप्टन |
Commander कमांडर |
Lieutenant commander लेफ़्टिनेंट कमांडर |
Lieutenant लेफ्टिनेंट |
Sub-lieutenant सब लेफ्टिनेंट |
Midshipman मिडशिपमैन | |||||||||||||||
Command flags
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| Adm | VAdm | RAdm | Cmde |
The highest rank in the IN's CO cadre is Admiral, a four-star rank, which is held exclusively by the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS).[9] The rank was first awarded to then-Vice Admiral A. K. Chatterji in March 1968, following his appointment to the post of CNS; prior to him, CNS appointees belonged to the three-star rank of Vice Admiral.[10] However, unlike the IA and the IAF, which both bear the honorary five-star ranks of Field Marshal (FM) and Marshal of the Indian Air Force (MIAF) respectively, the IN does not have a correspondingly recognized equivalent, as no four-star admirals were deemed for promotion to five-star rank.[11]
Junior commissioned officer and non-commissioned ranks
edit| Rank group | Junior commissioned officers | Non commissioned officers | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Indian Navy[8][12] |
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No insignia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Master chief petty officer I मास्टर चीफ पेटी ऑफिसर फर्स्ट क्लास |
Master chief petty officer II मास्टर चीफ पेटी ऑफिसर सेकेंड क्लास |
Chief petty officer चीफ पेटी ऑफिसर |
Petty officer पेटी ऑफिसर |
Leading Seaman लीडिंग सीमैन |
Seaman Ist class सीमैन फर्स्ट क्लास |
Seaman IInd class सीमैन सेकंड क्लास | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Since 1950, the designation of Chief Petty Officer was the highest non-commissioned rank in IN's rank hierarchy until December 1968, when the designations of Master Chief Petty Officer I and Master Chief Petty Officer II were introduced.[13]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Chhina, Man Aman Singh (16 October 2023). "Military Digest: As Indian Navy looks to introduce new ranks, a look at foreign origins of Naval ranks". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d "How India adopted its military flags and badges based on Lord Mountbatten's suggestions". optimizeias.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024.
- ^ Dongare, Akshay (10 December 2022). "Do away with ranks like petty officer to shed colonial legacies: Navy chief at Agenda Aaj Tak". India Today. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Indian Navy To Adopt Gender-Neutral Ranks After Opening Doors To Women". 9 October 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024.
- ^ a b Bedi, Rahul (5 December 2023). "What Veterans Think About PM Modi Announcing Change of Navy Epaulettes". thewire.in. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Navy submitted proposal to alter rank nomenclature after induction of women sailors: Admiral Hari Kumar". The Economic Times. 5 March 2024.
- ^ Dutta, Amrita Nayak (31 December 2023). "Navy unveils new epaulettes for Admirals: What are the changes, what do they signify?". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 14 March 2024.
- ^ "Ranks In Indian Navy – Insignia And Hierarchy". alpharegiment.com. 23 May 2023. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024.
- ^ Kesnur, Srikant B. (15 August 2020). "Remembering the Admiral who shed his vice and built the Navy". thedailyguardian.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2023.
- ^ "IA has Field Marshal, IAF has Marshal of Indian Air Force, Indian Navy's glory deserves the honour of 'Admiral of the Fleet' rank". www.indiandefencereview.com. 5 December 2023. Archived from the original on 27 February 2024.
- ^ "Forwarding Nomenclature of Ranks in Navy" (PDF). 23 August 2011.
- ^ "New Cadre for Senior Sailors Formed" (PDF). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. 15 December 1968. Retrieved 17 January 2021.