Overview

The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force The Indian Army is a voluntary service, the military draft having never been imposed in India. It is one of the largest standing armies (and the largest standing volunteer army) in the world, with 1,237,000 active troops and 800,000 reserve troops.

The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the Indian armed forces. With 58,350 men and women, including 7,000 personnel of the Indian Naval Air Arm, 1,200 Marine Commandos (MARCOS) and 1,000 personnel of the Sagar Prahari Bal.

TheIndian Navy is one of the world's largest naval forces and aspires to develop into a blue water navy. The Indian Navy has a large operational fleet consisting of 2 aircraft carriers, 1 amphibious transport dock, 9 Landing ship tanks, 10 destroyers, 14 frigates, 1 nuclear-powered attack submarine, 14 conventionally-powered attack submarines, 24 corvettes, 6 mine countermeasure vessels, 25 patrol vessels, 4 fleet tankers and various auxiliary vessels.

The Challenge

Deployment parameters of our soldiers can have a significant impact on the emotional and behavioural health of military families. These include stressors such as parental separation, family reunification, and parental loss. Due to frequent moves, many military children experience disrupted relationships with friends, and need to adapt to new schools and cultivate new community resources. Some children also experience the trauma of being reintegrated with a parent who has returned home post-combat permanent injury/illness. These aspects need to be addressed consciously.