When the rest of the country sleeps peacefully at night, Indian Army stands ready to protect the country and its citizens. The Indian Army works day and night to keep our enemies at bay and the people of our country secure and free. We owe so much to the Indian Army. They are hardly noticed by most and the media, credited less than sport stars, but what they do is beyond our imagination. They fight for their country, for their land to be free from aggressors and for what they call their mother, their country. They are the perfect example of bravery. No one deserves the title of a ‘hero’ more than a soldier. They fight to give you that ability to fulfill your dreams, and their dream is for you to live yours in freedom. We can never thank our Army enough for what they do.

Indian Army is the third biggest military contingent in the World next to USA and China. However, there are many firsts that make Indian army stand out in the world, making us all Indians very proud. Here are 21 amazing facts about the Indian Army that will make you feel proud and increase your respect for Indian army.

1. India controls the highest battlefield in the world, the Siachen glacier, at 5000 meters above Mean Sea Level (MSL).

2. Indian soldiers are considered among the very best in high altitude and mountain warfare.

3. India has the biggest Volunteer Army in the World.

4. The Indian army built one of the highest bridges in the world, the Bailey bridge.

5. India covertly tested its nuclear arsenal in the early 1970s and late 1990s without the CIA even knowing what was happening.

6. Unlike other government organizations and institutions in India, there are no provisions for reservations based on caste or religion.

7. Operation Rahat (2013) was one of the biggest civilian rescue operations ever carried out in the world.

8. In the Battle of Longewala, there were only two casualties on the Indian side.

9. The Military Engineering Services (MES) is one of the biggest construction agencies in India.

10. The Indo-Pakistan War of 1971 came to end with the surrender of about 93,000 combatants and officials of the Pakistani Army.

11. Indian Army officers and officers of Pakistani Army undertake joint operations for the UN peace keeping missions.

12. The Indian army has a horsed cavalry regiment. It is one of the last three remaining of such regiments in the world.

13. The Battle of Saragarhi on 12th September 1897 is matched to the bravery of the 300 Spartans that fought against the multitude of Xerxes’s army.

14. Their missile series is one of the best in the world, ones that are feared by most countries.

15. The Indian Army is one of the few armies around the world that has never initiated an attack

16. Indian Army is the third biggest military contingent in the World next to USA and China.

17. The Ezhimala Naval Academy in Kerala is the largest of its kind in Asia.

18. India’s indigenous nuclear-capable ICBM (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile) AGNI-V puts India into the Elite Club consisting of USA, China, France and Russia.

19. The missile BrahMos-2 is the fastest hypersonic missile in the world

20. AGNI-VI will give India the power to strike every part of the world.

21. The Indian Army is one of the biggest troop contributors to the United Nations peace making operations.

The brave men and women at the Indian army stay away from their families, miss every significant thing in their lives and sacrifice their lives just so that you can be with your loved ones and sleep peacefully at night. They are respected and adored for their valor and sense of duty by the entire country.