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In the Indian Army (Infantry), how many posts are there at Havildar, Naib Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major in an average Indian Army infantry battalion?
Hello, and thanks for your question regarding how many Havildars, Naib Subedars, Subedars and Subedar Majors are in an average Indian Army infantry battalion. I have found that on average, there may be a combined total of 12 Subedars or Naib Subedars in a battalion, and there may be up to 36 Halvidar majors per battalion. There was no information available on the number of Subedar Majors per battalion, perhaps because they are of a higher rank and therefore involved in the operations of larger segments. Below you will find a deep dive into my research, along with all the details of how I came to this conclusion.
OVERVIEW
After a thorough search I found that there are no official figures published on how many posts are there of Havildars, Naib Subedars, Subedars and Subedar Majors in an average Indian Army infantry battalion. I searched through the Indian Army's official site, as well as on other army data sites such as Global Firepower, Go Military and Defence and Security Alert. I also searched on Statista. However, these figures are not publicly available.
I was however able to calculate, using the sources that were available, the number of subedars, Naib- Subedars and Havildars. It was not possible to make an estimation of Subedar Majors as they were not mentioned in the structure of a battalion. I will explain my calculations below.
FINDINGS
The Indian government spends $31 million each year on the Indian army, whose motto is "Live for something, rather than die for nothing".
- Subedar Major:
Gold national emblem with stripe insignia, promoted by selection.
Promotion by selection
- Subedar: Two gold stars with stripe insignia, promoted by selection
- Naib Subedar: One gold star with stripe insignia, promoted by selection
- Havildar: Three rank chevrons insignia, promoted by selection
The Indian battalion is the infantry's main fighting unit and usually made up of around 900 combat personnel, it is commanded by a Colonel.
Battalion= 4 rifle companies
Rifle company= 3 platoons
Platoon = 3 sections
Section is at least 10 men.
Information was scarce regarding the number of posts of each of the positions you were interested in within a battalion, or within any segment of the army. However, I found information which explained that an Indian platoon is headed either by a lieutenant or a junior commissioned officer of the rank of subedar or Naib Subedar. It also explained that a section is headed either by a Havildar major or a sergeant major. From the Indian army website we know that a rifle company is headed by a lieutenant colonel or major.
Therefore, we can make this calculation:
Battalion is made of 4 rifle companies, and rifle companies are made of 3 platoons, so that's 12 platoons per battalion. Platoons are headed either by a lieutenant or a junior commissioned officer of the rank of subedar or Naib Subedar, so that's 12 of either per battalion. Platoons are made of 3 sections, so that's 36 per battalion. They are headed either by a Havildar major or a sergeant major, so that's 36 of either per battalion.
CONCLUSION
Overall, I have found that the precompiled data that you were searching for is not publicly available online. However, I was able to calculate that there may be a combined total of 12 Subedars or Naib Subedars in a battalion, and there may be up to 36 Halvidar majors per battalion. Unfortunately I found no information on the number of Subedar Majors per battalion, perhaps because they are of a higher rank and therefore involved in the operations of larger segments.
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