The Indian Armed Forces is the primary military organization responsible for the territorial security and defence of India. The President of India serves as the supreme commander of the armed forces, which are subordinate and responsible to the Government of India headed by the Prime Minister of India. The armed forces are administered by the Ministry of Defence and are composed of the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. Auxiliary services include the Indian Coast Guard, the Paramilitary forces of India and the Strategic Forces Command.
All service personnel are volunteers although the government is empowered to undertake conscription if considered necessary for India's defence. However, India has never had conscription, even during the Indo-Pakistani Wars and the Sino-Indian War. The armed forces retain much of the organizational structure established by the British. However, the armed forces are an essential character of India's strategic importance, power and capabilities, which have increased after India became a declared nuclear weapons state.
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