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Prelims · National Affairs and Government Schemes

Defence Forces Organisation and Exercises

5 questions, from 2024 to 2026.

2024

4 questions

2024 · Q69

Which of the following is/are correctly matched in terms of equivalent rank in the three services of Indian Defence forces?

  1. 1.Brigadier / Air Commodore / Commander
  2. 2.Major General / Air Vice Marshal / Vice Admiral
  3. 3.Major / Squadron Leader / Lieutenant Commander
  4. 4.Lieutenant Colonel / Group Captain / Captain.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. (a)1 and 4
  2. (b)1 and 3
  3. (c)2, 3 and 4
  4. (d)3 only
Show answer and explanation

Row 3 alone is correct. Major in the Army, Squadron Leader in the Air Force and Lieutenant Commander in the Navy are equivalent, all being one rank below the Lieutenant Colonel level. Row 1 fails on the naval rank. The naval equivalent of Brigadier and Air Commodore is Commodore, not Commander, which sits two rungs lower. Row 2 fails on the naval rank. The equivalent of Major General and Air Vice Marshal is Rear Admiral, while Vice Admiral corresponds to Lieutenant General, one rank higher. Row 4 fails on both the air force and naval ranks. Lieutenant Colonel corresponds to Wing Commander and to Commander, whereas Group Captain and Captain in the Navy both correspond to Colonel. The question is built by shifting naval ranks one or two steps out of alignment, so a candidate who knows the naval ladder from Lieutenant Commander through Commander, Captain, Commodore and Rear Admiral can dispose of it. Hence (d).

Difficult · Current Affairs Inspired · National Affairs and Government Schemes · Defence Forces Organisation and Exercises

2024 · Q77

What are the duties of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as Head of the Department of Military Affairs?

  1. 1.Permanent Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee
  2. 2.Exercise military command over the three Service Chiefs
  3. 3.Principal Military Advisor to Defence Minister on all tri-service matters.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. (a)1, 2 and 3
  2. (b)1 and 2 only
  3. (c)2 and 3 only
  4. (d)1 and 3 only
Show answer and explanation
  • Statement 1 is correct. The CDS is the Permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, a post previously rotated among the senior most service chief.
  • Statement 3 is correct. The CDS is the Principal Military Advisor to the Defence Minister on all tri service matters, while each Service Chief continues to advise on matters exclusive to his own service.
  • Statement 2 is incorrect and is the discriminator. The CDS explicitly does not exercise military command over the three Service Chiefs or over any military forces, a limitation written into the charter precisely to prevent the concentration of operational command in one officer and to preserve civilian control. The CDS role is coordinating, advisory and administrative, covering jointness in procurement, training and staffing. Hence 1 and 3 only, which is (d).
  • Options (a), (b) and (c) all admit the command claim.

Moderate · Current Affairs Inspired · National Affairs and Government Schemes · Defence Forces Organisation and Exercises

2024 · Q78

Operations undertaken by the Army towards upliftment of the local population in remote areas to include addressing of their basic needs is called:

  1. (a)Operation Sankalp
  2. (b)Operation Maitri
  3. (c)Operation Sadbhavana
  4. (d)Operation Madad
Show answer and explanation

Operation Sadbhavana, meaning goodwill, is the Indian Army's civic action programme in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East, running schools including the Army Goodwill Schools, health camps, vocational training, infrastructure works and national integration tours for young people in remote and disturbed areas. Its purpose is winning local confidence alongside conventional security operations.

  • Option (a) is wrong because Operation Sankalp is the Indian Navy's maritime security deployment in the Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf to protect Indian flagged shipping.
  • Option (b) is wrong because Operation Maitri was the disaster relief and rescue mission mounted in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake, an external humanitarian deployment rather than a sustained domestic development programme.
  • Option (d) is wrong because Operation Madad refers to flood relief assistance, notably in Kerala in 2018, again episodic disaster response rather than continuous civic action.

Moderate · Current Affairs Inspired · National Affairs and Government Schemes · Defence Forces Organisation and Exercises

2024 · Q82

Which of the following statements about Exercise Mitra Shakti-2023 are correct?

  1. 1.This was a joint military exercise between India and Bangladesh.
  2. 2.It commenced in Aundh (Pune).
  3. 3.Joint response during counter-terrorism operations was a goal of this operation.
  4. 4.Indian Air Force was a part of this exercise.

Select the answer using the code given below:

  1. (a)1, 2 and 3
  2. (b)1, 2 and 4
  3. (c)1, 3 and 4
  4. (d)2, 3 and 4
Show answer and explanation
  • Statement 1 is incorrect and is the single discriminator. Mitra Shakti is the annual India Sri Lanka joint military exercise, not an exercise with Bangladesh. The India Bangladesh equivalent is Sampriti.
  • Statement 2 is correct. The 2023 edition was held at the Foreign Training Node at Aundh in Pune.
  • Statement 3 is correct. Joint response in counter terrorism and counter insurgency operations under the United Nations mandate was among its stated objectives.
  • Statement 4 is correct. The Indian Air Force participated alongside the Army, and the Sri Lanka Air Force likewise, making it more than a purely land exercise. Hence 2, 3 and 4, which is (d).
  • Options (a), (b) and (c) all retain the Bangladesh error, so a candidate who knows only the correct partner country can eliminate three options at once.

Moderate · Current Affairs Inspired · National Affairs and Government Schemes · Defence Forces Organisation and Exercises

2026

1 question

2026 · Q73

Which one of the following pairs of Indian Army Corps and Headquarters is not correctly matched?

  1. (a)3 Corps : Dimapur
  2. (b)4 Corps : Tezpur
  3. (c)14 Corps : Leh
  4. (d)33 Corps : Srinagar
Show answer and explanation

The mismatch is (d), which is therefore the answer. The 33 Corps, known as the Trishakti Corps, is headquartered at Sukna near Siliguri in West Bengal and is responsible for the Sikkim and North Bengal sector including the Siliguri corridor, while Srinagar is the headquarters of the 15 Corps, the Chinar Corps. The remaining three are correctly matched. (a) is right, since the 3 Corps, the Spear Corps, is at Dimapur in Nagaland with responsibility for the eastern Northeast. (b) is right, since the 4 Corps, the Gajraj Corps, is at Tezpur in Assam facing the Kameng and Subansiri sectors of Arunachal Pradesh. (c) is right, since the 14 Corps, the Fire and Fury Corps, is at Leh covering Ladakh including Siachen and eastern Ladakh. A candidate who recalls that Srinagar belongs to the Chinar Corps can answer directly without knowing the other three.

Moderate · Current Affairs Inspired · National Affairs and Government Schemes · Defence Forces Organisation and Exercises

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