Army Day in India is celebrated on 15th January every year. This day marks the day when Field Marshal Kodandera M. Cariappa, then a Lieutenant General, took over as the first Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from General Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander-in-Chief of India, on 15th January 1949.
This year on Army Day 2020, parades will be organised in many cities across the nation. In New Delhi, the annual parade will be taking place at the Cariappa Parade Ground. It can be viewed live on Twitter and YouTube here:
15th January 2020 will be India’s 72nd Army Day. The ethos of the Army is ingrained in all soldiers with an unwavering will to succeed, accepting their grave responsibility and an unbridled ability to give their lives for others; confident that in return the nation will look after them and their families.
Army Day 2020 Parade:
On Army Day, the army chief takes the salute and inspects the parade led by the General Officer Commanding, HQs Delhi Area. The other two service chiefs also attend the parade every year and take salute. This year, the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat will also attend the parade this year and take salute. General Rawat took charge as CDS on 31st December, 2019.
15th January, 2020 will be the very first time when the woman army officer will be seen leading the Army Day Parade. Tania Shergill is a fourth-generation Indian army officer who joined the armed forces in 2017 after graduating from the Officers Training Academy in Chennai. Captain Tania Shergill will be the first woman parade adjutant for the Army Day Parade this year.
15 soldiers will be decorated with gallantry awards while 18 battalions will get unit citations. The military hardware which will be showcased the parade includes infantry combat vehicle BMP-2K, K9 Vajra-T artillery guns, locally built Dhanush towed guns, T-90 main battle tanks and the short span bridging system.
Contingents of the Corps of Signals, Sikh Light Infantry, Kumaon Regiment, the Grenadiers, the Parachute Regiment will also take part in the parade.
Army Day 2020 Theme
The main focus of Army Day 2020 will be on the ‘Digital Transformation of Defense’.
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