Army Chief empowered to call on Territorial Army personnel for deployment

Government empowers Chief of Army Staff to call Territorial Army for support amid tensions with Pakistan.

In the midst of tensions with Pakistan, the Government has empowered the Chief of Army Staff to call on officers and personnel of the Territorial Army to provide for “essential guard or to be embodied for the purpose of supporting or supplementing” the regular army.

The notification issued by the Department of Military Affairs dated May 06, 2025 shall remain in force for three years with effect from February 10, 2025 to February 09, 2028.

Operation Sindoor LIVE Updates for May 9, 2025

“In exercise of the powers conferred by Rule - 33 of the Territorial Army Rule 1948, the Central Government empowers Chief of the Army Staff to exercise the powers under that rule to call out every officer and every enrolled person of the Territorial Army to provide for essential guard or to be embodied for the purpose of supporting or supplementing the regular army…,” the notification said.

Out of the existing 32 TA Infantry Battalions, 14 Infantry Battalions can be called upon for deployment in the areas of Southern Command, Eastern Command, Western Command, Central Command, Northern Command, South Western Command, Andaman and Nicobar Command and Army Training Command, it stated.

The embodiment shall be ordered provided the funds are available in the budget or have been made available by re-appropriation of the internal savings in the budget, it stated.

For units embodied at the behest of Ministries other than the Ministry of Defence, the cost will be debited to the respective Ministries and will not be included in the budget allocation of the Ministry of Defence.