Indian Army Corps of Signals

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Indian Army Corps of Signals
The logo of the Corps of Signals
Active1911 – Present
Country India
Branch Indian Army
Army HeadquartersNew Delhi, India
Nickname(s)The Corps of Signals
Motto(s)"Teevra Chaukas"
Swift and Alert
EngagementsFirst World War
Second World War

Sino-Indian War of 1962

Indo-Pakistani War of 1947
Indo-Pakistani War of 1965
Indo-Pakistani War of 1971
Indo-Pakistani War of 1999
Commanders
Colonel Commandant of the Corps of SignalsLt Gen KV KUMAR

Indian Army Corps of Signals is a corps and a combat support arm of the Indian Army, which handles its military communications. It was formed on 15 February 1911 as a separate entity under Lieutenant Colonel S H Powell, and went on to make important contributions to World War I and World War II.[1] The corps celebrated its 100-year anniversary of its raising on 15 February 2010.[2]

History[edit]

After a notification was issued as a Special Army Order dated February 3, 1911, for the organisation of two signal companies, the corps of signals was formed on February 15, 1911, when the 31st and 32nd Divisional Signal Companies, the first Signals units, were raised at Fatehgarh in present-day Uttar Pradesh. Lieutenant Colonel SH Powell, Royal Engineers, was the founder and first head of the Indian Signal Service, which later became the Indian Signal Corps.[3] Until then, the Sappers which were part of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers that was established in 1777, were in charge of passing battlefield messages. Subsequently, the 33rd and 34th Divisional Signal Companies were raised at Ahmednagar, along with the nucleus of the 41st Wireless Squadron at Roorkee on March 1, 1911.[3]

After India gained its independence in 1947, Brigadier CHI Acehurst became the first head of the Corps of Signals, after the 1965 and 1971 wars, the corps underwent important expansions. The corps formally received its regimental colours on 20 February 1965 and on 15 February 1981.[4]

In the mid-1980s, a dedicated organisation to test communication systems was formed, which is now known as the Army Centre for Electromagnetics (ACE). The Indian Army became the first agency to use digital technology for both switching and transmission.[3]

Training and technology[edit]

The Corps of Signals marching contingents passes through the Rajpath, on the occasion of the 67th Republic Day Parade 2016
Mobile Base Transceiver Station of the Corps of Signals
Transportable Satellite Terminal of the Corps of Signals
Corps of Signals Centenary postage stamp issued in 2011

The Corps works closely with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to develop command and control software, notably the Samyukta Electronic Warfare System, a mobile integrated electronic warfare system, developed along with Bharat Electronics Limited.[5][6]

The Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE), Mhow is a premiere training institute of the Corps of Signals. Its war museum is situated at Jabalpur, where 1 Signals Training Centre is based.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Brett-James, Antony Report my Signals London Hennel Locke 1948 - personal account of a British officer attached to Indian Army in Egypt and Burma
  2. ^ "Corps Of Signals – Inaugural: Ceremony Centenary Year". Ministry of Defence. 15 February 2010.
  3. ^ a b c "The Corps of Signals: Wise with Waves". Ministry of Defense.
  4. ^ "Corps of Signals celebrates 98th Raising Day". Indian Express. 16 February 2008. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012.
  5. ^ Army gets hi-tech warfare system
  6. ^ DRDO Develops Mobile Electronic Warfare System

External links[edit]