Brigade of the Guards

The Brigade of Guards was selected in 1986 to undergo conversion to mechanized infantry, and has mechanized all its battalions, making it the second entirely mechanized Regiment [after the Mechanized Infantry Regiment].

Brigade of The Guards is an elite Regiment of the Indian Army. It is the first "All India" mixed "All Class" Composition Infantry Regiment of the Army where troops from all parts of India serve together in various battalions of the Regiment. The Guards Brigade was raised to implement the Government's policy of encouraging Army recruitment from classes and regions which had been under-represented in the forces. In the new regiment, called The Guards Brigade, the old system of class composition was replaced with with recruitment open to all regions, castes, creeds, and sections of society. Three of the Army's oldest and most distinguished battalions -- 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Punjab Regiment, 1st Battalion of the Indian Grenadiers Regiment and 1st Battalion of the 6th Rajputana Rifles were converted as Guards battalions in 1949. Later, they were joined by the 1st Battalion of the 7th Rajput Regiment.

The raising of Brigade of The Guards as an All Class composition regiment by Late Field Marshal K M Cariappa, OBE was a bold experiment in national integration which succeeded beyond expectations. Brigade of The Guards has bagged two Param Vir Chakras, six Maha Vir Chakras and forty one Vir Chakras, amongst many other gallantry and distinguished service awards. Since Independence, Guards battalions have seen action on Indo-China border, Gaza and Angola with the UN forces in addition to Indo-Pak wars and counter-insurgency operations. Though the Brigade of The Guards is only 50 years old, its constituent battalions go back as far as 225 years and between them share 93 Battle Honours earned around the globe.

With 15 more battalions raised since 1960, The Guards today comprise 11 mechanised battalions, four infantry battalions, three reconnaissance and support battalions and one missile battalion in addition to two Territorial Army battalions. Today Brigade of The Guards is a highly professional regiment consisting of variety of battalions such as Mechanised Guards Battalions, Reconnaissance and Support Battalions, Anti Tank Guided Missile Battalions and regular Infantry Battalions.

The Guards Training Center was initially located at Kota in Rajasthan. In 1976 it moved to Kamptee in Maharashtra and was renamed the Brigade of Guards Regimental Center.

General S Padmanabhan, Chief of the Army Staff, formally took over as the Honorary Colonel of The Brigade of The Guards at a simple ceremony held at South Block September 05, 2001 . General S Padmanabhan was presented accoutrements of Brigade of The Guards by Lt Gen H R S Mann, Chief of Staff Headquarters Western Command and the Colonel of Brigade of The Guards.