The Indian Army is a military force.
An army -LRB- from Latin arma `` arms , weapons '' via Old French armee , `` armed '' -LRB- feminine -RRB- -RRB- or ground force is a fighting force that fights primarily on land .. Latin. Latin. Old French. Old French. In the broadest sense , it is the land-based military branch , service branch or armed service of a nation or state .. military branch. military branch. nation. nation. state. State ( polity ). It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps .. air force. air force. Within a national military force , the word army may also mean a field army .. field army. field army. They differ from army reserves who are activated only during such times as war or natural disasters .. army reserves. army reserves. war. war. In several countries , the army is officially called the Land Army to differentiate it from an air force called the Air Army , notably France .. air force. air force. France. French Air Force. In such countries , the word `` army '' on its own retains its connotation of a land force in common usage .. The current largest army in the world , by number of active troops , is the People 's Liberation Army Ground Force of China with 1,600,000 active troops and 510,000 reserve personnel followed by the Indian Army with 1,129,000 active troops and 960,000 reserve personnel .. China. China. reserve personnel. Military reserve force. Indian Army. Indian Army. reserve. Military reserve force. By convention , irregular military is understood in contrast to regular armies which grew slowly from personal bodyguards or elite militia .. irregular military. irregular military. regular armies. regular army. militia. militia. Regular in this case refers to standardized doctrines , uniforms , organizations , etc. .. Regular military can also refer to full-time status -LRB- standing army -RRB- , versus reserve or part-time personnel .. standing army. standing army. reserve. Military reserve force. Other distinctions may separate statutory forces -LRB- established under laws such as the National Defence Act -RRB- , from de facto `` non-statutory '' forces such as some guerrilla and revolutionary armies .. National Defence Act. National Defence Act. Armies may also be expeditionary -LRB- designed for overseas or international deployment -RRB- or fencible -LRB- designed for -- or restricted to -- homeland defence -RRB- .. expeditionary. expeditionary warfare. fencible. fencible