Uttarakhand has rich tradition of sending its youth to serve in the armed forces of the country.
A rough estimate put the number of armed forces veterans and Veer Naris (widows of armed forces personnel) at 1.70 lakhs similarly the state is home to about thirty thousand retired paramilitary forces personnel. Similarly, an estimated 1.50 lakh personnel belonging to the state are serving in different wings of armed forces of the country.
The inclination to serve in armed forces of the country is so high in this predominately mountainous state that almost every family has someone who is in armed forces.