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The shortage of officers in the Indian Army has persisted for a long time and is now at eleven thousand officers. Many factors have contributed to this downward trend. If measures are not executed on an immediate operational basis, there could be a serious crisis in the Defence Forces.
The demands on the military leadership have since increased considerably with new threats and challenges to national security. Sub-continental conflict and armed violence are becoming more prevalent. Internal threats and their multiple dimensions are adding demands on the Defence Forces. The battlefields of the future will need high degree of skills and leadership.
Future officers will need to be effective combatants, efficient administrators, proficient military managers and specialized military technologists. An officer will need to possess a high degree of perceptive and effective intelligence, high intellectual calibre, improved decision-making abilities, good communication skills, the ability to withstand higher combat stress, good leadership skills - delegation, negotiation and man-machine management, the ability to understand and work in C412SR environment and will have to possess the three characteristics of Bhagat (values, righteousness and virtues), Danni (sense of sacrifice), and Shoorveer (moral, mental and physical bravery).
In view of the above, the Defence Services would need an upward revision of the Qualitative Requirement (QR) for the youth joining the services. The quality and content of the pre-commissioning training and in-service training would need to be enhanced.
Some of the reasons for the youth not opting for the Army include the emoluments not being commensurate with the conditions of service, the continuous involvement in Counter-Insurgency operations putting additional demands and stresses on officers and the four-for-one involvement (one officer doing the job of four officers) due to inadequate availability of officers in the units. Also, there's the problem of inadequate promotional avenues. Army Officers at the start of the career get more pay than the other central Services like officers from the IAS or the IPS. However, all IAS officers reach the rank of Joint Secretary in 14 years while only 2-3 per cent of Army officers reach this level in 32-34 years of service.
Inadequate opportunities of assured second career and no suitable avenues of lateral movement to other Central Services and difficult and tedious procedures for VRS are also reasons for this trend. Plus, inadequate post-retirement management, terminal benefits, OROP, health care and inadequate compensation for hazardous service conditions also contribute to this situation. The ECHS Scheme for specialty and super specialty medical care needs revamping. There should also be the representation of veterans on all committees/ commissions. Retired officers could also be employed in civil administrative capacities utilizing their experience, expertise and other capabilities. A Defence University could also be raised where officers of the rank of Brigadier and above be automatically offered jobs in Research, Disaster Management, Crisis Management, visiting professionals to Universities and Schools, HRM, HRD, and other suitable jobs for planning, Development and Maintenance of National projects. All Schools and Colleges should employ ESMs as drill, physical and sports instructors. Promotional avenues could be improved through lateral movement to other services and by ensuring proportional deputations to other departments/services as per the strength. There should be benefits for the education for the wards of Defence Personnel.
Measures to attract and retain officers in the Army must include the restoration of status as existed in 1947. Additionally, CPOs and paramilitary forces must be banned from wearing the badges of ranks and uniform worn by the Army. There should be an increase in the HAG to 3 percent and SAG to 17% of the cadre strength – these should be amended from time to time. The Military Service Pay should be enhanced duly compensating for the service conditions. All the anomalies of 4th, 5th & 6th Pay Commissions should be removed. The VRS could also be made attractive. Terms and conditions and emoluments should be governed through separate pay commissions from time to time.
In order to attract young talent, NDA entry after class XI and increased training at the NDA to four years could be undertaken. Pay should also be offered to NDA and OTS cadets as being done for IAS trainees and by other armies. There is the need to progressively increase the SSC cadre to 60 per cent and regular cadre to 40 per cent. Alongwith this, we should allow SSC officers to appear for IAS, IPS, IFS and other service exams after 5 years service in the Army and grant benefits of Military Service to such officers for career progression. There could also be the entry of women at NDA & OTA for suitable absorption in the Army. As we are already facing less combat arms, an increase in women's entry will increase cadre strength.
There is also the need to create another Training Academy with 1500 – 2000 capacity for increasing the yearly intake to ensure the shortages are removed in 5-7 years time. In order to improve in-service promotions of PBORs, there should be the offer to the candidates who score 10 percent less marks in SSB as Direct Entry JCOs and after 5-10 years of service, put them through another SSB for selection as commissioned officer SCO/PCSL cadres.
Some other measures suggested are:
- Increase ACC vacancies with suitable candidates selected at the Regimental Centres, sent to the ACC.
- Separate Pay Commission for the Defence Services.
- Organise suitable media publicity simultaneously, appropriately and suitably opening up of the functioning of Defence Services.
- Reducing the employment and involvement of Army in aid to civil authorities and in situations of internal threat. Situations that are out of control of the CPOs/civil administration should only be handed over to the military.
- Assured admissions in postgraduate and professional courses for the officers on study leave.
- States should be asked to open personality development institutes alongwith the School/College education on the lines of RIMC, Military Schools and Sainik Schools to increase the availability of target population for the intake. Suitable veterans should be employed to run and manage these institutions.
- Improve the training and image of NCC.
The measures recommended above should be packaged together and sanctioned by the government to derive optimal benefits and not piecemeal sanctions as the security of the nation is of paramount importance.
(Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the views either of the Editorial Committee or the Centre for Land Warfare Studies).
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