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Forces battle shortage of 'fighting rank' officers
NEW DELHI: It's the young officers who lead troops into battle, fly fighters to bomb targets or command submarines that silently prowl underwater to unleash havoc on enemy forces. But the Indian armed forces continue to grapple with huge shortages in the "fighting ranks" of its officer cadres.
Latest statistics tabled by defence minister Manohar Parrikar in Parliament show that virtually all the shortages in the armed forces are in the "non-select ranks" of Lt-Colonels (Commander in Navy, Wing Commander in IAF) and below.
The 11.77 lakh strong Indian Army, the second-largest in the world after China's People's Liberation Army, for instance, is short of 7,989 officers in its total "authorised strength" of 47,574. Alarmingly, the shortfall is 7,764 among Lt-Cols, Majors, Captains and Lieutenants.
"An infantry battalion is authorised 21 officers but most are making do with a dozen or so. Apart from the general shortage, officers also have to leave their battalions for regular courses," said an officer.
The shortfall of Lieutenant-Commanders and below in the Navy stands at 1,499, while it is 357 in the ranks of Wing Commanders and below in IAF. But there is no dearth of brass in the "top-heavy" armed forces. The Army, for instance, now has as many as 90 Lt-Generals, 297 Major-Generals and 1,127 Brigadiers.
Jawans, of course, pose no problem in a developing country like India, where unemployment is rampant and a government job with pension the ultimate ambition. "We get around 34 lakh candidates in recruitment rallies around the country every year for just about 60,000-70,000 vacancies for jawans," said an officer.
The worry is in the officer ranks. Glitzy advertising campaigns to attract youngsters to become "officers and gentlemen" are obviously not doing the trick. "The 6th Pay Commission has made military salaries more attractive than ever before but they are far outstripped by the pay packages and perks brandished by the corporate sector," said a senior officer.
More importantly, the "perceived high degree of risk" in military careers, whether it is battling militants or flying ageing aircraft, the frequent disruption in family life and poor promotional avenues in the steeply-pyramidal structures of the armed forces, all combine to dissuade youngsters with "officer-like qualities" from joining the forces.
The lack of adequate officer training capacity in the armed forces is also a factor, even though all the three Services have now ramped up their academies. Apart from the tri-Service National Defence Academy at Kadakwasla, the Army now has the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) in Gaya to add to the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun and OTA in Chennai.
The armed forces, however, are still reluctant to induct women officers in larger numbers, even though they are now given permanent commission in some select branches. There are just about 1,300 women officers in Army, 1,400 in IAF and 350 in Navy despite them being inducted in the armed forces since 1992-93. They, of course, are not allowed to serve in combat arms like infantry, artillery or armoured corps, nor serve on board operational warships or fly fighter jets.
Forces battle shortage of 'fighting rank' officers - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: It's the young officers who lead troops into battle, fly fighters to bomb targets or command submarines that silently prowl underwater to unleash havoc on enemy forces. But the Indian armed forces continue to grapple with huge shortages in the "fighting ranks" of its officer cadres.
Latest statistics tabled by defence minister Manohar Parrikar in Parliament show that virtually all the shortages in the armed forces are in the "non-select ranks" of Lt-Colonels (Commander in Navy, Wing Commander in IAF) and below.
The 11.77 lakh strong Indian Army, the second-largest in the world after China's People's Liberation Army, for instance, is short of 7,989 officers in its total "authorised strength" of 47,574. Alarmingly, the shortfall is 7,764 among Lt-Cols, Majors, Captains and Lieutenants.
"An infantry battalion is authorised 21 officers but most are making do with a dozen or so. Apart from the general shortage, officers also have to leave their battalions for regular courses," said an officer.
The shortfall of Lieutenant-Commanders and below in the Navy stands at 1,499, while it is 357 in the ranks of Wing Commanders and below in IAF. But there is no dearth of brass in the "top-heavy" armed forces. The Army, for instance, now has as many as 90 Lt-Generals, 297 Major-Generals and 1,127 Brigadiers.
Jawans, of course, pose no problem in a developing country like India, where unemployment is rampant and a government job with pension the ultimate ambition. "We get around 34 lakh candidates in recruitment rallies around the country every year for just about 60,000-70,000 vacancies for jawans," said an officer.
The worry is in the officer ranks. Glitzy advertising campaigns to attract youngsters to become "officers and gentlemen" are obviously not doing the trick. "The 6th Pay Commission has made military salaries more attractive than ever before but they are far outstripped by the pay packages and perks brandished by the corporate sector," said a senior officer.
More importantly, the "perceived high degree of risk" in military careers, whether it is battling militants or flying ageing aircraft, the frequent disruption in family life and poor promotional avenues in the steeply-pyramidal structures of the armed forces, all combine to dissuade youngsters with "officer-like qualities" from joining the forces.
The lack of adequate officer training capacity in the armed forces is also a factor, even though all the three Services have now ramped up their academies. Apart from the tri-Service National Defence Academy at Kadakwasla, the Army now has the Officers' Training Academy (OTA) in Gaya to add to the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun and OTA in Chennai.
The armed forces, however, are still reluctant to induct women officers in larger numbers, even though they are now given permanent commission in some select branches. There are just about 1,300 women officers in Army, 1,400 in IAF and 350 in Navy despite them being inducted in the armed forces since 1992-93. They, of course, are not allowed to serve in combat arms like infantry, artillery or armoured corps, nor serve on board operational warships or fly fighter jets.
Forces battle shortage of 'fighting rank' officers - The Times of India
