According to the Ministry of Defence, which recently provided the Parliamentary Standing Committee with the most recent personnel data, the indian army is now experiencing a shortage of more than one lakh soldiers. This development coincides with the Army's aggressive management of new threats along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with china and the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan.
The indian army currently has a total personnel of 12.48 lakh, however, the authorized strength is more than one lakh. There is a 7.72% deficiency in the army, namely 92,410 junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs). As of october 1, 2024, there were 11,05,110 troops, compared to the authorized 11,97,520.
Also impacted is the officer cadre. With 42,095 officers (not including Medical Corps, Dental Corps, and Military Nursing Service) as of July 1, 2024, the army is 16.71% short of its authorized strength of 50,538.
Over 50,000 troops are still stationed near the LAC in eastern Ladakh, where the army has been for the previous five years, notwithstanding a recent disengagement agreement with China. In addition, the army has sent 15,000 additional troops to Jammu in response to a spike in terror attacks there.
The Ministry of Defense is relying on the Agnipath recruitment program to fill these vacancies. "As the Agnipath scheme progresses, the shortage of soldiers will be met," claimed the ministry.
The Defense Ministry stated that several measures have been implemented to address the officer shortfall and that the selection procedure has been reformed.
Sources claim that in an effort to increase candidate turnout, service selection centers have implemented new policies. Multiple channels are now being used to remind candidates of their service Selection Board (SSB) interview dates, and those who miss their interviews are being given another chance.
Additional changes include tripling the number of SSB batches to accommodate more applicants, expediting medical exams from the previous eight to ten days to just two or three days, and simplifying documentation by permitting uploads during form submission.
The Covid-19 outbreak made the manpower shortfall worse by preventing recruitment for two years and causing 60,000 soldiers to retire each year. During that time, about 1.2 lakh men left the force. The gap from the Covid years still has a significant impact on military strength, even if the Agnipath program has been inducting 40,000 Agniveers yearly since its inception in 2022.
Additionally, the ministry stated that officer openings are being filled within a set time frame. "Vacancies are released every year as per exits and wastages," added the statement.
To improve officer intake, several innovative efforts have been put into place. To teach serving soldiers, the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in chennai has developed a young leaders' training branch. Furthermore, the technical entrance program (10+2 TES) has been changed to a 3+1 year model, which ensures early officer availability and cuts training time by one year.
The Ministry of Defense stated, "Reforms in the selection procedures have resulted in enhanced percentages of intake for pre-commissioning training."
The indian army currently has a total personnel of 12.48 lakh, however, the authorized strength is more than one lakh. There is a 7.72% deficiency in the army, namely 92,410 junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs). As of october 1, 2024, there were 11,05,110 troops, compared to the authorized 11,97,520.
Also impacted is the officer cadre. With 42,095 officers (not including Medical Corps, Dental Corps, and Military Nursing Service) as of July 1, 2024, the army is 16.71% short of its authorized strength of 50,538.
Over 50,000 troops are still stationed near the LAC in eastern Ladakh, where the army has been for the previous five years, notwithstanding a recent disengagement agreement with China. In addition, the army has sent 15,000 additional troops to Jammu in response to a spike in terror attacks there.
The Ministry of Defense is relying on the Agnipath recruitment program to fill these vacancies. "As the Agnipath scheme progresses, the shortage of soldiers will be met," claimed the ministry.
The Defense Ministry stated that several measures have been implemented to address the officer shortfall and that the selection procedure has been reformed.
Sources claim that in an effort to increase candidate turnout, service selection centers have implemented new policies. Multiple channels are now being used to remind candidates of their service Selection Board (SSB) interview dates, and those who miss their interviews are being given another chance.
Additional changes include tripling the number of SSB batches to accommodate more applicants, expediting medical exams from the previous eight to ten days to just two or three days, and simplifying documentation by permitting uploads during form submission.
The Covid-19 outbreak made the manpower shortfall worse by preventing recruitment for two years and causing 60,000 soldiers to retire each year. During that time, about 1.2 lakh men left the force. The gap from the Covid years still has a significant impact on military strength, even if the Agnipath program has been inducting 40,000 Agniveers yearly since its inception in 2022.
Additionally, the ministry stated that officer openings are being filled within a set time frame. "Vacancies are released every year as per exits and wastages," added the statement.
To improve officer intake, several innovative efforts have been put into place. To teach serving soldiers, the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in chennai has developed a young leaders' training branch. Furthermore, the technical entrance program (10+2 TES) has been changed to a 3+1 year model, which ensures early officer availability and cuts training time by one year.
The Ministry of Defense stated, "Reforms in the selection procedures have resulted in enhanced percentages of intake for pre-commissioning training."
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