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Can Pakistan Armed Forced Become Leaner, Meaner & Younger by Copying India's AGNIPATH RECRUITMRNT PROGRAM?

faani83

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Modi govt announces Agnipath scheme for armed forces. Here’s what 4-year service is all about​


Enrolment under scheme will be all-India, all-class & will form a distinct rank in armed forces, besides having distinctive insignia. Aim is to keep 3 services younger & reduce pension burden.​


New Delhi: In a move that will drastically change the recruitment procedure for the Indian military, the government Tuesday announced the Agnipath scheme, which will take in youth between 17-and-a-half years of age to those aged twenty-one, as soldiers for a period of four years.

Enrolment under this scheme, announced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the three service chiefs Tuesday, will be all-India and all-class, and will form a distinct rank in the armed forces, besides having distinctive insignia, sources in the defence and security establishment said.

The scheme was cleared by the cabinet committee on security Tuesday, which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Recruitment rallies will commence in 90 days and about 46,000 soldiers will be recruited under the scheme this year.

The scheme seeks to replace the existing recruitment model under which soldiers are recruited as sepoys into specific regiments, based on class patterns.

Sources in the defence and security establishment explained that soldiers under the Agnipath scheme — referred to as Agniveers — will be enrolled for a duration of four years, including the training period, and will get a salary of Rs 30,000 – Rs 40,000 per month, and allowances as applicable.



Those recruited under this scheme will have to meet the medical eligibility conditions as applicable for respective categories/trades within the armed forces.

Sources added that while all Agniveers will be given the option to enrol into the regular cadre after four years, only 25 per cent from each batch will be enrolled in the regular cadre of the armed forces, after their four-year service duration.

Sources explained that Agniveers can be posted to any regiment, unit and establishment and would be entitled to honours and awards under extant guidelines on the subject.

The soldiers recruited under this scheme will also get a post-release ‘Seva Nidhi Package’, of Rs 11.71 lakhs including interest (tax free), besides a non-contributory insurance cover of Rs 48 Lakhs.

The Rs 11.71 lakh will include 30 per cent of salary as contribution to the scheme and an equal amount put in by the government. An additional ex-gratia of Rs 44 lakh will be given in case of death attributable to service, and compensation under existing rules will be given in case of disability.

They will also get an Agniveer Skill Certificate, which will aim to assist them in finding post-release job opportunities.

Agniveers will also have an option of accessing a bank loan of Rs 18.2 lakhs over three years or more, against the Seva Nidhi package.

However, sources made it clear that the Agniveers who leave after four years will not get ex-servicemen status. This means that there shall be no entitlement to gratuity and pension benefits.

The eventual aim of the scheme is to keep the three services younger and agile, while reducing the overall pension burden.

International practices

Sources said that essentially, recruitment of soldiers across the world is done in two broad categories — voluntary and conscription-based recruitment.

For example, Russia has a system of conscription-based service for a period of 12 months, Israel for 30 and 22 months — for men and women, respectively, South Korea for 21, 24 and 25 months, respectively, for army, navy and air force respectively, and Brazil for 12 months.

There are certain pseudo, or voluntary, conscription models as well in countries like China and USA, where the service period under this model ranges from two to eight years, with options for active and reservist service, as also conscription specific to certain ranks and specialisation, said sources.

What govt says about benefits of Agnipath scheme

Sources claimed that the Aginpath scheme brings in the best of both the models of conscription and volunteer service for related benefits.

They said that a natural fallout or outcome of the Agnipath scheme would be reduction of stress on the military revenue budget, as also pension bills, which would empower the armed forces to re-channelise these funds for their capital procurements and modernisation programmes.

The sources underlined that the global security environment has been rapidly changing and armed forces across the world have been adapting to their futuristic requirements, by bringing in fresh ideas and schemes to meet the overall national ambitions and dreams in the long run.

Human resource management and modified structures for the Indian armed forces are also an important facet of this larger intent, they said.

The sources said that this scheme would help the forces to have younger, fitter, diverse, more trainable individuals, adaptable to changing dynamics and technology, which would enhance operational effectiveness.

The aim is also to achieve desired youth vs experience ratios, aiming to achieve a ratio of 1:1, sources said.

An official statement by the defence ministry said that the scheme will enhance the “youthful profile” of the armed forces and provide a fresh lease of “josh” and “jazba”, while at the same time bringing about a transformational shift towards a more tech-savvy armed forces, as needed today.

The current average age profile in the army is 32 years, said sources, adding, “It is envisaged that average age profile of Indian armed forces would come down by about 4-5 years by implementation of this scheme”.

They said that the scheme will churn out a large number of Agniveers from all across the country and with the high release rate (75 per cent being released after four years), there will be Agniveers in every village and every corner of the society.

“The young disciplined Agniveers who get released after four years of service will instill the same sense of pride in the next generation. This scheme will mainly provide an overall development of the nation by plugging in the problem of unemployment and will provide a stable economic growth,” sources added.

What naysayers argue

Naysayers within the defence and security establishment argue, however, that the scheme should first undergo a test bed to really see the advantages and disadvantages.

According to them, the scheme will lead to a loss of institutional memory, especially the regiments in the army.

Many are sceptical of this scheme, and wonder whether someone who is getting recruited for four years, and only has 25 per cent chance of being permanent, will follow orders and fight with the same spirit as a regular soldier.

Another concern, according to them, is that 75 per cent of military-trained youth will be back in society without a guaranteed job prospect.

The concerns have been raised by several veterans and serving officers in private.

Lt. Gen. P. R. Shankar, former director general, artillery, has also hit out at the scheme in a scathing article, arguing that the tour of duty does not seem to be a good idea and needs to be proceeded with caution.

“However the government seems to be quite determined to push its way through.. Tour of Duty is an exercise being undertaken without adequate staff or capacity, in order to create which, the teeth have to be knocked off. Then the not so well trained tourist will be part of a subunit in which there is a rat race for retention with no bonding or no junior leadership,” Shankar wrote

He added: “This soldier will be expected to man Brahmos/Pinaka/Vajra weapon system which he cannot handle and defend his gun position from marauding Pakistanis or Chinese. In essence, the tour of duty proposal expects a superman from a kindergarten. We might be producing an Abhimanyu but he will not get out of the Chakravyuhu.”

What can Pakistan copy to make its armed forces:
-Younger keeping soldiers for 4 instead of 16
-Less Pension and expenses
-More capital expenses on Acquisitions

 
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No. Pakistan Army is fine and has a thorough vetting process for recruits to render an optimal fighting force.

The only thing that is necessary is a certain mechanism for checks and balances in place to ensure that COAS does not overstep his boundaries.
 
yh by cutting down on dollar and go on daal meal like india. suparr powarr
 
Pakistani army and the establishment isn't an army its a self colonizing force

Since it cant accomplish all its grandiose claims and failed miserably every time its had tried to, humalitating it self and the nation time time again

it cant even protect its poor soldiers from nothing more thugs with sandals on its frontier

Its basically a scheme for the elites to gobble up the nation resource to buy mansion and control key industries the rest of the population can eat grass

so no there will be no reform or change because that will mean giving up power to the top level which is not going to happen
 
brah! Pakistani Forces r pretty experienced as compared to the indian, the 2 decades of practical soldiering has made them leaner and meaner. These kind of things make more sense for countries like india which havnt seen hard warfare, the real brutal, cruel exp. of battle after battle consistently for 2 decades like Pak armed forces.

Pakistani forces arnt the barracks forces anymore but same cant be said abt indian armed forces who have spend most of their time in barracks since 1971. And hence have became corrupt and lazy. Standards of merit and merit based promotions have gone severely down as well. @faani83
 
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Modi govt announces Agnipath scheme for armed forces. Here’s what 4-year service is all about​


Enrolment under scheme will be all-India, all-class & will form a distinct rank in armed forces, besides having distinctive insignia. Aim is to keep 3 services younger & reduce pension burden.​


New Delhi: In a move that will drastically change the recruitment procedure for the Indian military, the government Tuesday announced the Agnipath scheme, which will take in youth between 17-and-a-half years of age to those aged twenty-one, as soldiers for a period of four years.

Enrolment under this scheme, announced by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the three service chiefs Tuesday, will be all-India and all-class, and will form a distinct rank in the armed forces, besides having distinctive insignia, sources in the defence and security establishment said.

The scheme was cleared by the cabinet committee on security Tuesday, which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Recruitment rallies will commence in 90 days and about 46,000 soldiers will be recruited under the scheme this year.

The scheme seeks to replace the existing recruitment model under which soldiers are recruited as sepoys into specific regiments, based on class patterns.

Sources in the defence and security establishment explained that soldiers under the Agnipath scheme — referred to as Agniveers — will be enrolled for a duration of four years, including the training period, and will get a salary of Rs 30,000 – Rs 40,000 per month, and allowances as applicable.



Those recruited under this scheme will have to meet the medical eligibility conditions as applicable for respective categories/trades within the armed forces.

Sources added that while all Agniveers will be given the option to enrol into the regular cadre after four years, only 25 per cent from each batch will be enrolled in the regular cadre of the armed forces, after their four-year service duration.

Sources explained that Agniveers can be posted to any regiment, unit and establishment and would be entitled to honours and awards under extant guidelines on the subject.

The soldiers recruited under this scheme will also get a post-release ‘Seva Nidhi Package’, of Rs 11.71 lakhs including interest (tax free), besides a non-contributory insurance cover of Rs 48 Lakhs.

The Rs 11.71 lakh will include 30 per cent of salary as contribution to the scheme and an equal amount put in by the government. An additional ex-gratia of Rs 44 lakh will be given in case of death attributable to service, and compensation under existing rules will be given in case of disability.

They will also get an Agniveer Skill Certificate, which will aim to assist them in finding post-release job opportunities.

Agniveers will also have an option of accessing a bank loan of Rs 18.2 lakhs over three years or more, against the Seva Nidhi package.

However, sources made it clear that the Agniveers who leave after four years will not get ex-servicemen status. This means that there shall be no entitlement to gratuity and pension benefits.

The eventual aim of the scheme is to keep the three services younger and agile, while reducing the overall pension burden.

International practices

Sources said that essentially, recruitment of soldiers across the world is done in two broad categories — voluntary and conscription-based recruitment.

For example, Russia has a system of conscription-based service for a period of 12 months, Israel for 30 and 22 months — for men and women, respectively, South Korea for 21, 24 and 25 months, respectively, for army, navy and air force respectively, and Brazil for 12 months.

There are certain pseudo, or voluntary, conscription models as well in countries like China and USA, where the service period under this model ranges from two to eight years, with options for active and reservist service, as also conscription specific to certain ranks and specialisation, said sources.

What govt says about benefits of Agnipath scheme

Sources claimed that the Aginpath scheme brings in the best of both the models of conscription and volunteer service for related benefits.

They said that a natural fallout or outcome of the Agnipath scheme would be reduction of stress on the military revenue budget, as also pension bills, which would empower the armed forces to re-channelise these funds for their capital procurements and modernisation programmes.

The sources underlined that the global security environment has been rapidly changing and armed forces across the world have been adapting to their futuristic requirements, by bringing in fresh ideas and schemes to meet the overall national ambitions and dreams in the long run.

Human resource management and modified structures for the Indian armed forces are also an important facet of this larger intent, they said.

The sources said that this scheme would help the forces to have younger, fitter, diverse, more trainable individuals, adaptable to changing dynamics and technology, which would enhance operational effectiveness.

The aim is also to achieve desired youth vs experience ratios, aiming to achieve a ratio of 1:1, sources said.

An official statement by the defence ministry said that the scheme will enhance the “youthful profile” of the armed forces and provide a fresh lease of “josh” and “jazba”, while at the same time bringing about a transformational shift towards a more tech-savvy armed forces, as needed today.

The current average age profile in the army is 32 years, said sources, adding, “It is envisaged that average age profile of Indian armed forces would come down by about 4-5 years by implementation of this scheme”.

They said that the scheme will churn out a large number of Agniveers from all across the country and with the high release rate (75 per cent being released after four years), there will be Agniveers in every village and every corner of the society.

“The young disciplined Agniveers who get released after four years of service will instill the same sense of pride in the next generation. This scheme will mainly provide an overall development of the nation by plugging in the problem of unemployment and will provide a stable economic growth,” sources added.

What naysayers argue

Naysayers within the defence and security establishment argue, however, that the scheme should first undergo a test bed to really see the advantages and disadvantages.

According to them, the scheme will lead to a loss of institutional memory, especially the regiments in the army.

Many are sceptical of this scheme, and wonder whether someone who is getting recruited for four years, and only has 25 per cent chance of being permanent, will follow orders and fight with the same spirit as a regular soldier.

Another concern, according to them, is that 75 per cent of military-trained youth will be back in society without a guaranteed job prospect.

The concerns have been raised by several veterans and serving officers in private.

Lt. Gen. P. R. Shankar, former director general, artillery, has also hit out at the scheme in a scathing article, arguing that the tour of duty does not seem to be a good idea and needs to be proceeded with caution.

“However the government seems to be quite determined to push its way through.. Tour of Duty is an exercise being undertaken without adequate staff or capacity, in order to create which, the teeth have to be knocked off. Then the not so well trained tourist will be part of a subunit in which there is a rat race for retention with no bonding or no junior leadership,” Shankar wrote

He added: “This soldier will be expected to man Brahmos/Pinaka/Vajra weapon system which he cannot handle and defend his gun position from marauding Pakistanis or Chinese. In essence, the tour of duty proposal expects a superman from a kindergarten. We might be producing an Abhimanyu but he will not get out of the Chakravyuhu.”

What can Pakistan copy to make its armed forces:
-Younger keeping soldiers for 4 instead of 16
-Less Pension and expenses
-More capital expenses on Acquisitions

This is a kind of Israeli model and Pakistan should adapt a refined version of it but with para Mil forces like Rangers/FC. Get the Top creme into service and then those good with studies or Tech skills should be brought to that field.
 
Let me add, Pakistani army is the most battle hardened force in the region.

Not too long ago, the military had to deal with the offshoots of Taliban that had invaded parts of Pakistan. Operational Zarb-e-Azab (2014) followed by Rad-ul-Fasaad (2017). All the while Americans were playing their naughty games next door.

Pakistani forces are on the right path. It's some of the bad generals that Pakistan has to contend with.
 
Lol this thread is India copium at its finest. Fyi Pakistan Army is the most battle hardened conventional military in the region.
brah! Pakistani Forces r pretty experienced as compared to the indian, the 2 decades of practical soldiering has made them the leaner and meaner. These kind of things make more sense for countries like india which havnt seen hard warfare, the real brutal, cruel exp of of battle after battle consistently for 2 decades like Pak armed forces.

Pakistani forces arnt the barracks forces anymore but same cant be said abt indian armed forces who have spend most of their time in barracks since 1971. And hence have became corrupt and lazy. Standards of merit and merit based promotions have gone severely down as well. @faani83

While there is no doubt about the operational capability and effectiveness of the PA but the challenges it has had to face and overcome for the past two decades have been within its domestic purview and internal security related. The challenges and strategies developed are therefore related to terrorism and foes that favour irregular warfare. A case where nation states are slogging it out would be different.

In a war with an external force with similar institutions, strategies and overall ability are no doubt important but the variables in such a theatre are vastly different from what PA has been facing. Logistics and supply lines are couple of important ones. In present day battlegrounds they notoriously hard to maintain and economically prohibitive in terms of cost.

Won't equating one to the other be inaccurate or misleading?
 

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