Indian army faces dire shortage of officers

[Neo]

Indian army faces dire shortage of officers​

* Recruits opting out of army to join lucrative private sector
* Army chief hints at compulsory military service to fill vacancies

NEW DELHI: India’s army, the world’s fourth largest, faces a dire shortage of officers because the booming private sector is recruiting the best talent, and may have to consider conscription, its chief says.

Just 86 officer recruits enlisted in the current academic session of the British-built Indian military academy, which had vacancies for 250, officials said. Meanwhile, 62 of 148 college graduates who passed a separate military entrance test for officers opted out and sought jobs in the private sector. The recruitment issue has become an urgent priority for the volunteer army after 3,000 mid-level commanders recently sought early retirement on top of an existing shortage of 11,200 officers. The army needs a total of 46,615 officers.

Another worry “for the forces is that most of those applying are not the right material,” Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor said. The private sector, which has been luring away India’s best talent by offering hefty wages and generous perks, has left the military with poor pickings, commanders say. “The government and the services cannot compete in matters of salary and perks with the corporate world,” Kapoor told reporters last week in New Delhi.

Conscription: “Our deficiencies should not be met by lowering the quality standards” of the world’s largest voluntary army, he added. India, which has fought three wars with Pakistan and a bloody border skirmish with China since its 1947 independence, has never turned to compulsory recruitment but Kapoor warned such a move could be an option. “Compulsory military service could be one of the avenues before the government sometime in the future, but it’s not the stage for such a step now,” the army chief added.

But others say conscription is not the answer.

“Conscription to fill the shortage will lead to indiscipline, waywardness and desertions,” warned retired lieutenant general Afsir Karim. Thanks to India’s billion-plus population and high unemployment, the 1.23-million-strong army has no shortages in the lower ranks. But the National Defence Academy, India’s largest army training ground, which enlists high school graduates and turns them into officers for the navy, air force and also the army, is struggling.

Just 190 students signed up this month against the academy’s sanctioned strength of 300 for this academic session, defence ministry records show. Stress, low pay, slow promotions and the military’s tough lifestyle are a turn-off for young people, said former army chief Ved Prakash Malik. After entering the army, an entry-level officer must wait up to 10 years before donning the flashes of a lieutenant-colonel. But even at that level the monthly basic salary does not exceed 12,000 rupees (300 dollars).

“I’ve not even finished my four-year term at the business school and we’re already receiving offers of more than 65,000 rupees a month and company cars,” said Apratim Ghosh, one of the many who opted out of a military career. “This is thanks to the enormous opportunities available,” he added. .

According to the defence ministry’s Directorate of Resettlement, a third of the 3,000 officers who retire annually enlist in top Indian business schools. And the corporate world welcomes retiring military recruits with open arms. afp

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

 

[Contrarian]

A huge problem in the making.
THe private sector nowadays offers obscene amounts of money to even freshers! It is very hard for the army.

How do we solve this?
For one, wishing that the sixth pay commission raises the officers salary, second, perks could be reduced in lieu of an increased salary.

 

[Neo]

A huge problem in the making.
THe private sector nowadays offers obscene amounts of money to even freshers! It is very hard for the army.

How do we solve this?
For one, wishing that the sixth pay commission raises the officers salary, second, perks could be reduced in lieu of an increased salary.

A phenomenom often seen in repaid growing economies. Not only army but also fighter pilots will be targeted by fast growing airline sector, there nothing you can do to stop them.

In a way this is a good development since the only the true patriots will chose to stay in armed forces despite considerably lower salaries. With a pupulation of 1.1 billion India has nothing to fear.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

It is true that there is a serious problem that all this globalisation and booming economy has created.

But then, that is something that the Indian Army has to accept.

Further, with border as also COIN deployment and operations, it is not a very attractive situation to be in. Not only has the danger to life increased, but also the prolonged separation from the family and other allied issues.

Money being in the hands of the people who otherwise was penniless, has added to the aversion to eke out a hard life, merely on old traditions of izzat and all that. In fact, everyone has become soft and want an easy way to make as much money as they can!

Conscription will only create monumental problems and will be the end of the Army!

Increase of pay is not the answer. A sense of pride has to be reinvented through the societal recognition of their sacrifice is what is the need of the hour! But then, politicians and bureaucrats are strange animals, who put their own interests first, before the nation!

 

[KENT]

Three of years ago, there was a five day Military Exhibition being held in Mumbai feautring Arms, Ammunition, Tank, Field Guns,Para-troopers etc during that event it is estimated that nearly 2 million people had visited that exbition. By looking at the curisity of people towards our Indian Army, there is no need to get panic regarding decreasing number.

 

[su-47]

A phenomenom often seen in repaid growing economies. Not only army but also fighter pilots will be targeted by fast growing airline sector, there nothing you can do to stop them.

That phenomenon is already there. the IAF recently had problems with fighter pilots, especially ones flying twin-engine aircraft, wanting to leave for the private sector.

 

[mujahideen]

Honestly I am against any type of compulsory military service in my opinion, not very good. Some of these people would be forced to serve, when they really dont want to. They wont have the same motivation as someone who is willingly serving the Armed Forces. In my opinion offer benefits and higher pay is not the answer because then people will join just for the money. One way which in my opinion is helpful, but it will take a long time is to motivate our students. I literally mean brain wash them with nationalistic spirit. This type of brain washing is done in many countries such as Israel and also these terrorists groups use the technique of brain washing to get people to do what they want.