The Hindu : Younger officers will lead the Army soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 13, 2003

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Younger officers will lead the Army soon

By Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI DEC. 12. The Indian Army will soon have younger field commanders as the Government is in the final stages of approving 500 additional Colonel-level posts.

The high age profile of Colonels and other officer ranks has "become a drag on the system'' and is affecting the hunt for terrorists in counter-insurgency operations.

"We are trying to create more positions at the Colonel-level so that younger officers can lead the men in the field,'' said a senior Defence Ministry official.

The upgrading of 500 posts will meet one of the three problems facing Indian Army officers. Besides the high age profile of field commanders, cadre stagnation and an overall shortage of officers are affecting the Army.

While the Government may succeed in ensuring that less care-worn men with faster reflexes lead the Army battalions, the stagnation problem is still being addressed by arranging for deputation of Army officers to the central police organisations (CPOs). Officers of the Defence and Home Ministries are involved in talks to implement a mechanism for lateral deputation of Army officers where they could make significant contributions.

Though not "top-of-the-line" material, these officers, nevertheless, are highly trained and quality people.

However, talks have not bore fruit so far because the CPOs are resisting large-scale lateral deputation of Army officers.

They have proposed an alternative mechanism of a separate Army officer cadre in the paramilitary forces but this is not acceptable to the Army.

The Defence Ministry feels that Army officers can be absorbed in the CPOs just as Indian Police Service (IPS) cadre officers.

In fact, IPS officers usually head paramilitary forces such as the BSF, CRPF and CISF.

"We will try and mesh both views. This issue needs to be resolved,'' said the official.

The issue of shortage of officers is being addressed at a different level since an administrative solution to the problem is not possible.

However, the upgrading of posts will meet only part of the problem of higher age profile.

The Army wants to reduce the age of promotion to most other ranks including Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel and Brigadier.

It also wants exits through a voluntary retirement scheme.

These aspects have been documented in the Ajay Vikram Singh Committee report on restructuring the officers' cadre of all the three services.

The Government is evaluating the report submitted 20 months ago because large-scale restructuring may trigger competing demands from officers of other Government cadres whose contribution to nation-building and its defence is also not insignificant. Sources hope that the issue will be resolved before the upgrading of posts is implemented completely over the next two to three years.

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