The Indian Army, the world’s second-largest army, is facing a shortage of majors and captains in its units, according to reports, and to overcome this, the Indian Army is considering reducing the posting of Staff officers at various headquarters.
The Army recently requested input from various commands on the issue. Currently, officers with the rank of major are posted in headquarters after completing six years of service.
The officer takes care of policy and coordination of various subjects. On the other hand, if posted in a unit, the primary responsibility of that officer would be to handle operations and ground actions.
The defence Ministry informed the parliament that the three armed forces are facing a shortage of around 1.55 lakh personnel, and the Army is accounting for the maximum of 1.36 lakh.
The ministry added that the shortage is being reviewed regularly and that there are a number of initiatives underway to control the shortage.
Currently, there is a shortage of more than 8 000 officers in the Army; in the Indian Navy, the number is around 1700; and in the Indian Air Force, the shortage is 721 officers.
The present proposal involves reducing the number of Staff appointments in the headquarters. It is also being proposed that these junior, middle, and mid-level officers should be posted without relief once they finish their 24-month tenure in staff appointments.
The Indian Express reports that the Army is considering re-employed officers to fill staff appointments.
These are officers who serve in the Army for two or four years after their retirement, and data suggests that the Army has around 600 re-employed officers, mostly of Brigadier and colonel rank, meaning that they may have to serve in appointments meant for a rank below their current positions.
