By Group Captain Praveer Purohit (retd)
Answering a question in Rajya Sabha in the ongoing monsoon session, the Minister of State for Defence, stated that the Indian Army (IA) is short of 6828 officers in the rank of Captain and Major. Additionally,shortage in the Army Medical Corps (AMC) and Army Dental Corps (ADC), take the overall shortage to 8129 officers. It is the junior leadership of Majors and Captains, who form the cutting edge of warfighting in IA and hence the issue is significant. An analysis of past parliamentary questions and answers on this subject reveal two consistencies – first is that shortage in the Army has existed for long, and second, steps to attract talent have been taken continuously. Although the number of aspirants too have not really reduced, one reason for the shortage is the number of aspirants who make the cut are less than the vacancies. This is an issue that is not really under the control of the Army and is a product of social, economic, and societal trends wherein opportunities in other areas/sectors are many and varied.
A flashback into time indicates that the Army was short of approximately 13000 officers in 2010. This was 26% of its authorized strength. By 2014, this shortfall had reduced to 8455 or 17.77%. As on 01 January 2015, the shortfall (other than in Medical and Dental branches) increased to 9642 officers. By 01 January 2018, against an authorization of 49933 officers, the Army was short of 7298 officers. Due to a subsequent increase in authorization, as on 01 January 2019, against the mandated 50312 officers, the Army had 42913. This was a shortage of 7399 or 14.70%. For 2021 and 2022, information put out in July 2021 and July 2022 indicated the shortage as 7912 and 7779 respectively. Thus, a general trend of decline in the shortage over the period 2010-2023 emerges.Rapid induction to reduce the shortage is fraught with challenges. Besides one quality of aspirants mentioned earlier, limitations imposed by availability of training infrastructure & capacity is another. Moreover, such spikes often have an adverse long-term effect on career planning and progression. The workable solution is to enhance the intake through Short Service Commission (SSC).
Shortage of young officers translates into additional burden and responsibility on the existing ones. Apart from the primary duties, these young officers are also saddled with additional duties, some of which are part of the grooming and growing process within the Army. However, the Army needs to identify the ‘non-essential and non-core’ duties that these young officers can be unburdened of. Getting rid of the propensity to over-centralize even minor decision making is also called for. Certain responsibilities, especially some administrative ones that young officers perform, can be easily undertaken by Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs). The Indian Air Force (IAF) has successfully implemented such a scheme which has relatively freed the young officers to concentrate on their core tasks and simultaneously empowered the Warrant Officers (equivalent of JCOs in IAF). The Army can surely take a leaf out of the IAF experience.
The Army needs to introspect on the mammoth staff structure that has been created in their static formations (Areas & Sub-Areas), Corps HQ and Command HQ. An honest exercise to identify areas/posts with duplication of work/ responsibility and reducing these can lead to optimum employment of manpower, enhancing decision making process and financial saving. A small step such as posting re-employed officers in few staff appointments has been implemented but a lot more can be done.
Notwithstanding the capacity or otherwise to absorb a steady increase in induction of officer trainees, the challenge of lack of quality can be overcome by substantially enhancing the induction of women officers. The IAF and Indian Navy (IN) have been quite progressive and forward-looking in this aspect. However, for long the IA dithered over the issue, initially for inducting and then later for granting them Permanent Commission (PC) in branches other than Medical and Dental. In 2014 the Army inducted 104 women officers.In 2015 this figure reduced to 72 and further came down to 69 in 2016. As on 01 April 2016, the number of women officers in the Army stood at 1514. As on 01 January 2017, women officers in Army comprised a miniscule 3.64% of the total strength.Official data available indicates that as on 01 January 2023, there were 1733 women officers (less than4 %) in the Army. Contrast this with IAF, which had 1636 women officers(13.69%) as on 01 March 2023. Thus, in the period April 2016 to January 2023, there was an increase of only 219 women officers in the Army. Had it not been for the Supreme court ruling granting PC to women officers, this figure could well have been lower. To be sure, the IA has lately broadened the employability of women officers and opened aviation, and artillery to them, besides the earlier ones of Signals, EME, Engineers, Ordnance etc. However, there is more scope for enhancing the intake. The vacancies for entry into National Defence Academy (NDA) for women are abysmally low at 20. Even these are divided between the three services.In the first two courses that inducted women cadets into NDA, due to the limitation of only 19 vacancies (10 for Army), many girls who otherwise were meritorious could not join NDA. The vacancies for SSC for women in the Army are 90 with effect from June 2023. The drawback of such a skewed ‘quota system’ is that many deserving, capable and competent women get left out. The long-term loss ultimately will be of the Army.
The Indian Army has been on the path of transformation. The present and future battle space is not just limited to the traditional battlefield where armies fought a ‘contact battle’. Today, wars are fought in multiple domains where the most important target is often not the physical but the cognitive and psychological. Such wars place a high premium on the intellectual & moral capacity, and resilience of warfighters. Brains are equally if not more important than brawn. Striking the right gender ratio by enhancing intake of women will qualitatively improve the human capital in the officer cadre of the Army. It will make the Army more inclusive and sharper. Over time it will also reduce the shortage. Can the Army bite the bullet?
The writer served in the IAF for over three decades. He holds an M.Phil in Defence and Management. Views expressed are personal.
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