Indian Armed Forces continue to grapple with shortage of officers

The around 13 lakh strong armed forces have a shortage of as many as 9,712 officers and over one lakh soldiers, airmen and sailors, as per the latest figures tabled in Parliament on Monday.

The Army has a shortage of 7,912 officers and 90,640 soldiers, while the figures for the Navy are 1,190 officers and 11,927 sailors. The IAF, in turn, has a shortage of 610 officers and 7,104 airmen, said junior defence minister Ajay Bhatt, in a written answer in Rajya Sabha.

“The government has taken a number of measures to reduce the shortages. These include sustained image projection, participation in career fairs and exhibitions, and publicity campaigns to create awareness among the youth on the advantages of taking up a challenging and satisfying career,” he said.


“Further, the government has taken various steps to make jobs in the armed forces attractive, including improvement in promotion prospects, and to fill up vacancies,” he added.

But, as earlier reported by TOI, almost the entire shortage of officers is alarmingly in the “fighting ranks” of the three Services. In the Army, for instance, these ranks are Lt-Colonel, Major, Captain and Lieutenant, who actually lead troops into battle.

Though the salaries of military officers have substantially gone up after the 6th and 7th Central Pay Commissions, youngsters still find them poor compared to the corporate sector, especially for a life which is considered tough and risky.

Poor promotional avenues in the steeply-pyramidal structures of the armed forces as well as frequent transfers that disrupt family life and children's education are the other reasons that dissuade youngsters with “officer-like qualities (OLQs)” from queuing up. Lack of adequate officer training capacity in the armed forces is, of course, another factor.

The government is also yet to approve the long-pending package to make short-service commission (SSC) more attractive for bright youngsters, with measures ranging from grant of paid study leave to a golden handshake at the end of their tenures of 10 to 14 years, despite the continuing shortage of officers and the urgent need for cadre restructuring.