Army prepares for serious image makeover
The Indian military's recent efforts to ensure that not only are the best of the best recruited into the officer class but also that they are better trained, are most welcome. The Army has roped in the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad) to recommend upgrades to the existing recruitment process. This comes around the same time that the Navy has inducted its first batch of officers armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Technology from Jawaharlal Nehru University. These new officers should be better qualified than their predecessors to command, for instance, the high-tech warships of today. When viewed together, these developments point to a sustained, across-the-board endeavour to improve the quality of the officer cadre so that it is well-equipped to handle emerging challenges. In the first case, the officer recruitment process is being brought under review as a response to the increasing number of confrontations between officers and jawans. Earlier this year, an Army Court of Inquiry recommended disciplinary action against all 168 personnel of an artillery unit whose officers and jawans had got into a brawl in Nyoma, ladakh last May. Prior to that, similar officer-jawan confrontations were reported from Samba, Gurdaspur and Patiala. Investigations into each of the cases found instances of indiscipline and failure of command and control. These issues, if left unaddressed, threaten to rupture the social and moral fabric that holds the Armed Forces together.
It is against this backdrop that the Army's renewed emphasis on ensuring that new recruits exhibit the necessary ‘Officer-like qualities' must be viewed. Indeed, the most important task given to the researchers at IIM(A), who will be working with their counterparts at the Indian Military Academy, is to strengthen the tests that evaluate an aspiring officer's OlQs. That apart, the Army has also tasked India's top management institute to suggest ways to improve the induction rate of the selection process. As of now, only a small fraction of the total applicants is recruited into the Forces. This has resulted in a crippling shortage of manpower. At present, there are at least 12,000 vacant positions at the officer-level. Part of the reason for this, however, lies in the recruitment process itself which is rather cumbersome. Clearing the tests given by the Services Selection Board alone takes about five days. Successful candidates then have to stay back at the examination centre for an additional number of days to take more tests. Such a lengthy time commitment is problematic for many aspirants, and it also limits the SSB's abilities to test a wider pool of candidates.
While the decision to review this six-decade old recruitment process cannot be faulted, the administrators must keep in mind that, rigorous as it may be, it has stood the Armed Forces in good stead. let us not forget that the Indian military, despite its many problems especially with regard to operational capabilities, is still considered to be one of the best defence forces in the world. Therefore, while there is no denying that the recruitment process needs to be updated and made more efficient, and vacant posts need to be filled, it is equally important that the quality of new recruits is not compromised at any cost.