Shortage of 11,266 Major, Captain-rank defence officers

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 21

A low intake of officers during Covid pandemic has led to a shortage of 11,266 Majors and Captains and officers of the equivalent and other ranks in the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.

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The Army has a shortage of 2,094 Major-level officers and 4,734 at the Captain level. The IAF is short of 881 Squadron Leaders and 940 Flight Lieutenants, and the Navy 2,617 officers of the rank of Lt Commander and below. The Ministry of Defence in a written reply to the Lok Sabha today said the “low intake during Covid-19 pandemic” was the main reason for the shortage. Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt in a reply to a question posed by three MPs — Manish Tewari, Prof Sougata Ray and Haji Fazlur Rehman – also attributed the shortage to a low induction in supporting cadres like the Short Service Commission (SSC).

The recruitment in the forces is done through several streams. One of them is through the SSC, where cadets pass out after 11 months of training and serve in the forces for a fixed tenure of 10 to 14 years.

On being asked whether any alternative strategies like re-employment of officers to such posts were being considered to address the shortage, the MoD replied: “No proposal has been received in the ministry.” The MoD, however, said it was considering making the “Short Service” entry more attractive.

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