Armed Forces – a Unique Career Option

ARMED FORCES – A UNIQUE CAREER OPTION

By Commodore G Prakash, Nau Sena Medal, Retired With a combined strength of about 18 lakh personnel, the Indian Armed Forces remain a major source for employment in India. This article presents a perspective on a career in the Armed Forces. Of the 18 lakh, about 75000 are Commissioned Officers and the rest are Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR), known as Jawans in the Army, Sailors in the Navy and Airmen in the Air Force. PBOR are of two categories, with distinct status and pay scales. The higher of these two categories is called Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) in the Army, and the ranks that make up this category are Naib Subedar, Subedar and Subedar Major. The equivalents of these ranks in the Navy are Chief Petty Officer, Master Chief Petty Officer Class 2 and Master Chief Petty Officer Class 1. Junior Warrant Officer, Warrant Officer and Master Warrant Officer are the equivalents in the Air Force. Legally, the JCOs of the army are Class 2 Gazetted Officers. This is not applicable to their equivalents in the Navy and Air force. All selection to the Armed Forces are based only on merit, with no reservation or quota for any category of people. Subsequent promotions too are purely merit based. Officers Officers of the Indian Armed Forces are Commissioned by the President of India, and they enjoy a status equivalent to the IAS and follow the same pay scales. However, owing to the rigid hierarchical structure of the Armed Forces, the number of Officers who get promoted to higher ranks is lesser than in the IAS. While young men and women can become Officers between the age of 21 and 26, based on their type of entry and branch, except for one category of Officers, they retire between the age of 54 and 62, based on the rank attained. Retiring when reaching the end of one’s age limit, is called superannuation. There are two types of Commissions for Officers, viz., Permanent Commission (PC) and Short Service (SSC) Commission. Officers from both these categories enjoy the same status, employability, privileges, perks, pay scales etc. Their only difference is the time period for which they are employed. PC Officers are required to serve for a minimum of 20 years, after which they are eligible for a pension and many other retirement benefits. However, as in their commissioning, which is at the ‘pleasure of the President of India’, their premature retirement too is at the ‘pleasure of the President of India’. That means, even if an Officer wants to leave his service after 20 years, but before superannuation, he may not be allowed to retire. This happens if there is a shortage in the cadre or branch that the Officer belongs to. SSC Officers typically retire, after 14 years of service, with no pension and limited retirement benefits.

Most avenues to join as Officers begin with an entrance exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). There are other avenues too, based on marks obtained in class 12 exams, NCC ‘C’ certificate qualification etc. Those who qualify the exam or meet other acceptance criteria have to appear for an interview, known as Services Selection Board (SSB). This interview is conducted over a week, with various types of psychological tests. The aim of this unique interview is to identify candidates with certain specific qualities, considered essential for life as future Officers. Failure in SSB is an indication that the candidate is unfit only for becoming an Officer in the Armed Forces. It is not indicative of unsuitability for any other vocation in life. Those who clear the SSB are put through a thorough medical check up at a military hospital. Those who clear all the above hurdles then await a merit list, according to which, admissions are given. Basic training for Officers happen at world class academies, like the National Defence Academy (NDA), the Indian Military Academy (IMA), the Indian Naval Academy (INA), the Indian Air Force Academy (AFA), and Officers Training Academy (OTA). Subsequent training happens at specialist training centres at various places in India. Training at the basic training stage is very tough. Other than extensive academics, which could be anything from a four year BTech programme at the INA to a BSc or BA at NDA, there is an exhaustive regimen of Military Subjects, Leadership Training, gruelling physical activities, co-curricular activities, etc., which extend from early mornings to late nights. Officers form the golden core of the Armed Forces. Life and death situations often being a part of daily existence in the Armed Forces, extreme stresses and strains can materialise instantly, with great demands on high quality leadership. This is what Officers are trained for. Life as an Officer is full of challenges and varied experiences, which have the potential to bless a sincere and competent practitioner with an endless professional high. However, attaining this requires much selflessness and stoic acceptance of suffering. The basic tenets of keeping the country, the service and one’s subordinates above one’s own comfort and safety, are not easy to keep. But it happens routinely, most often, without acknowledgement or even realisation. Hence, a career as a successful Officer, is only possible for people who make the choice, with service in mind, and not the usual gains from any routine job. A deep inner calling is what matters the most for this. PBOR The age limit for entry as PBOR is typically between 17 and 21 ½. PBOR recruitment starts with an examination conducted by individual services. Those who pass are put through a basic physical fitness test and medical examination. Those who figure in merit lists, go into different types of boot camp training centres. While the Army sends their recruits to their individual regimental or professional training centres, the Navy trains them at INS Chilka in Odisha and the Air Force trains them at Basic Training Institute, Belgaum. After about 24 weeks of gruelling boot camp training, which includes Military Training, physical training, survival skills and regimentation, Naval and Air Force recruits receive their further training at different branch specific training centres. Life as PBOR is as challenging and interesting as for Officers. As they gain more experience and promotions, leadership roles too are available to them. It is also possible

for bright, motivated PBOR to become Officers, after a strict selection process, which includes the SSB. All PBOR initially enter service with a contract period of 15 years, after which they qualify for pension. Further service is based on a voluntary basis, but also depending on recommendation from superiors, performance, merit and vacancies. PBOR have excellent pay scales, with total emoluments starting at about Rs 30000/- per month and reaching about 1,80000 at the senior most levels. With a host of other allowances, perks and privileges, a career as a PBOR is attractive. Branches The Armed Forces have fighting and support branches. The Army is organised into two main categories, viz., Arms and Services. The Arms consist of Armoured Corps (tank based troops), Infantry (foot soldiers), Artillery (people who use long range guns and ground attack missiles), Corps of Engineers (people who build bridges, lay or clear minefields etc), Signals (communication specialists), Air Defence Corps (those who provide defence against enemy aircraft of missiles) and Army Aviation Corps (who fly Army helicopters and fixed wing aircraft). The Armoured Corps and Infantry are called Fighting Arms. The Artillery, Engineers, Signals, Air Defence Corps, and Aviation Corps are called Supporting Arms, as they support the Fighting Arms in the field. Those troops that provide logistical support to the Arms are called Services. These are the Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC), Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) and Army Medical Corps (AMC). In the Navy, Officers and sailors choose to serve in any one of four cadres, viz., General Service (ships), Submarine, Aviation and Diving/ Marine Commando. In the Air Force, Officers and airmen have options to be on flying service or in ground duties. While flying jobs like Pilot or Navigator is available only for Officers, airmen have some opportunities for flying jobs in helicopters and transport aircraft. Ground duties in the Air Force have three branches, viz., Technical, Administration and Logistics. Life in the Armed Forces The Armed Forces offer a unique work atmosphere, where Officers and PBOR share a relationship unlike in any other walk of life between two classes of employees. They bond for ever as they share hardship and difficult circumstances regularly. They even bond easily across the services, since the Armed Forces are homogenous, owing to their shared values and ethos. Their families live in secure cantonments, where normal requirements like education of children, accommodation, medical facilities, sports facilities, entertainment, shopping, etc are very well cared for. A career in the Armed Forces also leaves one with lifelong medical care for self and dependents, lifelong support facilities in several areas and lifelong friendships. And lots of pride for the life spent in uniform.