Currently, the Indian Army is facing a shortage of 11,238 officers, a huge 24.1 percent of its authorization of 46,615 officers. The other two services face similar problems. The situation seems to be worsening as is evident from the fact that only 172 of the available 300 seats have been taken up for entry into the National Defence Academy (NDA) recently.
The current state of affairs is certainly a cause for major concern both for the government and the services. A number of studies have been carried out to identify reasons for under-subscription of the available vacancies. Unfortunately, most studies have concentrated on establishing linkages between tough service life and inadequate financial packages. They have concluded that the services are unable to attract suitable youth due to better emoluments offered by the corporate world. If these studies are to be believed, a massive hike in pay packets would solve the problem and attract youth in droves.
Better emoluments to the service officers are certainly justified, but the real reasons for the insufficient intake lie elsewhere. Preconceived peripheral issues should not be permitted to obscure an objective analysis of the issues involved. Corrective steps can be initiated only after the root-causes are diagnosed diligently. This article focuses on the issues related to entry into the NDA as that is the primary mode of induction of officers.Two points are commonly made to explain lesser intake—first, insufficient numbers of candidates apply for entry into the NDA and, secondly, their standard is not up to the mark. To begin with, we must get our facts rights. Response to the NDA is not poor at all. (See accompanying box for details of applicants for the five year period 2002–2007. On an average 94221 candidates appeared for each NDA course.)
431 candidates applied for each NDA vacancy, whereas the corresponding number for the combined civil services was only 319. Therefore, it is totally incorrect to aver that the response to the NDA is inadequate.
Applicant to Post Ratio (APR) is a standard index used to indicate the number of candidates aspiring for the available posts through respective examinations. As shown in the box on Applicant to Post Ratio, 431 candidates applied for each NDA vacancy, whereas the corresponding number for the combined civil services was only 319. Therefore, it is totally incorrect to aver that the response to the NDA is inadequate.
As regards the standard of the candidates, it is inconceivable that the services can not get the required material when there are 431 candidates for each vacancy. Either the quality of Indian youth is abysmally poor or there are flaws in our selection system. One refuses to believe the first. Adequate number of bright and above average candidates still aspire for a career in the services. It is unfair to brand them unfit or riff-raff (as some senior officers tend to call them). Apparently, it is our selection system that warrants a re-look.
Infirmities of the Selection Process
After clearing the written examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, candidates are screened by the Services Selection Boards (SSB) based on three-pronged testing system—interview, tests of psychology and group testing. The three assessors use independent techniques to test individuals. During the final conference they exchange information to define the personality of the candidate.
The whole selection process is negative in approach and is directed towards finding limitations/angularities in a candidates personality. Positives are ignored and negatives are highlighted.
The interview is conducted by President/Deputy President of SSB, with the objective of probing for ‘clues to behaviour’ through adroit suggestions, comments and questioning to obtain inputs regarding strengths and shortcomings of the candidate. Psychological assessment is based on projective tests. These include intelligence test, thematic appreciation test, word association test, situation reaction test and self-description. Group testing is based on the premise that a group is a man’s most natural environment and his behaviour in a group will be his natural behaviour.
Some of the major areas of concern of the SSB process have been discussed in the following sections.
Proclivity for Rejection
The whole selection process is negative in approach and is directed towards finding limitations/angularities in a candidate’s personality. Positives are ignored and negatives are highlighted. As no human is perfect, most candidates get rejected for one reason or the other. Inconsistent/incomplete evidence or inconclusive assessment also provides adequate justification for rejecting a candidate. Even during the final conference, all three assessors give out limitations that they have noticed in a candidate. The whole exercise is directed towards finding enough reasons to reject a candidate rather than carrying out an appraisal of his good traits for selection.
Some assessors suffer from ‘error of contagious bias’, in that they get biased by their own likes and dislikes and tend to judge candidates’ traits by their own standards, and by comparison, without appreciating that attitudes and ethics have changed with time. This is normally referred to as ‘error due to false assumptions’. What was considered unethical not so long ago may have come to be accepted in the society as a fact of life now.It is an established fact that an assessor makes up to 10 value judgments on a candidate in the first 30 seconds of an interaction. It influences further course of the assessment unless an assessor exercises due caution. Unfortunately, many assessors tend to develop an attitude of their own infallibility. They believe that they have the expertise to judge suitability of a candidate in a few minutes. Such assessors tend to make up their mind at the outset, and the subsequent assessment gets reduced to a mere formality devoid of purpose and objectivity. This is the single most important reason for distortions in the whole process.
Attitude of Playing Safe
Most assessors suffer from the ‘error of central tendency’ syndrome, in that, they hesitate to give clear-cut assessments and keep most candidates as border-liners. Candidates not falling in the category of Adequate or Inadequate zones are considered border-liners. This is primarily due to their lack of confidence in their own assessment. They fear that their assessment may be at variance with the assessment of other two assessors and that they may stand out as the ‘odd-man’. Therefore, they prefer to keep a candidate as a border-liner and leave final decision making to the final conference which is attended by all the three assessors interviewers, group testing officer and psychologist. During the conference, they watch the trend of discussion and generally go with the majority opinion.
Border-liners form a whopping 36 percent of all candidates. It implies that the whole selection process is unable to determine suitability of 36 percent candidates. It is certainly a cause for concern as it reflects weaknesses of the assessors and their inability to perceive the required qualities with accuracy.
Inadequate Importance to Potentiality and Trainability
Potentiality refers to the qualities which may not be fully developed at the time of selection but the candidate shows adequate potential for their subsequent development with facilitating environment and training. On the other hand, trainability is ability to assimilate training and acquire/develop required quality traits. Although the basic attitudes do not change appreciably, there are a number of developable qualities like power of expression, emotional development, width of interest, drive and insight.
The present day candidates come from varied background and may not have had the opportunity to be exposed to many facilities, whereas most candidates came from public schools earlier. Therefore, potentiality and trainability have become important factors to be considered while assessing candidates. As gauging of potentiality and trainability is much more difficult than to determine current standards, there is a need to carry out an appraisal of the selection process and impart required training to the selection staff.
Raising of Entry Qualifications and Age
Undoubtedly, the services would like to attract the brightest youth, as used to be the case till the 1980s. Unfortunately, in a blunder of monumental proportions, the services lost the ‘first pick advantage’ that it had enjoyed up till then. Earlier, Class X was the minimum qualification for entry to the NDA and the age group was 15 to 17 years. Candidates could appear for the written test while preparing for their Class X examination, with their candidature remaining provisional subject to their passing Class X. Thus, the average age of candidates at the time of joining the NDA used to be between 16 to 16½ years and they used to get their commission at around 20 years of age after four years of training.
With a view to award BA/BSc degrees at the end of their training at the NDA, entry qualification was raised to 10+2 and consequently, the age group rose to 16½ to 19 years. Now, the average age of cadets at the time of entry into the NDA is over 18 years and they get their commission at the age of over 22 years. A comparison of the old and the new systems reveals interesting aspects.
As entry qualification was pitched at Class X, the NDA was the first career option available to the youth. Invariably, it attracted the best talent. Parents encouraged their sons to opt for the NDA and be settled in a career rather than remain uncertain as regards entry into other streams. Youth at the age of 15-17 years were extremely motivated with idealism and nationalism ruling high. Their mental and physical robustness could be easily developed. An officer commissioned at the age of 20 years served the defence forces for a much longer period than an officer commissioned at 22-23 years, as the retirement age remains fixed. It means that for the same quantum of resources invested in training an officer, the services got better returns by way of longer service span. Officers commissioned at the age of 20 helped keep the age profile of the services young at the crucial levels of platoon, company and battalion commanders.
On the other hand, the only advantage accruing from higher qualification and age is that the cadets get graduation degrees at the end of their NDA training. A graduation degree cannot be the sole justification for forfeiting opportunity to pick the best youth for the services. With enhanced entry age, students have multiple career options, the services being one of them.
Most assessors suffer from the error of central tendency syndrome, in that, they hesitate to give clear-cut assessments and keep most candidates as border-liners.
Even though a number of factors influence trainability, it is primarily a function of age. It is much easier to mould and train adolescents rather than grown up youth and develop their potential due to their impressionable age. It implies that in the case of a younger age group, appropriate weightage can be assigned to potential and trainability. As can be seen in the accompanying box, it is best to induct cadets during their early adolescence and train them as per the requirements of the services through the period of middle adolescence, thereby ensuring that they get commission during late adolescence period with fully rounded personality. This was the advantage the services enjoyed earlier with lower entry age.
The Way Forward
Unfortunately, most people tend to believe in the commonly touted reasons for the low intake of officers—like the youth is no more interested in service life due to tough conditions and greener pastures of the corporate world. If the above reasons are accepted, we are fated to live with the shortages, as neither the service life can be made less demanding nor can the service officers be paid at par with the corporate sector.
The shortage of officers in the services cannot be permitted to continue indefinitely as it is having a debilitating effect on the functioning of the units. Increase in remunerations will have negligible impact as the corporate sector can never be matched. Compulsory military service is no solution as the intake will be of indifferent quality with no motivation at all. Presently, the services pride themselves in saying that they are ready to live with under-subscription rather than lower standards. It is a highly misplaced statement.
Shortage of officers at junior levels is taking a very heavy toll of unit cohesion. Officers are holding multiple appointments and are overworked. They cannot devote adequate time to man-management with the result that ‘bonding’ suffers. Prudence lies in filling all existing vacancies with the best candidates available, rather than look for the elusive ideal material.
As regards the selection process, there is a need to change the basic approach. Of late selection boards have come to be viewed as rejection boards. It is commonly said that even the assessors would fail if they appear before their own selection boards. The present system of trying to probe for angularities and limitations is most detrimental to the overall environment.
A graduation degree cannot be the sole justification for forfeiting opportunity to pick the best youth for the services. With enhanced entry age, students have multiple career options, the services being one of them.
The selection process should focus on finding out if a candidate has the required qualities and the potential to be a service officer. All assessors should be asked to award marks to various qualities as per the assigned weightage. They should not be asked to brand a candidate fit or unfit. An overall merit list should then be prepared and call letters issued accordingly as per the vacancies available. Such an arrangement will eliminate tendency to create border-liners as also ensure that the best material available is inducted to fill all vacancies. In case all 36 percent border-liners are graded fit, there would be no shortfall at all. With an APR of 431, it can be reasonably assumed that if an objective merit list is prepared, the top order will be of sufficiently good quality to fill all vacancies.
One of the common justifications for enhancing entry qualification to 10+2 is that graduation at the NDA helps in a second career after retirement. It is a strange logic. The priorities are totally misplaced. At the start of service career, interests of military service (may be of 30 years span) are being subordinated to post retirement resettlement. The services should focus on their needs, rather than be unduly concerned with other issues. In any case, suitable arrangements can always be put in place to help officers obtain graduation degree prior to their retirement.
Most importantly, entry age and educational qualification for admission to the NDA should be reduced to the earlier standards. All over the world the ruling mantra is to ‘catch them early and catch them young’. All corporate houses go to professional colleges to recruit people in campus interviews. They pay exorbitant charges to the colleges to have the first pick. The services have irrationally surrendered the same advantage and now have to do with what they unfairly call ‘left-overs’. Reduction in entry age to the previous levels (15 to 17 years) will also increase trainability quotient, thereby making it much easier to cast the net wider to select suitable raw youth and train it according to the requirements of the services.
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Hello sir, is there any group for preparation of NDA 2021 Preparation.??
Thanks
Jay Hind sir
sir can u give idea how merit of NDA (for airforce ) is prepared , What is recent trend in NDA air force flying seat( remain vacant or all fill)?
can you reply sir ?
Thanx sir
Jay Hind
This article is correct….they just gilter out so many people…considering as unfit.After sacrificing their joyful life of 4 years at nda and training,they dont get a good salary enough compared to the hardwork they have shown…the only thing they can do is use patriotism as a tool and just telling to do it for the nation……Why would the young sacriifice those good time and a bit joy and just end up living like a disciplined robot who is just made to fo out a job…..thats the reason less people are interested.you cannot blame them
sir,
you have hit exactly at the point ,the whole article is precisely what i think is lacking in the process. ssb s and selection process needs to be changed as time has changed,and service should be allowed from x till T.A not by compulsion at any stage ,rather by mechanism where it should be decided by the progress and enthusiasm of the candidates..new talent should be hired from very early stage till age possible ,,because even candidates of latter age have life and professional experience.
Sir, A very good article indeed. Hope the selection boards take the above review positively. I would also like to seek query regarding the selection process to the territorial army. As advertised by the army the selection is for gainfully working professionals who would like to render service to the nation during emergencies without sacrificing their primary professions. However it seems the boards look to fill it’s vacant positions through officers of Territorial army who later opt for permanent commission. This I feel has diluted the real concept of territorial army The gazzetted officers of the government sector motivated to render service to the nation seem to face a tough time competing with the 18plus youth specially employed with the pvt. Sector who easily manage to get the self signed NOCs of their organisations and later willingly quit their previous assignments once commissioned in TA and having opted for permanent commission. Being out of the defence sector I do not have the exact trend of the selections made over the years but feel that officers who have already cracked the not so easy govt jobs and are willing to serve the nation are not effectively represented in the TA, barring the directly commissioned officers from the Railways, ONGC etc. Should not all govt officers be provided level playing fields?
As far as this article goes, I think this goes only for NDA and other 10+2 entries.The other issues plaguing the selection process are largely ignored.Sufficiently motivated youth join the corporate world as the age cutoff for services after graduation have been reduced.When every other effective armed force has opted for higher age limits for trained personnel,the Indian armed forces are opting for child soldiers.Has anyone in the army thought that people in this country graduate at a later age than every other major world power?Has anyone thought that they are getting officers who are clearing selection based on coaching classes and precious little else as experience?I think this goes against conventional wisdom but I have seen enough excellent minds having a good grip on tactics and strategy(some more so than NDA graduates)have moved to the corporate sector instead of facing one selection board after other and seeing their age being used as a factor against them?Seriously what is the difference between someone born in 1989 and someone born in 1992?For all intents and purposes,very little to affect trainability.Maybe they should think about these as well.
The deficiency is not only bound to selection of officers.The youth are now hesitant to join in other ranks. This is a serious issue that has to be contained at the earliest. They have to work in extreme terrains under extreme conditions,but still even after kargil war government did very little for welfare of these people. I have seen many soldiers facing difficulties in getting post-retirement benefits and many dependents facing difficulties in getting benefits after the death of soldier. At the same time salary that they are getting is very little compared to the toughness of their work. So government must concentrate in solving problems from the lower level itself. We have to identify the root problems and rectify it as soon as possible.
AS LONG AS WE HAVE INTELLIGENT DUMB WITS PLAYING TO THE BABUS AND MANTRIES AND COMING UP WITH INTELLIGENT SOLUTIONS FOR OFFICERS SHORTAGE LIKE GET 10TH PASSED BRIGHT INNOCENT KIDS , SUCK THEIR BLOOD AND THROW THEM AT THE AGE OF 40 ON THE STREET WITH PEANUTS THE BABUS AND MANTRIES WILL BE LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANKS WITH THEIR COFFERS FILLED . NO WONDER WE HAVE CLOWNS WHO RECOMMEND THAT TO RAISE THE MORALE OF THE SOLDERS ON SAICHEN INSTEAD OF GIVING HIM DRY FRUITS GIVE HIM PEANUTS AND ALLOWNNCES AS SHILLINGS AND PAISES . THE IAS INSTRUCTER ON STAFF IN NATIONAL DEFENCE COLLEGE AT DELHI GETS ALLOWANCE OF OVER 50000/00RS P.M WHILST GENERALS AND EQUAVALENTS GET LESS THAN 3000PM . AS LONG AS WE HAVE SUCH PATRIOTS IN FAUJ THE SEVENTH PAY COMMISSION WILL ENSURE THE GEN IS REDUCED IN STATUS TO A DIRECTOR LEVEL /SSP RANK OFFICER IN PAY SCALE AND THE MAJS AND BELOW WHO ARE NOW WORST OF THAN CLERKS AND SUBINSPECTORS AND ACSOS WILL GET PAID LIKE CLERKS AND CLASS 3 EMPLOYEES . THE GENERALS OFCOURSE WILL GET TO KEEP HIS ANDA DANDA AND FLAG TO REMIND HIM THAT HE HIS BEHOLDEN TO THE CIVIL SERVICE AND MANTRIES FOR HIS SUBSISTANCE AND THE CHIEF HIJRA OF THE CHOWKIDARS AND PALLBEARES HE COMMANDS . THE POLICE AND PARA MILTARY ORGANISATIONS LED BY HIGHLY ACADEMIC ACLAIMED POLICE OFFICERS AND IAS OFFICERS OF HOME MINSRTRY HAVE ALREADY OVERTAKEN THE FAUJ AS REGARDS MODERN WEAPONS , WORKING CONDITIONS , NFJU AND OTHER PERKS INCLUDING EMPLOYMENT TILL AGE OF 60 AND CGHS FACILTIES FAR SUPERIOR IN ALL RESPECTS TO WHAT A RETIRED FAUJI GETS . GOD BLESS OUR DEFENCE FORCES AND THE MEN WITHOUT BRAINS , WITH TUNNELLED AND FUNNELLED VISIONS WHO SPEAK AND REPRESENT ON BEHALF OF THE MILLION TONGUE TIED SOLDERS , SAILORS ,AIRMEN AND MIDDLE AND JUNIOR RANK OFFICERS .
Respected Author, all the dignitaries and thoughtfull mind of this country…thanks very much for highlighting the issue in such a simpler , broad and unbiased way.
Thanks again otherwise we who always trying so hard , passionate aspirants had no one to take our side.
Respected sir i have a question to be asked and want guidance of you all.
Q:- Can we wrtie an RTI against the SSB so that we come to know how we performed in the respective stage of testing and please don’t avoid this as done by others saying it is aginst the ethics, come on even IAS services give the overall marks obtained by the candidate.
Awaiting your ans
A Defence aspirant
Definitely a cause of concern for the present ‘Superpower-Day Dreaming government’. The Armed Forces selection for officers’ committee is a ‘Total Failure’ , a committee of clowns and jokers with a total lack of ‘Soldier quality’, with only biased, racists and castists qualities. A disturbing measurement of select, to defend the nation from more aggressive and repressive, awaiting enemies. God save the United States of India.
A very insightful and informative article.
Sir going by the seriousness of the matter concerned i would like to ask you a couple of questions,
1. People involved in the selection and training of the so called assessors (gto and psyc) being aware of the situation prevailing are doing something or not to overcome the anomalies in the present system ?
2.what percentage of the assessors fall in the category of being a victim of error of contagious bias as stated by you in the article?
Sir, I must compliment you for a very well researched and written article. I however feel that a few aspects have been missed out. I will list them down
a) Career progression is an essential element of any person opting for a career. Imagine a hypothetical situation in which all cadets of a batch are as the armed forces say of high quality. 15 years down the line 50 percent would remain for the rest of their service as LT Cols, totally disgusted and wasted. In my opinion it is a criminal waste of Human Resource. Compare this with any other service, the guaranteed advancement by post is much higher, retirement age is higher resulting in higher terminal benefits and pension. Given this reality which parent do think will advise its ward to opt for the armed forces?
b) Why hasn’t the army tried to raise the induction from its own resources ie the JCOs and OR? I am sure we can find the numbers. To give an example – I will take an arty unit because I am a gunner. The shortage is in the junior ranks. A field regt is authorised 27 officers which includes appointments such as Battery Subaltern(3), Orderly Officer(1), IO(1), Battery 2ic(3) etc. These appointments can easily be filled up from within own resources. As a matter of fact most of the JCOs in the unit are given these appointments and draw appointment pay for the same.
c) If the shortage is so serious, shouldn’t leaders (senior officers) lead from the front and abolish the appointments of ADC and Staff Officers? If our own leaders are not keen to take serious action for a serious problem how can we expect the Govt to go out of its way to take the issue seriously.
d) The Presidents/Dy Presidents of the SSBs are generally last leg postings for the officers. Is it fair?
e) I would suggest that the manning of the SSBs should be by professional HR qualified persons from highly reputed consultancy firms.
Thank You.
I possibly can not hold my self than CONGRATULATING the author for such a nice vivid and a candid expression of proceedings and the mind set of assessors and the board. I myself had been professing the same view while i was a GTO and then a tenure of senior GTO in two of the AFSBs.
I also would like to add, that the posting cell, planning the so called career of officers, need not be mechanical to detail or post officers at random. I firmly believe that only officers having a bent of mind and acumen need be detailed.The live example is the high attrition rate of GTOs in DIPR and even the pass outs , proceeding to boards are not sure of qualifying as an assessor.Let this not be a routine mundane affair. Let the filter be stricter ,so that the services get or reap the benefit.
It has been observed that in a particular branch when the requirement of the no. of officers have reduced, service headquarter dumps them at boards as if it ts a parking slot.Like the navigators and the grounded pilots of IAF.If this is the seriousness at service head quarter ,then rest is open for imagination.
Next lacunae are the tendency or mindset of the PRESIDENTS of AFSBs to compare the number of candidates being cleared by any board with the flying task hours achieved , which are generally mandated from the command head quarters to the squadrons.They take it as a feather in their caps(imaginary) and compete against other boards.Also while psychologists and GTOs first clear their training and get posted ,where as the lame ducks (I O s) get posted and then trained.Why this anomaly especially the PRESIDENTS.
There needs to be a cross board training , rather than confining a IAF assessor to AFSB and vice ~versa.If the techniques applied are universal and probe the same 15 OLQs , then why limit and typify to service in particular? .
The armed forces selection process is outdated , not keeping in line with modern time and still done as the british manual of gtos with gestalt and humbug sounding names . All public private miltary missionary schools should be visited twice a year by reps from Army navy , Airforce AND MOVIES SHOIWN TO POTENTIAL CANDIDATES . THE IDIOTIC COMPLICATED FILLING OF FORMS MUST BE SIMPLIFIED . STUDENTS WITH 80% PLUS IN CBSC , ICSC , ISC AND OTHER BOARDS MUST BE EXEMPTED PHYSICS CHEMISTRY AND MATHS . ONLY ENGLISH , HINDI AND GKPAPER FOR THEM OTHERS WITH LESS THAN 80% SAME PAPERS AS BEFORE . THE GTOS GENERALLY ARE BIASED TOWARDS SERVICE OFFICERS WARDS AND DURING MY SELECTION IN 1975 I SAW VERY CAPABLE PROUD STRONG INTELLIGENT SERVICE BACKGROUND BOYS BEING LEFT . THE GTOS JOB SHOULD BE ONLY TO CHECK INTELLIGENGENCE , MILTARY APTITUDE AND PHYSICAL ENDURANCE . REST SHOULD BE BY CIVILAN PHYSCOLOGISTS AND HR SELECTORS , EG LIKE GROUP DISCUSSION , INDIVIDUAL TOPIC . THE ARMED FORCES ARE NOW EXPONENTIALLY ORIENTED TOWARDS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLGY , BABU CRITERIA OF DELHI AND HQS MUST BE NULLIFIED . ARMED FORCES MUST BE AND WILL ALWAYS REMAIN LEADERSHIP ORIENTED AND PHYSICAL FITNESS AND MENTAL CAPABILITY MUST BE THE SOUND CRITERIA . PERMANENT PENSIONABLE SERVICE BE MADE 15 YRS AND 85 TO 95 PERCENT OFFICERS RETIRED AT 35 YRS WITH FULL PENSION AND OTHER BENIFITS INCLUDING NFU PROMOTIONS FOR EG A OFFICER WITH 15 YRS AS CONFIRMED COL RETIRED WITH A PENSION OF ATLEAST MAJ GEN OR LT GEN .THOSE 15 % PERMANT FOR THEM THE PHSICAL , ACADEMIC AND OTHER STANDARDS MUST BE EXCEPTIONALLY OF THE HIGHEST ORDER , INCLUDING PAY PENSION PERKS AND ALL TO RETIRE WITH A FULL GENS PENSION. A THIRD OTS BE RAISED IN ASSAM FOR WARDS FROM THE NE STATES WHO BEING FROM THE HILLS ARE IDEALLY SUITED FOR MOUNTIAN WARFARE AND WITH A FUTURE WAR LIKELY TO BE FAUGHT IN THE MOUNTAINS THEY CAN BRIDGE THE 11500 SHORTAGE OF OFFICERS AND AFTER 10 TO 15 YRS CAN BE ABOSRBED IN POLICE PARAMILTARY CIVIL SERVICE OFNE STATES
Dear General, I agree with you that the intake for NDA should be Class X as was before. We can afford opportunities to our officers to attain BA Degrees while in service. Secondly we should think about a lateral induction of officers into the Army something on the lines of the Territorial Army. These Officers can handle the Admin aspect of units and even made to command specialist platoons, Coy Commanders etc can be regular officers. Yes the SSB does need a relook in the right direction. Today the youth are more aware about the Army and some of the issues that they consider are; limited growth prospects – most officers will retire as Colonels. Retirement at an age where it is imperative to start with a second carreer. Financial inadequacies at the time of Retirement – the retirement package is rather poor. Regards JP.
If they think that the youth who aspire for the armed forces are not good enough
Then i would like to ask that whoever gets selected and clears the training etc why they leave the forces and join corporate sector???where is their commitment??
Everybody has a right to live a good life i am not against it but why join the Armed forces and then leave midway and start over again in the corporate sector ??
I am sure there must be enough number of pilots taking training from IAF and after few years of service get into commercial pilot jobs
Nowadays no one can give commitment towards anything.Money attracts youth and thats a fact.
Plus the disagreement for who will be next chief these are not right signals for the youth and any other person on the street.
I believe its the selection process which is at fault,person who clears it is fit to become officer and these to be officers leave the forces later.
In my 14 attempt to armed forces only once i got chance to attend conference that too in my 4th attempt, 1st to 3rd and from 5th to 14th, in total13 attempts my suitability, personality, die hard wish to serve nation through services went into turmoil in 1st phase called GD and got Screened Out, Selection process really need to get a big change in it. And in GD every time there is no fish market, Its Shark Market every time. Because it becomes like war between candidates. You can name it as small world war III , as every one is fighter there , every one want to be officer there, and it becomes situation like every one want to lead the Company of 120 soldiers and all the soldiers are at the same rank of Major.
Your comments are spot on and worthy of serious consideration both in the areas of selectors and the selection process Both are in need of urgent overhaul It is high time that the Defence Ministry ropes in a consulting company of the calibre of BCG to overhaul its processes You will need to screen the selector panel for suitability as selectors and train them thoroughly for a period of 3 months before they are put into position and that has to be a continuous process since your panel members are rotated Another suggestion I could make is that before candidates are put into the mill of tests they should be prescreened and given at least a weeks induction into the nature of testing so they are prepared for it and can handle it better It is something like going for tests in the US where the candidates are very well briefed on the kind of testing adopted
Now to quote my own example I opted for engineering after being rejected in NDA interviews at 16 for lacking in OLQ I was shattered because I was a sportsman and excelled in school I went on to head a Division in India’s largest engg company and led teams and handled situations in the most complex of times I am tech savvy and continue in consulting at age 71 I play badminton regularly even now I am sorry to say that many of my colleagues who were selected and went on to Staff college are now vegetating with little occupation except visiting the local defence services club
I am saying this not to talk about myself but to show that the reason for my non selection were not founded on fact and proves your point
now that you have very aptly stated all the causes of the shortage, and have also asserted the imperitive need of modifying the selection procedure, i hope we will be soon seeing the atr(action taken report). wish you all success.
some of the gto s may not even be aware of the reactions of those they cause to be rejected —anger, self-doubt,and worst of all —a return to some training academy which has already fleeced them of a couple of thousand rupees