India produces the finest Generals it possibly can

My Response to Ajay Shukla's "Wake Up Generals"... Click here
Dear Ajay,
(Ajay left the Army a few years ago as Lt Col/Col. He was in the Armd Corps I think)
I feel very very sad and disenchanted to read your article written for the Business Standard. You left the Army and became a journalist. Great. You have significant inside knowledge of the Army and the other two services. One thought you would use it to educate the Indian polity about National security matters, and not write trash as you have done in this article.
Let us try and imagine what will be the end effect of this article. Will it create better impression of our army in the minds of the general public, the politicians, the bureaucracy, the youngsters aspiring to join the Army. What about the negative effect on serving officers and men!!
Writing about how many people work in the Army House should be below the dignity of Ajay. How can a NDA/ IMA trained gentleman officer stoop so low!!
Also do you think this article would be considered a journalistic achievement of yours and raise your stock amongst the new fraternity you have chosen as a result of your second career!!
Ajay dear, I am from the 1st Course JSW/ NDA. Joined in Jan 1949. Have seen the Army since then. I have also seen the US Army/ Marine Corps some what. Worked with TATAs also. I see the Indian Army now. There are changes even since I retired in 1991 but let me inform you that these are more visible in peace areas. These are as a result of societal changes. The Army cannot be divorced from the rest of the nation. But in the field/ operational areas officers and soldiers are doing commendable job. You are fully aware that it is extremely difficult to rise in the Indian Army and one has to be really lucky in addition to having professional capabilities to pick up a flag rank.
I wrote this to the Shekhar Gupta after the most derogatory article published on the front page of the Indian Express a few weeks back.
THIS IS THE BEST GENERALS OUR COUNTRY CAN PRODUCE. INDIA HAS FOREIGN HOCKEY, CRICKET, BOXING COACHES. IF YOU OR THE NATION ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THE GENERALS, IMPORT THEM ALSO FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES, ESPECIALLY ITALY!!
I would be happy if with your experience in the Army you can come out with some positive suggestions on how to improve the quality of our generals. Deep selection is no answer, as we Indians are experts in beating any system. Also every policy has its pros and cons!!
Whatever we do, we should not hand over the process to the politicians and the bureaucrats.
Ajay please please do not throw muck on the Army of which you are a product. Please do ponder over the ill effects.
Best wishes.
Lt Gen Harbhajan Singh (Retired)

NDA, IMA and OTA train military leaders
A General leads his men by his example. He expects his men to do their duty to the fullest extent of the word. He will send no man to do what he himself would not do of his own accord. He will enforce discipline, and will establish that he is in charge. He must never hold himself higher than a deity, or have his men treat him as such. He must approach warfare from many angles, being flexible direct or aggressive as the situation warrants. He must also not be afraid of losing everything. The General who does not commit himself fully to victory will lose without honour.

War Wounded Foundation Meet at OTA Chennai

Ex-Army Chief appeals for people’s contributions to War Wounded Foundation
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT CHENNAI, October 21, 2012
Former Chief of the Army Staff Gen (Retd.) S. Padmanabhan on Saturday appealed to the people to generously contribute to the War Wounded Foundation.
Speaking at a war disabled personnel meet in the Officers Training Academy here, he said the objective of the War Wounded Foundation was long-term rehabilitation of its members.
“Apart from corporate houses, individuals should also come forward to contribute to this noble cause. The foundation aims at rehabilitating the war-wounded personnel by enhancing their skills in different areas,” he said.
War Wounded Foundation president Lt. Gen (Retd.) Vijay Oberoi said the foundation was registered as a charitable NGO in 2002. There were about 10,000 war disabled personnel in the country and their financial condition was not satisfactory.
“The disability pension is not sufficient to live the life they want to … we want to enhance their skills in terms of spoken English, communication and computer applications so that they can become self-reliant and productive citizens.
Since there is no support from government agencies, funds remained a constraint for the foundation’s plans,” he said.
Mr. Oberoi said donations to the foundation were exempted from income tax. All disabled personnel of the armed forces would automatically become members of the foundation.
“This meet in Chennai marks the beginning of our activities in the southern States where there are about 500 war disabled personnel,” he added.
“Foundation aims at rehabilitating the war-wounded personnel by enhancing skills”
Ex-Army Chief appeals for people’s contributions to War Wounded Foundation

1965 War Wounded: A Day to Remember

1965: A love and war story which overcame handicaps
Arun Janardhanan, TNN | Oct 21, 2012, 03.03AM IST
CHENNAI: On a pleasant Saturday morning, Kamalam (70) held what remains of her husband K E Sherif's hand to guide him around the Officers Training Academy in Chennai. The couple joked and smiled, not showing a trace of the devastation the India-Pakistan war has had on their lives since 1965.

Sherif, then a 28-year-old jawan in love with Kamalam, lost both his arms below the elbow and both his eyes in a landmine blast while his battalion was crawling towards enemy posts near Sialkot. Incapacitated, Sherif decided not to marry, but Kamalam insisted that she would have a life only with him. On Saturday, Sherif, a father of three, was among the Army veterans brought together by the War Wounded Foundation in the city on Saturday.
"His was a miraculous escape, and I was fortunate to get him back alive," said Kamalam, "We were in love for two years. And then the war happened. Every one was against our marriage since I was a Hindu Malayalee girl and he a Tamil Muslim. But I would not leave his bedside as he was undergoing treatment." The two first met when Sherif, a friend of Kamalam's soldier brother, visited their house in Bangalore.
Despite Sherif's injury Kamalam insisted that they tie the knot.
Soon after the couple first met at the house of Kamalam's brother in Bangalore their romance bloomed. But, Sherif was called to the battlefield not too long after this. Though the 1965 war did not resolve the Kashmir conflict, Sherif proudly recalled his sacrifice for the country and appealed to the youth to join the Army.
He recalled that October night that plunged him into eternal darkness. "It was October 19. Six of us were crawling towards an enemy target in Sialkot, about 25km from Labore. Around 9pm, an air strike triggered a series of land mines near us. We were all believed to be dead. But all of us escaped, only I was severely injured," said Sherif, who lives in Coimbatore.
He was shifted to an army hospital in Jammu where doctors removed the mutilated parts of his forearms to save the rest of his body. Nothing could be done to save his eyes. As he underwent multiple surgeries for a year, Sherif knew life would never be the same again. He told Kamalam that their marriage was now not possible, but she would have none of it. Coming to know that Sherif was% recuperating in Coimbatore, she went there and convinced him to get married. They tied the knot in 1967.
Their 38-year-old son works for a soldiers' welfare board in Salem, while their two daughters are homemakers. The War Wounded Foundation brought together several such living martyrs of Independent India.Colonel (retd) T N Raman, convenor of the Tamil Nadu chapter of Indian Ex-Servicemen Movement said soldiers from all major combats including the Indo-Pakistan war of 1947, 1965 and the Indo-China war of 1962 gathered for the collective.
1965: A love and war story which overcame handicaps

NDA: Declining Contribution of Sainik Schools

Sainik schools decline in discipline and contribution to forces
The Tribune Chandigarh, September 30, 2012 by Vijay Mohan.
Set up to serve as feeder institutes to the National Defence Academy (NDA), Sainik Schools are now under the scanner for more than one reason. A general decline in the percentage of its students joining the NDA, increasing dropout rate and a sudden spurt in disciplinary and ragging cases are among the issues that have brought these institutes into focus.
The contribution of Sainik Schools towards the intake into the NDA has gone down from 30.75 per cent in 2008 to 25.18 per cent in 2011. According to figures listed in the report of the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence released last month, these figures were 29.23 per cent in 2009 and 26.17 per cent in 2010.
While there has been a consistent improvement in the schools’ academic performance, a comparative analysis also revealed that on an average, only about 20 per cent of Sainik School students join the NDA whereas in the case of the Rashtriya Indian Military College – which has a similar charter to that of Sainik Schools – the figure was 76 per cent.
One reason for the low intake from Sainik Schools put forward by the Defence Ministry is that students leave the school after their class XII examinations. As they are not under the supervision of the schools, they could have less inclination to write the NDA entrance exam or to appear for the selection interview. Candidates need to pass class XII to join the NDA.
Conceived in 1961 and managed by the Sainik Schools Society, whose board of governors is chaired by the Minister of Defence, the objective of Sainik Schools is to motivate and prepare students to join the armed forces as officers by focusing on moulding and developing their overall personality.
There are 24 Sainik Schools located in 21 states across the country and they are funded jointly by the central and respective state governments. Funding is another issue plaguing these schools with many state governments failing to give due budgetary support.
The dropout rate of students in these schools – having a strength of over 12,000 – has also been fluctuating, moving from 885 in 2008-09 to 843 in 2009-10 and 1,009 in 2010-11. The biggest chunk of dropouts is due to parental requests, which has witnessed a consistent increase, with the figures being 544, 564 and 689 for the aforementioned three sessions.
More significantly, the number of dropouts on grounds of indiscipline saw a spurt from seven and six cases to 60 cases for these sessions. In the past three years, 13 students were expelled and 15 were suspended for ragging. -via The Tribune
Sainik schools decline in discipline and contribution to forces

War disabled event at OTA Chennai on 20 Oct 2012

From: Vijay Oberoi
WAR DISABLED EVENT AT CHENNAI
As you may be aware, I head the War Wounded Foundation, an NGO that is working for the long term rehabilitation of war disabled personnel of the three services. We are now about 10 years old. Till now, our work covered only the northern states. In our first expansion, we have decided to expand our activities by covering the four southern states viz. Andhra, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, in addition to our continuing efforts in the north.
With the above in view, our Foundation is scheduling an event at Chennai, as the ‘curtain raiser’ for our entry in to Southern India. The event has a number of aims, like giving visibility to the Foundation and the war disabled personnel; to honour the war disabled personnel of the four southern states; to apprise the war disabled about our future plans; and raise funds if possible. The event is scheduled on 20 October 2012 and the COAS has kindly consented to be the Chief Guest. The event would include collecting a cross-section of war disabled personnel from the four southern states and honouring them. There would also be a Karate Display by a local organization as part of the event. We would also note down any legitimate grievances of the war disabled and project them to the concerned authorities.
The venue for the event is the Auditorium of OTA at Chennai. The function will commence at 1130 hours on Saturday 20 October 2012 and will end at about 1315 hours. This includes a tea break of 30 minutes in which the war disabled and others will get a chance to interact with the COAS over a cup of tea. Attendance would be by invitation.
Our Foundation has already sent letters to the war disabled personnel residing in the four southern states, asking them to get in touch with us, to enable us to select personnel from all the four states to attend the event. However, our address lists may not be comprehensive or updated. We do need to mobilize sufficient war disabled personnel from the southern states for attending the event at Chennai on 20 Oct 12. The need is to get in touch with them and motivate them to come to Chennai on 19 Oct, attend the event on the forenoon of 20 Oct 2012 and return home the same evening or the next day. All war disabled personnel get concessions/no payment on buses and trains. The balance cost of fares, if any would be paid by us. We would also make arrangements for their stay at Chennai in a local unit.
I am now requesting Brig Chander Kamboj to put this on his very well read blog - REPORT MY SIGNAL, so that the message goes to everyone. I would like to request you to spread the word so that maximum war disabled personnel come to know about the event. They could be informed about the function and requested to get in touch with our office at Delhi and not only let us know whether they would be able to attend, but also to be in touch with our Foundation so that they can benefit by joining our future programmes. Details of our office are as under:

Address – War Wounded Foundation; Flat No. 313, Ground Floor (LIG); Pocket 1, Sector-23; Dwarka, New Delhi-110077.

Executive Officer – Lt Col Gulshan Kumar; Mobile – 9810989524. 011 45604116.

E-mail – warwounded(at)rediffmail(dot)com.
I would also request various veteran groups to circulate this amongst their groups, so that maximum personnel come to know about our Foundation as well as the proposed event.
Regards.
Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi
President
War Wounded Foundation

No Permanent Commission for Women in Combat Formations

No permanent status for women in combat areas, Centre tells SC
Published: Monday, Sep 17, 2012, 20:16 IST
Place: New Delhi | Agency: PTI
The government has told the Supreme Court that it would not be possible to grant permanent commission status to women officers in combat wings like infantry, mechanised infantry and armoured corps.
In an additional affidavit filed before the apex court, the defence ministry has said that combat support arms/ services have to sustain prolonged conflict hazards and hence, there is no question of grant of permanent status to women officer either now or in the future.
The ministry has filed the affidavit in connection with the appeal filed by it challenging the Delhi High Court's March 12, 2010, judgment directing the Centre to grant permanent commission status to women short service commissioned officers in the air force and the army.
The Centre while agreeing to implement the direction with regard to the air force has however, expressed its opposition to extending the benefit to women in the army combat and its support units.
"That the grant of permanent commission to women officers in combat arms like infantry, mechanised infantry and armoured corps, which are involved in direct combat with the enemy is ruled out because of their close proximity with the enemy and attendant hazards of battle.
"As regard granting permanent commission to women officers in combat support arms like engineers, signals, army air defence, intelligence and services like electronics mechanical engineers, army service corps and army ordnance corps, the issue has been examined at length," the Centre said justifying its stance.
No permanent status for women in combat areas, Centre tells SC

Indian Air Force ahead with over 10 percent women officers

New Delhi, Aug 22, 2012, (IANS)
Women officers in the Indian army, navy and air force constitute only 3.3, 3.9 and 10.4 percent of the officer cadre respectively and these figures were achieved within 20 years from when they were first recruited, parliament was informed Wednesday.
Defence Minister A.K. Antony said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the representation of women in the armed forces has been progressively increasing since their first recruitment in 1992-93.
"At present, the percentage of women officers in army, navy and air force, excluding medical streams, is 3.3 percent, 3.9 per cent and 10.04 percent respectively," Antony said.
"The representation of women officers in the armed forces has increased progressively over the years," the minister added.
To another query on the same subject, the minister said the number of women officers in the army is 1,214, in the navy 302 and the air force 1,079.
At present, the existing strength of the army is 36,788 officers, the navy 7,744 and the air force 10,747. There is a shortfall of 13,000 officers across the three services.
These figures are excluding the medical stream women officers.
Women officers are inducted in the branches open to them within the overall authorised strength of officers' cadre of respective service, based on merit on an all- India basis.
"There is no separate fixed sanctioned strength for women officers in the armed forces," he added.
Noting that a fresh policy on induction of women officers was laid down last November, Antony said it was issued after considering the paper submitted by a high-level tri-service committee with the approval of the chiefs of staff committee.
"There is an endeavour to fill up the vacancies of officers from amongst eligible candidates, which is a continuous and an ongoing process," Antony said.
Barring the medical stream, women officers are inducted on short service commissions in certain branches of the three armed forces.
In the army, women officers are recruited in the Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Intelligence Corps, Army Education Corps and Judge Advocate General branches.
In the navy, they are inducted into the Judge Advocate General, Logistics, Observer, Air Traffic Controller, Naval Constructor and Education branches.
In the air force, though, women officers are recruited in all branches and streams, except the fighter stream of the flying branch.
Indian Air Force ahead with over 10 percent women officers

Premier Military Training Institutions: Are they afflicted with corruption?

'No order yet on Lt Gen Jatindar's transfer'
Zee News Thursday, July 05, 2012, 13:14
Pune: A National Defence Academy (NDA) spokesman Thursday said it had not received any official communication "so far" regarding immediate transfer of Academy commandant Lt Gen Jatindar Singh, ordered by Defence Minister AK Antony.
"No official communication from Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been received at NDA in this regard so far", Lt Commander G Girish, PRO NDA said here.
Asked as to who is holding the charge at the Khadakwasla based Academy, embroiled in a bribery scam, he said "the status quo continues till we get official orders." A release issued by MoD in Delhi yesterday said, "Defence minister A K Antony has ordered that Lt Gen Jatinder Singh, Commandant NDA, be immediately shifted from the Academy. This is with the view to ensure a free and fair investigation in the alleged bribery racket in the recruitment of Group C posts in NDA, Khadakwasla." The CBI-ACB has arrested Col Kulbir Singh, staff officer to the NDA commandant, Col Anil Kumar Singh presiding officer of NDA's recruitment board and a few others in connection with the alleged scam that was unearthed on June 25.
Jatindar Singh had assumed charge of the premiere defence academy on January 1, 2011.
The NDA sources said training activities of the cadets of the 128th batch of the Academy were being carried out as usual. PTI
No order yet on Lt Gen Jatindar's transfer
Lt Gen under lens for recruitment scam shunted out
Defence Academy recruitment scam: AK Antony orders shifting of commandant Lt. Gen Jatinder Singh
Comment: Corrupt Officers leading the Training Establishments is very dangerous. All the nine pointer ACR Ratings are a suspect. How are the 9 pointer ACR reflected Corrupt Officers are to be weeded out. The only method now is to get hold of the reporting officers who are skewed in their judgement. Promotions based on ACR's will ruin the Military and its reputation will hit ground zero. We need to eliminate senior officers on physical and medical standards. The Medical records should not be fudged for promotions. Lt Gen Jatinder Singh is a classic case of poor Medical and Physical Standards. We need to gun for the corrupt and physically unfit officers and not depend on skewed ACR's for promotion.

OTA Passing Out Parade Mar 2012

Young Army officers wait in the wings
Published: Monday, Mar 19, 2012 on 14:25 IST

It turned out to be a Golden Saturday for Joginder Singh Badotra, a former colonel in the Indian Army and his wife, from Kangla district in Himachal Pradesh. Their son Himanshu Badotra, 24, was selected as the best all round cadet and was honoured with the President’s Sword of Honour during the passing out parade of the 284 young officers who successfully completed their 49 week gruesome training in the Officers Training Academy, Chennai. What made the day unique for the Badotras was that their daughter Niharika, a bio-informatics graduate, too passed out with Himanshu on Saturday, making it a golden double for the family.
Himanshu, a graduate in basic sciences, has been posted to 11 Sikh Ganganagar in Rajasthan where he will join hundreds of soldiers of the Indian Army in guarding the country’s borders using hi-tech gadgets and robots. “It’s a dream come true for me. I have never thought of any other profession than that of an Army officer,” a beaming Himanshu told DNA. “He will be the Golden Boy of the OTA since this year we are celebrating our Golden Jubilee year," said a senior OTA faculty.
Parents of all the 287 candidates, selected from all over the country, had made it to the OTA on Saturday to witness the elegant passing out parade where they were declared as commissioned officers of the Indian Army. This year saw 89 women candidates joining different wings of the Army. Niharika has been posted to Ordnance Jodhpur from where she will ensure the prompt dispatch and delivery of crucial components needed by units in the forward areas.
The Batras are not the only family who have sent their children to the armed forces. Prateek Sharma, 25, a zoology graduate of Ghaziabad, is a third generation officer from a family of soldiers. “My father Vijay Kumar Sharma retired as a major from the Indian Army. My elder brother Sourabh is a serving major,” said a beaming Prateek after the pipping ceremony when his father himself decorated him with the two-stars which made him a lieutenant in the Army.
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Express Buzz Slideshow- Click here

Combined Defence Services Examinations: Final Results

Combined Defence Services Exam (I) 2011 Final Results Announced
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced the final results of Combined Defence Services Examination (I). A total of 356 candidates (272 Men + 84 Women), have finally qualified on the basis of the results of the Combined Defence Services Examination (I)-2011 conducted by the UPSC and interviews held by the Services Selection Board of the Ministry of Defence for admission to the (i)Officers Training Academy, Chennai for 95th Short Service Commission Course (for Men) and (ii) Officers Training Academy, Chennai 9th Short Service Commission Women (Non-Technical) Course, commencing in April, 2012. The list of 95th Short Service Commission Course (for Men) also includes the names of the candidates who were recommended earlier on the basis of the result of the same examination for admission to the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Naval Academy, Ezhimala, Kerala and Air Force Academy, Hyderabad (Pre-Flying) Training Course(s).
The number of vacancies as intimated by the Government, for (i) 95th Short Service Commission Course (for Men) is 175 and for (ii) 9th Short Service Commission Women (Non-Technical) Course is 25.
The result of Medical Examination of candidates has not been taken into account in preparing the merit list. The candidature of all the candidates is Provisional. Verification of date of birth and Educational Qualification of these candidates will be done by Army HQ.
Result is available on PIB website i.e www.pib.nic.in and also on the U.P.S.C. website i.e. www.upsc.gov.in. However, marks of the candidates will be available within 15 days from the date of declaration of final result on Commission’s web-site and will be available for 60 days.
UPSC has a Facilitation Counter near Examination Hall Building in its Campus. Candidates may obtain any information/clarification regarding their examination on working hours in person or over telephone No. 011-23385271, 011-23381125 and 011-23098543 from this Counter.
Click here to see list of candidates *** RS/SR
(Release ID :80459)
Click here for the PIB Webpage

NCC Seeks Infrastructure for Shaping Youth

The Minister of State for Defence Dr. MM Pallam Raju inaugurated the Conference of the Joint State Representatives and Deputy Directors General (JSR&D) of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) here today. JSR&D is a biennial event attended by the senior representatives from all States of the country and the NCC heads from the defence services of the respective State. As the control and conduct of NCC activities is a joint responsibility of the Central and State Governments in terms of policies, finances, administrative and other aspects, this conference provides a platform to plan, implement and coordinate the NCC activities in the entire Nation.

Inaugurating the conference, Dr Pallam Raju said, "NCC is responsible for moulding our youth into becoming responsible, disciplined and motivated citizens and for providing leadership in all walks of life. The curriculum followed by the cadets in their two years of association with NCC is extremely challenging and it is our responsibility to provide the required support. The benefit that we get is directly proportional to the effort that we put in. Disciplined youth with patriotic and secular values is the sine quo non to ensure stability and growth of the nation.”

The conference had very meaningful and fruitful deliberations on various issues concerning NCC, such as the need to provide suitable camping sites and other training facilities, raising of financial grants for training and administration of cadets commensurate with the contemporary price index, changes in the curriculum to meet and accommodate the present aspirations of the youth. The Director General, NCC Lt Gen PS Bhalla gave a detailed presentation on the progress and achievements of the NCC over the years. He apprised all States of the need to establish NCC Nagars that are well equipped with camping and training infrastructure, in various parts of the States. He also strongly presented a case for providing tangible and substantial incentives to NCC cadets so that the disciplined youth of unquestionable integrity and possessing core human values are well compensated for their dedication of time and energy to train with the NCC.
PK (Release ID :76165
NCC Seeks Infrastructure for Shaping Youth

352 Cadets pass out of OTA

352 Indians, 18 Afghans pass out of OTA
September 18, 2011 By S. Sujatha DC chennai

For cadets from Afghanistan it was the psychological training that amazed them the most at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai, while Indian cadets found the physical part demanding.

“Physical training was easy for us. We came mainly to develop our mental strength and learn the functioning of Indian Army,” said Mohammad Sanjer (21) of Kabul, on Saturday after he and 17 other Afghans passed out of the academy with 352 Indians after a 11-month course.

The Indian experience has taught Sanjer, who has served in the Afghan Army for 18 months, to be strong psychologically.

After reviewing the passing out parade, Lt Gen Vijay Ahluwalia, the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Central Command said Indian Army was open to changes as the requirements of the future battlefield would be different.
352 Indians, 18 Afghans pass out of OTA

SC directs army to reinstate 11 women officers

Saturday, 03 September 2011 01:30
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the army to reinstate 11 short service commission women officers who had been released after completion of 14 years in service.
The apex court asked the army to take the officers back from September 12 continuing their service from the date they joined.
A bench of justices J M Panchal and H L Gokhale said the order reinstating them would be subject to the outcome of the appeal filed by the army against the March 12, 2010 judgment of the Delhi high court.
The high court had earlier directed it to grant permanent commission to 11 serving women officers, who had filed a petition.
The apex court made it clear that its order is confined only to the 11 woman officers who had approached the high court and said the army would reinstate them in terms of the high court order.
It said the high court order will be in operation as it was not stayed when the army had challenged it.
The 11 officers were relieved from the service during the pendency of the petition in the high court in 2009-10.

The high court had granted the army two months to implement its judgment. The court had later issued to it notice for contempt of court after it failed to comply with the order within the requisite time limit. The operation of the contempt notice was stayed by the apex court.
During the hearing, the army opposed reinstatement of the woman officers in terms of the high court judgment, but the apex court did not agree with it and held that the high court judgment should be allowed to operate.
"There is no stay of the high court judgment. Then why don't they continue in the service. They were petitioners in the high court," the bench said during the hearing while adding the 11 woman officers were entitled to take the benefit of the high court order.
"Are they not entitled to the benefit of the high court order? There is no stay. In order to see that the high offices in military did not face any inconvenience, the contempt proceeding was stayed," the bench observed.
The court also noted that all 11 officers were on the administrative side of the army.
The officers who are going to be benefited by the apex court order are -- Major Sandhya Yadav, Major Renu Nautiyal, Major N V N Rao, Major Annapurna, Lt Col Ashu Yadav, Lt Col Sangeeta Sardana, Major Prerna Pandit, Lt Col Renu Khima, Major Seema Singh, Lt Col Monica Mishra and Major Rita Taneja.
SC directs army to reinstate 11 women officers

Comment by Capt Ravi:
Don't know about professionalism or work style of Ladies in Army, cannot comment on scandels that have surfaced around lady officers but one thing is clear. Lady Officers proved to be tougher than Short Service male Officers. Many young lives were ruined where young boys joined as SS Officers and were discouraged to apply for Permanent Commission. I am also one of those who suffered by quitting Army ( though my unit Officers never made such situations) but many others in service did so. Adding insult to injury is the fact where released Officers are denied benefits like: Membership of DSOI Delhi & many other SOIs, Many EPTAs (Golf Courses) , admissions for our Wards in AWES institutions and last but not the least Medical facility of ECHS. Come on SS Officers Learn from Lady Officers. Ladies are really on Top.
Original Post click here

Shortage of Officers: Lack of Space in NDA

NDA doesn't have space to lodge cadets
MAYANK SINGH | Pune, July 29, 2011 13:14
While the Indian defence forces have been crying about the shortage of officers, they have been unable to house the extra cadets who joined National Defence Academy for their first spring term. The Spring Term, 2011 at premier National Defence Academy (NDA), Pune had caught the officials unaware. The number of cadets joining the academy was so high that they had to convert rooms assigned for entertainment and Gymnasium to accommodate the cadets by putting the beds and the cupboards.

An officer who looks after training of the Indian Army informed TSI on the condition of not publishing his name that while the total training capacity of NDA is 1800 cadets there were more than 2000 cadets who reported during the spring term of the academy. This lead to make extra arrangements as the sanctioned strength and arrangements is for only 1800 cadets. The academy has two terms of training, spring and autumn. Spring is the session which is from January to May while autumn runs from July to November; rest of the time is for vacations.

Although, this has come as a positive development for the forces as there is an acute shortage of the officers at the level of Lieutenants, Captains and Majors who lead the operations on ground, but it could have been avoided. Another officer informed that the difficulty of accommodating the extra cadets lingers because of a decade old proposal pending with the Ministry of Defence to sanction the 16th Squadron of the Academy. The academy is organised into four Battalions, each with 4 squadrons except for the fourth battalion which has only three squadrons. Sources also informed that the long term plan is to raise another battalion in the academy.

In a recent reply defence minister A K Antony had said "The extent of shortage of officers is around 12,349 in the Army, 1,818 in the Navy and 837 in the Air Force. The shortage of pilots in the Air Force is about 426."
NDA doesn't have space to lodge cadets
Comments: The Indian Armed Forces no longer fascinate the people as career. The Indian Army is currently facing a crisis and it is short of over 11,000 officers from the rank of captain to major. Despite campaigns like “Be an army man: Be a winner of life” the armed forces continue to face a shortage of officers. Officer’s shortage in Indian Armed Forces is acute now and seriously affecting the army, in quantity as well as quality. Dispensation of Justice to Veterans and many are seen battling in courts thereby reducing the Rank and Honour, which in turn diminishing the charm of Serving the Nation by the younger generation.

Officers Training Academy Inaugurated at Gaya

Second Military Officers Training Academy Inaugurated
PTI | Gaya | Jul 18, 2011
The country's second academy for training military officers for short-service commission was inaugurated today in Bihar's Gaya district as part of efforts to meet the shortage of over 12,000 officers.

General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Army Training Command, Lt Gen K Surendra Nath, hoisted the flag to inaugurate the academy, the second after the one at Chennai, in the presence of senior military officers and other dignitaries.

The academy would mould young dynamic minds into capable future military leaders and fulfill a long felt need of the Indian Army to train and induct more officers into its ranks, Nath said in his address.

It will start with training 135 officers and would reach its capacity of over 700 Short Service Commission (SSC) officers in the next two years, they said.

The army is facing a shortage of 12,349 officers against its sanctioned strength of around 46,500. It is also looking to increase the number of officers to meet the new security requirements.

The trainees will be provided basic military training attuned with the advancements in the latest technology to enable them to serve as professionally skilled leaders of a modern army, a press release said.

A team of well qualified instructors and staff specially chosen from the Indian Army will train the first batch of gentlemen cadets.

To achieve and maintain paramount standards of physical and the mental health of the trainees, various training and sports facilities have been made available in the Academy.
Second Military Officers Training Academy Inaugurated
The Hindu: Gaya OTA to open today

The Academy situated at the picturesque Paharpur Military Station, Gaya amidst lush green surroundings is spread over an area of 863 acres. It is approximately 8 kms from Bodhgaya, a major international tourist attraction. Well connected by road and rail, the Academy is only 100 kms from the state capital, Patna.

The Academy has been raised under Lt Gen Vijai Sharma from the Corps of Engineers. Lt Gen Sharma has served army for about 36 years in a variety of appointments. Prior to taking over as the first Commandant of OTA, Gaya, the General officer was serving at Army Headquarters, Delhi.

To achieve and maintain paramount standards of physical and the mental health of the trainees, various training and sports facilities have been made available in the Academy. The area is equipped with numerous training facilities for weapon training, drill, physical training, swimming, equitation and equestrian sports and adventure/hobby clubs for the all-round development of the Gentlemen Cadets. Training in soft skills like verbal and non-verbal communication, public speaking, interpersonal relationship, leadership, emotional intelligence, team building etc are an integrated part of the curriculum at the Academy. OTA, Gaya is the third Military Academy of its kind in addition to the existing ones at Dehradun and Chennai.
OTA Gaya

How a President treats his Armed Forces Personnel

US Coast Guard Academy Commencement:President's Address
Sir,
You may like to publish the following in the RMS blog.
I am currently in the USA and watched with interest the "Commencement" (Graduation) ceremony of the US Coast Guard Academy, located in Connecticut, attended by the US President Barak Obama on the NBC TV on May 18 and also read the report in the state newspaper "The Hartford Courant". Brought up in the Indian ethos, many things struck me as unusual and worth sharing with IESM community.
The President was very informal during the ceremony and while delivering the speech, made some humorous remarks. He shook hands with all the 220 odd cadets, some of whom even hugged him! (Indian VIPs would stay at least 100 feet clear of Indian Defence Academy cadets to preserve their dignity and status).
He said in his speech," The graduates would soon join a military and intelligence community that made sure "the terrorist leader who attacked us on 9/11 will never threaten America again... We remember our moral compass that we are citizens with obligations to each other... that we rise and fall as one". (For Indian VIPs, only the servicemen have to have moral compass and obligations and none for the others).
Obama continued a presidential tradition when he jokingly absolved the cadets of any outstanding "minor" infractions. He also gave special acknowledgments to graduate Jennifer Proctor, who attended Obama's old high school in Honolulu, and Melissa McCafferty, the recipient of the academy's third Truman Scholarship, saying... "Where is Melissa, let me embarrass you" scanning the crowd.
I felt it is "Them and Us!".
Regards,
Shashank Bendre
Wg.Cdr.(Retd)

Charming them into the Armed Forces

Amutha Kannan The Hindu 09 May 2011
Do you have it in you, asks Commodore Amar Singh Bagel to Generation Next
It is a myth that salary of a Defence officer did not match up to employees of other sectors
Photo:M. Periasamy

Call to fight: Commodore Amar Singh Baghel, President, Naval Selection Board, explaining the opportunities in Armed Forces at The Hindu Education Plus Career Fair 2011 in Coimbatore on Sunday.

COIMBATORE: As much as they had realistic answers for why youth did not want to join the Armed Forces, students had interesting answers for why they did want to join, at a session on career opportunities in the Armed Forces at The Hindu Education Plus Career Fair 2011 on Sunday.

Queries from them to Commodore Amar Singh Baghel, president of Naval Selection Board, disproved the theory that there was no awareness among the public about a career in the Armed Forces. It was more of a reassurance forum for a moderately informed audience that the Armed Forces, too, offered attractive job options.

The session began with Commodore Baghel providing the basic information on these options. But, it did not continue as a routine one-way affair. It turned lively with the high-ranking officer switching to an interactive mode. What followed was a more-than-an-hour discussion on the salary, perks, professional advancement prospects and other benefits the services offered.

While Commodore Baghel got answers such as “danger to life, frequent transfers, pay package not being good, difficult life, highly competitive, disruption in family life, etc.” for reasons behind youth not joining the services, he pointed out that ‘simply not knowing how to join' was also as a reason. While he gave ‘honour, pride, quality of life, educational and pension benefits, job security' as some of the reasons for joining the services, he got interesting add-ons like “love for the uniform, spirit of adventure, stability in employment” as other reasons from the students.

The Armed Forces also provided success, monetary gain, advancement, responsibility, recognition and an amiable working environment that youth sought in a career.

Busting the myth that the salary of a Defence officer was not on a par with that of a personnel in a private firm, he said the allowances, perks and privileges that came along with the salary could not be quantified only in terms of money. It showed in the quality of life an officer enjoyed, Commodore Baghel said.

He also cleared other ‘misconceptions' like knowledge of Hindi being mandatory and physical fitness being given the top priority.

He said all this could be learnt or improved in the training period.

He also spoke about the opportunities the personnel got to showcase their talents at national and international level sporting events, and listed the various points of entry into the services for those who completed Plus Two or graduation.

Some sites for reference that could be of help: www.indiannavy.nic.in, www.joinindianarmy.nic.in, www.careerairforce.nic.in.
Charming them into the Armed Forces

Reality- National Geographic Channel Shows Indian Army

Anil Bhat 4/12/2011 10:24:15 PM
“March with the Indian Army and pay tribute to the saga of the unknown soldier with honour and pride” is the slogan of the ten - serial television reality show produced by National Geographic (Nat Geo) and currently being aired extensively on the Star Network.

Having produced Mission Udaan -Inside the Indian Air Force, in 2005 and Mission Navy- Lehron ke Sartaj in 2008, showcasing both the services in their full glory, Nat Geo launched a project to make the same on Indian Army, called Mission Army – Desh ke Rakshak.

Extensive interaction between the Army and Nat Geo resulted in this mega reality show aimed at giving television viewers an insight into the ‘making of an Army officer’ and ‘life in the Army’, through the eyes of a few civilian youth, selected and further trained. The serial showcases the history, values, customs and traditions as also operational and administrative activities of various combat arms and services of the Army, in varied terrain and extremes of climatic conditions.

Three young men and two young women were selected after passing physical, mental and medical tests of actual Army standards during the auditions Chib, a former Army officer of the Kumaon Regiment has as such a great asset to Nat Geo in making such programmes across Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi, for which 30,000 participants from all over India came to try to be a part of this mega reality show. They were, Ela Vohra 23, working at working IBM India, Pune, Priyanka Chand Oswal 19, from Pune College, Rohan Vijay Takalkar 24, running a fitness club in Pune, Rudrashish Sengupta 22, from St Xavier’s college, Mumbai and Kuldeep Rana 24, pursuing MBA from JIMS, Delhi.

Interacting at length with The Asian Age, Mr. Ramon Chibb, Senior Vice President, National Geographic and Fox International Channel, India, said “After grilling 30,000 enthusiastic and patriotic youth applicants across the country, Nat Geo selected the final five who embarked on a journey to win themselves a never before opportunity to experience the life of an Indian Army Officer. National Geographic Channel has taken the viewers to locations and places where none ever has and our Mission properties in the past have lived up to this tradition. We have worked closely with the Indian Army for our biggest Mission property – Mission Army “Desh ke Rakshak” and will take our viewers into the second largest army of the world – The Indian Army. I firmly believe that in the age of scripted reality shows, a docu-reality show like Mission Army will attract millions of people from different age groups across the country. Mission Army- Desh Ke Rakshak is a ten part series which will give us an insight into all arms and services of the Army”

‘Inside the Indian Army’, the first episode starts with a re-created story of Capt Vikram Batra, hero of the Kargil Intrusion of 1999 narrated by his then Commanding Officer, Brigadier Joshi. It is followed by the introduction to the Indian Army, considered as third largest in the world and what it takes to be an officer in it. Through the eyes of young civilians, viewers watch the selection process with high medical fitness standards and the aspirants going through a battle obstacle course at the Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre to get their first feel of training in the Army.

In Episode 2, on Indian Military Academy, the Alma Mater of an Indian Army officers, the chosen five go through a tough training schedule of the academy by learning the basics of Army life as Gentleman Cadets and Lady Cadets - of drill, physical training, firing an INSAS rifle, doing night outdoor camping, negotiating the tough Russian obstacle course and finally crossing obstacles while live bullets are fired over their heads as a doze of ‘battle inoculation’.

Episode 3, with the Infantry, shows how it operates in various and toughest of terrains in the country, including the highest battlefield of the world – Siachen- where the temperature can be as low as minus 60 degrees centigrade. This episode covers the training in the Siachen Battle School and the High Altitude Battle School. The five contestants go through commando training at the Infantry school in Belgaum, compulsory for all Infantry officers. This includes unarmed combat, raid, rock climbing, escape and evasion and surviving by living off the land, which also involves catching, skinning, cooking and eating a snake. Their final task is the challenging climb and crawl to a 60 feet high board and jumping from into a swimming pool.

Episode 4, takes the team to the Armored Corps and the Mechanized Infantry Regimental Centres at Ahmednagar, where the contestants learn about customs and traditions of the cavalry and functioning mechanized forces. They get a great opportunity to learn how to drive the state of the art T-72 and the T-90 battle tanks, fire their guns and watch the complex flotation maneuvers by the amphibious Infantry Combat Vehicles in water.

Episode 5, about Artillery and Air Defence involves deployment of these big high-decibel guns in all terrains, learning about the artillery’s role and the performance of Bofors field guns in the Kargil war, the contestants functioning as artillery observation post officers, who guide the firing of guns over long ranges.

Episode 6, on the Army Aviation finds the team in the Army’s helicopters, watching the complexity of flying in high altitude and the role of Army Aviation Corps in support of the combat arms. The indigenously designed Advanced Light Helicopter, Dhruv and the versatile Cheetah and Chetak choppers are profiled in extremely challenging conditions of flying in inaccessible terrain like the Siachen heights and the scorching deserts. At the Combat Aviation Training School the contestants learn what it takes to be an army aviator, fly the Cheetah simulator and navigate a Chetak helicopter in a casualty evacuation mission.

Episode 7, on the technical arms of the Army, has the team watching the Sappers (Engineers) construct bridges, lay mines and handle high explosives as well as work with sophisticated communication equipment of the Corps of Signals. They get to drive the tank trawler and lay underwater depth charges. Their final task is breaching a minefield and blowing up a railway track with explosives.

Episode 8, covers the Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (EME) and the Army Medical Corps. The team learns how the Army is administered, how it gets its logistics support and how it is kept battle-ready at all times. The contestants get a feel of repairing and maintaining a battle tank with EME.

Episode 9, shows counter terrorist operations in the Kashmir Valley and on the Line of Control(LoC). The Corps Battle School at Srinagar imparting training for counter terrorist operations is showcased, includes fighting a battle in a built-up urban areas, where the margin of error is very small. While here the contestants get trained and tasked to flush out terrorists from a mock village, on the LoC, they learn how the Indian Army soldier is alert 24 x 7.

Episode 10, The Grand Finale, is about Indian Army’s men who spend their lives reinventing themselves to fight in all possible scenarios – the Paratroopers. Specialists of raid and know no obstacle and are trained to operate behind enemy lines. On rare display are some of the unique customs and traditions of this coveted maroon berets regiment, which has tough standards and a probation period, not everybody can pass. The final task for the five contestants is a parachute jump from a helicopter. This episode will also decide the winner of Mission Army, who will have the opportunity to be a part of an overseas Indian military contingent.

Chib, a former Army officer of the Kumaon Regiment and as such a great asset to Nat Geo in producing such monumental programmes, says the viewer ratings on the five episodes broad casted so far have been excellent.

An exciting development for contestant Ela Vohra has been that she has very recently been selected for pre-commission training at the Officers Training Academy, Chennai.

While there is no doubt that the serials mentioned and movies like JP Dutta’s Border, LOC and yet to be produced Border II go well with viewers, it remains to be seen how much of a difference they will make in the near future in attracting more academically, physically and mentally fit youngsters to join the Army, which is still short of about 12,000 officers.
REALITY SHOW OF WHAT INDIAN ARMY IS ALL ABOUT

OTA Gaya meandering through MoD's bureaucratic labyrinths

Year later, Gaya OTA plan yet to take off
Rajat Pandit, TNN Mar 6, 2011, 03.21am IST
NEW DELHI: Faced with a crippling shortage of officers in Army, the UPA government in its first avatar initiated the project to establish a second Officers Training Academy (OTA) at Gaya in Bihar. The Cabinet Committee on Security of UPA-II then formally approved the project with much fanfare in December 2009.

But the Gaya OTA, on the lines of the existing one in Chennai, is yet to take off. This when the 1.13-million strong Army is currently grappling with a shortage of 12,510 officers in its "sanctioned strength'' of 47,864.

The defence ministry seems to be sleeping over the new OTA project, with even the "government sanction letter'' yet to be issued for it. "The letter is needed to commence implementation of the project. For instance, the recruitment of the around 200 civilian personnel needed for the OTA cannot be done without it,'' said a source.

Similarly, the long-standing proposal to create a couple of additional Services Selection Boards (SSBs), which conduct interviews and psychological evaluation of candidates keen to join the armed forces as officers, is still meandering through MoD's bureaucratic labyrinths.

It's not as if the Gaya OTA will require major funds or infrastructure build-up. The OTA will be housed in the existing premises of Army Service Corps Centre (North), which is being moved to Bangalore.

With a proposed capacity to eventually train 750 "gentlemen cadets'' per year, the OTA will require Rs 364 crore as non-recurring expenditure and Rs 44.75 crore as annual recurring expenditure.

The Gaya OTA will initially train around 150 short-service commission (SSC) officers per year, which will supplement the 600 SSC officers who pass out of the Chennai OTA. Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun, in turn, trains around 1,000 permanent commission (PC) officers per year.

IMA gets its cadets from the tri-Service National Defence Academy at Kadakvasla, open to youngsters after class XII, as also through `direct entry' for college graduates. The OTA, in turn, is open to college graduates only.

Armed forces want to gradually move towards substantially increasing the number of SSC officers in their ranks as part of force-restructuring to maintain a youthful profile. The eventual plan is to have a 1:2 ratio for PC to SSC officers.

But while salaries have gone up after the 6th Pay Commission, the services are still finding it difficult to attract youngsters with adequate 'officer-like qualities'. The perceived high degree of risk in a service career, poor promotional avenues and frequent transfers which disrupt family life are the main factors behind this.
Year later, Gaya OTA plan yet to take off

Present Shortage
The extent of shortage of officers is around 12,349 in the Army, 1,818 in the Navy and 837 in the Air Force. The shortage of Pilots in Air Force is about 426.

Comment: Bureaucrats perception that SCPC- post 2006 Pay Scales- will attract hordes of students and graduates to OTA, NDA, IMA and other Military Training Establishments has proved otherwise and a lie. In fact the present pay scales is a dampener to the already top heavy Military (thanks to Phase-II of Ajai Vikram Singh Committee Report Implementation). Compounded to this is the gradual degrading of Rank and and Honour. Therefore, infusing the right kind of new and young blood to the Armed Forces is becoming a distant dream. The Politicians have been blinded to the reality and are misguided by sycophants in the MoD and the Military!

12 women officers get permanent commission in Army

A first: 12 women officers get permanent commission in Army by Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 30, 2010
As many as 12 women officers of the Indian Army have created a history of sorts. A selection board of the Indian Army has cleared these officers for what will be the first-ever permanent commission for women into the Forces.

This is the first ever entry of women in a permanent role into the mainstream of the Indian Army. So far, women doctors were given permanent commission (PC) in the medical corps of the armed forces. This is still out of the Army frontline fighting units, as the Ministry of Defence does not permit women in roles that “… entail direct combat or possibility of physical contact with the enemy".

The 12 women officers are from the Army Education Corps and the Judge Adjutant General - these are the only two streams that allow women to be picked up as permanent officers.

All women, cleared now, are short service commission officers (SSC) of the 1996 batch or latter. On completion of 14 years of mandatory service in SSC, they were asked to appear for a selection board along with their male counterparts and 12 of them have been picked up, the Army sources confirmed today. The selection board conducted its proceeding two weeks ago and the results have been announced now.

Most of them are Majors and Lt Colonels and would have retired from service had they not cleared the selection board. There is no reservation in the Army on the basis of gender, the women competed with their male counterparts, said sources, while adding that equal opportunity was provided.

In 2008, the Defence Minister, AK Antony, opened a few more streams for women but that was only for those who joined the SSC in March 2009 or later, meaning they would be eligible for PC only in 2019.

Women, unlike their male counterparts, do not have direct entry route into the Forces. As on date, nearly 350 male officers are inducted into the SSC each year.

Out of them, nearly 240 opt for the PC and almost all are taken in. Women were allowed in the SSC for the first time in 1992.

The latest issue is historic as this was the first time that women were given an option to choose for PC and sit in an examination for what will be full tenure. This can last up to 58 years of age depending upon the promotions each one of them gets in the future.

Notably, there are 11,500 vacancies in the Army; however, most of them are in the infantry, the artillery and the armoured units. The Army allows women to opt for the SSC (10-14 years of service) in Signals, Engineers, Ordnance and Air Defence. In the IAF women are even chopper and transport pilots.
A first: 12 women officers get permanent commission in Army