NEW DELHI: Stalled promotions of Indian Army officers is posing a serious crisis for its command structure. Commanding Officers (COs) of key operational field military units are being forced to continue in their jobs, which is creating high altitude health hazards for them and defeats the aim of maintaining a young and fit army.
Due to an ongoing litigation pending in the Supreme Court challenging the Army’s existing promotion policy, Army Headquarters has failed to conduct the selection board for the rank of Colonel—who commands a military unit—since last year.
In nearly 80 critical Army units at high altitudes and forward posts, the CO has to be rotated due to health factors. In the absence of new COs, they are being forced to stay on. In some cases, junior rank officers have been given the additional charge of commanding a unit.
“Commanding Officers posted at high altitudes such as Leh, Mendhar, Poonch, Kupwara, Uri and in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and the north-east region get limited tenure postings,” says an officer.
In 80 units
At high altitudes and forward posts, COs have to be rotated due to health factors.
Commanding Officers (COs) of key operational field military units are being forced to continue in their jobs, which is not only creating high altitude health hazards for them but also defeats the aim of maintaining a young and fit army.
“COs have to come down to a peace posting after a maximum of two years. But since the selection board for Colonels has not been done for year, it is creating a crisis in the command structure,” said an officer.
Annually, over 400 Lieutenant Colonels are promoted to Colonels to command units. In February 2015, a section of Army officers approached the judiciary, challenging the Army’s promotion policy of 2009, based on the recommendation of a committee headed by former defence secretary Ajay Vikram Singh, which looked into lowering the age profile of the COs after the 1999 Kargil war. The committee found that age of colonels, who command a battalion comprising 800-odd soldiers, was a little over 40 years, while the same for Pakistan and Chinese armies was 37 years. The committee had recommended a command-and-exit policy by which Colonels would serve as battalion commanders for two to three years and exit to a non-command post by the time they turn 40.
“Delay in promotions also defeats the whole idea of a young army. COs are getting extended tenures, leaving less opportunity for the younger lot,” an army officer said.