NEW DELHI: The Army will recommend scrapping the rank of Brigadier and promoting Colonels directly to Major General, this newspaper has learnt. The recommendation will go to the 8th Central Pay Commission through the defence ministry. The move is meant to unclog the force’s promotion pipeline and bridging the parity gap with civilian counterparts.
If accepted, the proposal would also have implications for the Navy and the Air Force, where Commodores and Air Commodores hold equivalent ranks.
“Scrapping the Brigadier rank has come up before. But this time, the Army is formally recommending it,” sources in the defence and security establishment said. The recommendations are likely to be finalised and sent within this month or the next, they said.
The Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai-led 8th Pay Commission, constituted in November last year, is required to submit its report to the Centre by May next year. Its recommendations could be implemented as early as November next year, sources said.
An Army officer takes 32 to 33 years to reach Pay Level 14, the pay level associated with a Major General, while counterparts in the IAS, IPS and Indian Forest Service reach the same level in 16 to 18 years, according to a cadre restructuring proposal for the Army seen by this newspaper.
The disparity is rooted in the Army’s steep pyramidal rank structure, which narrows sharply above Lieutenant Colonel. As much as 86% of officer posts were at Lieutenant Colonel or below, while Colonels accounted for 10.5%, Brigadiers 2.5% and Major Generals just 0.8%, the proposal read. Over 26% of IPS officers, by comparison, were in the Senior Administrative Grade and above, against around 1% in the Army.
The proposal argued that the Army’s nine ranks, compared with six designations in the civil services, warranted the removal of one rank.
It identified Brigadier rather than Lieutenant Colonel for abolition, with Major Generals to command both brigades and divisions. Major General would also become the minimum retirement rank for regular officers.
The proposal comes as the Army restructures its field formations. In July, it activated its first five Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs) and a Fire Support Group, with six Major Generals in command. Each IBG, comprising around 5,000 troops, is larger than a brigade but leaner than a division.
The Army’s new all-arms ‘Rudra’ brigades, however, continue to be commanded by Brigadiers. Each has around 3,000 troops.
2018 idea
The idea of scrapping the Brigadier rank first came up in 2018 in a cadre study ordered by then Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat. The Army had then described it as “just a proposal”, while some veterans questioned the rationale for abolishing a rank that commands brigades