Indian Army mulls to recruit civilians for 3-year ‘Tour of Duty

The Indian Army is considering a proposal to attract young working professionals to join the force for a three-year tenure as officers and in other ranks for a variety of roles. The ‘Tour of Duty (ToD) for three years is being mulled in the wake of “resurgence of nationalism and patriotism” in the country.

The proposal is stated to be an attempt to tap the feeling of the youths who do not want to join the Army as a profession but wish to experience military life for a temporary duration. The “game-changing” proposal is being examined by top commanders of the Army.

What is the TOUR OF DUTY scheme?

• This proposal is part of the efforts of the Indian Army to attract the best talent of the country. Currently, the shortest tenure is 10 years under the Short Service Commission.
• Under this scheme, the army wants to attract the talented youth of the country. Through this scheme, those youths will also be able to join the army, which for some reason could not join earlier.
• The Indian Army is considering a proposal called ‘Inverse Induction Model’, under which soldiers of Central Paramilitary Forces can be given the opportunity to work in the Army for some time.

Comparison between ‘Short Service Commission’ and ‘Tour of Duty’:

• Short Service Commission (SSC) is required to provide service for a minimum period of 10 years on arrival in the army while in tour of duty this period will be for 3 years.
• On analysis, it is known that the cumulative estimated cost of pre-commission training, salary, allowances, gratuity, proposed severance package, leave payment and other costs for a ‘tour of duty’ officer for a period of three years is approx. 5.12 crores while the cumulative estimated cost of Short Service Commission (SSC) officer is 83 6.83 crores.
• The overall cost in short service commission is further increased because, 50-60% of the short service commission officers choose the permanent commission and remain in service for 54 years, who also get pension benefits later.
• A similar cost has been estimated at Rs 80-85 lakh for the selected people through the ‘Tour of Duty’.

Benefits for the government:

• There are immense financial benefits to the organisation due to reduction in pay and gratuity payouts.
• The cost of a three-year service per officer will be a fraction of the cost incurred on Short Service Commission (SSC) officers.
• The cost incurred on an officer, who leaves after 10 or 14 years, is Rs 5 crore-Rs 6.8 crore, which includes the cost of pre-commission training, pay, allowances, gratuity, leave encashment among others.
• The corresponding cost for a three-year service will be Rs 80 lakh-85 lakh.
• SSC officers have the option to join the service permanently, which further increases the cost incurred, including pension bills.
• For soldiers, who usually serve for 17 years, the Army has calculated a lifetime savings of Rs 11.5 crore per person, as compared to a three-year service.

Benefits for citizens and the country:

• It will help to “channelise the youth energy into positive utilisation of their potential”.
• Rigorous military training and habits inculcated will lead to healthy citizenry.
• The entire nation will benefit from “trained, disciplined, confident, diligent and committed” young men or women who have done the three-year service.
• An “initial survey” has indicated that the corporate sector will prefer to hire such youths rather than fresh graduates.

Need for:

• The Army’s pay and pension bill has been increasingly steeply over the years, accounting for 60% of its budget allocation.
• In the last five years, though the growth in the defence budget has been 68%, and for defence salaries 75%, defence pensions have increased by a staggering 146%.
• According to a report of Standing Committee of Defence, 2019, the deficiency in officer cadre of Indian Army stood at approximate 14 per cent.
• The Army had 42,253 officers and 11.94 lakh jawans according to the report.
• The Indian Navy had 10,000 officers 57,310 and personnel.

UPSC