The almost 12-lakh strong Army is actively working on several proposals to improve its tooth-to-tail ratio by further reducing its support manpower, which comes after the recruitment process was suspended for two years before the Agnipath scheme was launched last year.
The proposals range from slashing non-operational flab in the shape of ‘tradesmen’ and ‘legacy units’ in the Army to ‘outsourcing’ logistic support services and restructuring the specialized counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles operating in J&K.
The Army certainly needs to go in for a leaner and meaner force, grappling as it is with ballooning salary and pension bills that leave little for military modernisation with induction of new cutting-edge technologies.
Before the controversial Agnipath scheme for short-term recruitment of soldiers without pension and other benefits was announced in mid-June last year, the Army had suspended recruitment rallies during 2020-21 and 2021-22 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The almost 12-lakh strong Army is actively working on several proposals to improve its tooth-to-tail ratio by further reducing its support manpower, which comes after the recruitment process was suspended for two years before the Agnipath scheme was launched last year.
The proposals range from slashing non-operational flab in the shape of ‘tradesmen’ and ‘legacy units’ in the Army to ‘outsourcing’ logistic support services and restructuring the specialized counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles operating in J&K.
The Army certainly needs to go in for a leaner and meaner force, grappling as it is with ballooning salary and pension bills that leave little for military modernisation with induction of new cutting-edge technologies.
Before the controversial Agnipath scheme for short-term recruitment of soldiers without pension and other benefits was announced in mid-June last year, the Army had suspended recruitment rallies during 2020-21 and 2021-22 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This itself led to a reduction of 1.2 lakh soldiers. In the first year of Agnipath, we are in turn taking only 40,000 Agniveers in two batches,” an officer said. By around 2032, Agniveers will constitute 50% of the Army as per the existing plan to ostensibly reduce the average age of soldiers from the existing 32 to 24-26 in six to seven years as well as induct tech-savvy youth for wars of the future.
Then, there is also “adequate scope” to reduce manpower of “tradesmen”, like cooks, barbers, washermen and safaiwallahs”, who number around 80,000 in the Army, an officer said.
With terrorism on the decline in J&K, the Army is also examining whether the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), which was first raised in 1990 as a small force but now has 63 battalions, needs to be restructured.
“A division-level force of the RR, in any case, was inducted into eastern Ladakh after the Chinese incursions there in 2020. We are assessing if the number of RR battalions, or the number of companies in each battalion, can be reduced if there is no spike in terrorism again,” a senior officer told TOI.
The Army, however, has decided to gradually shut down its “animal transport companies”, reducing their number by around 70% by 2030. “Logistic drones can be useful in this,” another officer said.
The Army last month issued a RFI (request for information) for acquisition of 570 logistics drones, including those designed for deployment in high-altitude areas over 12,000-feet. “Such drones can carry out last-mile delivery to troops deployed along the borders,” the officer said.
The force earlier also floated a RFP (request for proposal) for fast-track procurement of 363 drones for the infantry to enhance operational logistics along the China border.“Such drones will reduce the need for soldiers or porters as well as animal transport to carry supplies and ammunition,” the officer said.
Some “optimization of manpower” has already been achieved with the phased implementation of the Shekatkar Committee report, which in December 2019 recommended measures to enhance combat capability, slash non-operational flab and rebalance the defence expenditure.
The implementation of certain recommendations of the committee includes redeployment of around 57,000 posts of officers, soldiers and defence civilians. All 39 military farms, for instance, have been progressively shut down.
“This itself led to a reduction of 1.2 lakh soldiers. In the first year of Agnipath, we are in turn taking only 40,000 Agniveers in two batches,” an officer said. By around 2032, Agniveers will constitute 50% of the Army as per the existing plan to ostensibly reduce the average age of soldiers from the existing 32 to 24-26 in six to seven years as well as induct tech-savvy youth for wars of the future.
Then, there is also “adequate scope” to reduce manpower of “tradesmen”, like cooks, barbers, washermen and safaiwallahs”, who number around 80,000 in the Army, an officer said.
With terrorism on the decline in J&K, the Army is also examining whether the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), which was first raised in 1990 as a small force but now has 63 battalions, needs to be restructured.
“A division-level force of the RR, in any case, was inducted into eastern Ladakh after the Chinese incursions there in 2020. We are assessing if the number of RR battalions, or the number of companies in each battalion, can be reduced if there is no spike in terrorism again,” a senior officer told TOI.
The Army, however, has decided to gradually shut down its “animal transport companies”, reducing their number by around 70% by 2030. “Logistic drones can be useful in this,” another officer said.
The Army last month issued a RFI (request for information) for acquisition of 570 logistics drones, including those designed for deployment in high-altitude areas over 12,000-feet. “Such drones can carry out last-mile delivery to troops deployed along the borders,” the officer said.
The force earlier also floated a RFP (request for proposal) for fast-track procurement of 363 drones for the infantry to enhance operational logistics along the China border.“Such drones will reduce the need for soldiers or porters as well as animal transport to carry supplies and ammunition,” the officer said.
Some “optimization of manpower” has already been achieved with the phased implementation of the Shekatkar Committee report, which in December 2019 recommended measures to enhance combat capability, slash non-operational flab and rebalance the defence expenditure.
The implementation of certain recommendations of the committee includes redeployment of around 57,000 posts of officers, soldiers and defence civilians. All 39 military farms, for instance, have been progressively shut down.
