• In a major shift from the past, the Indian Army

is considering a proposal to allow common

citizens to join its ranks for three years 'Tour
of Duty'.
• "A proposal is being discussed under which
common citizens would be allowed a three
year Tour of Duty in the force to serve the
nation," Indian Army sources told ANI.
• Sources said the Short Service Commission
is also under review by the top brass of the
force to make it more attractive for the
youth.
• Indian Army has been facing a shortage of
officers for many years now and wants to do
away with it at the earliest.
The Short Service Commission had earlier started with five
years minimum service but then it was extended to 10 years to
make it more attractive.
• The idea is expected
to be tested on around
100 officers and
1,000 jawans in the
first go, sources said.
They will be trained
for the first year of the
three-year period.
• If approved by the
government, the Navy
and the Air Force
could also be asked
to implement it.
DETAILS RELATED TO THE TOUR OF DUTY
CONCEPT
“Tour of Duty
(ToD)” tenure as
both officers and
jawans in the
backdrop of the There is general If successful, the
ToD will initially
urgent need for acceptance the vacancies can be
be launched with
cadre ToD scheme can increased later,”
around 100
restructuring be launched as an said Army
vacancies for
amidst the experiment with spokesperson
officers and
ballooning salary a limited number Colonel Aman
1,000 for jawans.
and pension bills of vacancies. Anand.
adversely
impacting
military
modernization.
 VOLUNTARY MILITARY SERVICE
• ToD scheme would entail “voluntary
military service” to mark a far-reaching
shift away from the existing “permanent
service” in the armed forces.
• “It will not be military conscription like in
some countries like Israel.
• With huge unemployment, India has no
dearth of people wanting to join the armed
forces,”
• There is no clear picture of how the
The Army currently has around 43,000 officers, with almost
80% of them in the permanent commission (PC) cadre, and 11.8 selection for the Indian Army Tour of Duty
lakh other ranks. The minimum service tenure for a short- will be, as many candidates are asking if
service commission (SSC) officer is 10 years but 50-60% of there will be any written exam of SSB
them are also granted PC to serve till at least 54 years of age interview for the same.
and thereafter get pension.
 COST SAVING • This engagement based on the pattern adopted by
the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), excluding the
conscription clause, is considered to accrue benefits
to Army as well as the individual.
• While this proposal keeps the engagement as
voluntary unlike Israel’s practice of necessary three
years of military service for every able-bodied
person.
• A youth once selected will be imparted one-year
training and three-year service.
• Mulling over the cost of training, the proposal
mentions it at 5.12 crore for an officer serving 10-
year term but under ToD it will be 80-85 lakhs.
What is Military Conscription?
• In case of Jawan, the saving is mentioned to be 11.5
When a military needs people to fight in a war,
but there aren't enough volunteers, crores if he serves for 3 years instead of 17 years of
sometimes they'll begin conscription, minimum.
which is a law that says if you are able to fight,
you have to fight.
BUT WHAT ABOUT COMBAT SKILLS, EXPERIENCE
AND PREPAREDNESS OF THE TOD CADRE TO GO TO
WAR?
• “This argument can be negated with the
demonstrated performance of our officers
and jawans with less than three years
service in the Kargil war.
• If the ToD officers/jawans undergo the same
training (for nine months) as the regular
officers/other ranks, then their commitment,
dedication and performance should not be
in any doubt,” the proposal added.
“LUCRATIVE” OPTION  • “Even major corporates would welcome
young, military-trained professionals
instead of college freshers, and these
professionals would have an edge over
others while getting into another career, or
even in institutions offering a MBA degree
because of the work experience they will
gain,” the officer added.
• The government could add additional perks
for those who opt for it, such as being given
preference in post-graduate courses or
employment in security or administrative
jobs in the government sector.

In case of a battle casualty, Tour of Duty

personnel would be given the same benefits
as regular officers, such as liberalised family
pension, ECHS facility, gratuity, and ex-
servicemen status.
INVERSE INDUCTION  • The Inverse Induction model will
look at bringing personnel
recruited by CAPFs into the
armed forces’ fold for about
seven years, before they go back
to their respective recruiting
organisations.
• There is an existing proposal that
retired armed forces personnel
be recruited by the CAPFs. But
the model under consideration
would flip things around.

10 per cent of the total strength of Indian

armed forces, meaning about 1.2 lakh
personnel, are brought in through the
Inverse Induction method, the pension
bill reduction in year 15 would be Rs
6,468 crore.
PAST EVENTS • The Parliamentary Committee on Defence is
reported to have recommended five years of
compulsory military service for anyone who
wants subsequent employment with the state
or the central government.
• The committee apparently wants the
Department of Personnel and Training
(DoPT) to prepare such a proposal and take
this to the Centre.
• However, on the outset it is necessary to
explain that executing such a desire is
impractical given the sheer size of our
recruitable male and female population
• Examples of nations such as Israel, Singapore,
Switzerland or the Nordic states, which follow
such a system, cannot be taken as a model. 
HOW CAN YOU APPLY FOR TOUR OF
DUTY INDIAN ARMY?

• At the moment there no details on the enrollment

process, once the official details are out will update.

• Doyou like this proposal by the Indian army, do let us know your
thoughts in the comment section below.