Over 6,000 posts of Captain, Major ranks vacant in Army: MoS Ajay Bhatt

Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said that in order to mitigate the shortage, a proposal to make short service entry more attractive is under consideration

The Indian Army has 2,094 posts vacant for Major rank officers and 4,734 Captain rank officers, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt wrote in separate replies to questions posed by Rajya Sabha MPs Kumar Ketkar and Jebi Mather Hisham.

Bhatt attributed the failure to fill the positions to low recruitment during the Covid-19 pandemic and low intake in all support cadre entries, particularly the Short Service Commission (SSC). A person may serve in the Army for a maximum of 14 years under the SSC.

"In order to alleviate the shortage, a proposal to make short service entry more attractive is being considered," the minister said.

Bhatt also stated that the Army, Navy, and Air Force were all in need of 630 doctors, 73 dentists, and 701 nurses. Of these, the Army had the most vacancies, with 598 doctors, 56 dentists, and 528 nurses, he said.

The minister added that the Army was short of 1,495 paramedical staff, the Navy of 392 and the Air Force of 73.

In another reply on July 21, Bhatt informed the Lok Sabha that the Air Force was short of 2,617 personnel with ranks up to lieutenant commander, 881 squadron leaders, and 940 flight lieutenants.

The minister had also stated that the available force was sufficient to meet current operational requirements.

"The operational readiness and effectiveness of Army units is being maintained with organisational resources,” he had said.