Pulwama aftermath: Army pushes more officers on ground

As Pakistan continues unprovoked ceasefire violation with firing artillery, mortar, and small-arms fire across Line of Control (LoC), Indian Army has now put more combat-worthy officers to lead the force from the front at the forward areas.

The Army has identified 229 young combat-worthy officers in its headquarter after carrying out a detailed study on re-organisation of Army Headquarters that was started in June 2018 on direction by Chief of Army Staff General Bipin Rawat.

The Army has identified 229 young officers up to the rank of Colonel in Army Headquarters and they will be now on deployed at the forward areas. This is nearly 20 percent of the number of officers currently posted at Army HQ. The number of officers up to the rank of Colonel in Army HQ is currently between 1,000 and 1,100.

Interestingly, there was a shortage of officers in the field by around 50 percent and this move will definitely help the force to act and respond to the threat swiftly and efficiently.

A senior Army officer stated that in a field unit generally around 25 officers are considered ideal but currently they have been functioning with only 10 to 12 officers. "With more officers in the field, the efficiency of the unit will increase manyfold," the officer said.

The officer, however, maintained this was not in light of heightened tension at the border with Pakistan or of Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were dead.

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat has been pushing for reforms in the army to make it more efficient and finally after 12 such studies on the subject — the first one in 1975 under General Krishna Rao — the Army will adopt and implement the recommendations of the recent one.

FROM HQ TO FIELD

• Army has identified 229 young officers up to the rank of Colonel in Army Headquarters 
   
• These combat-worthy officers will be now on deployed at the forward areas