Agneepath scheme will weaken the army, why are officers and former veterans saying this

New Delhi: The political tussle over the compensation to be given to Agniveers who die in the line of duty continues. Meanwhile, many serving military officers and veterans say the biggest concern is that the Agneepath plan will reduce combat effectiveness and operational efficiency. This is being ignored despite the clear and present dangers posed by China and Pakistan.

Losses of Air Force, Navy

Military officials say it takes seven to eight years for a soldier, sailor and airman to become fully combat-ready with the requisite practical experience, but under a plan launched in June 2022, 75% of the Agniveers of each batch will be decommissioned after four years. This will particularly hurt the Indian Air Force and Navy, which are more technologically advanced, but the Army will also be impacted.

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army’s precious time and money wasted

A top official told our sister newspaper Times of India that the nature of warfare is changing with rapid technological advancement. Why should the armed forces spend their precious time and money in training Agniveers to handle the best weapon systems, missiles and machinery when most of them will be out of the army after just four years. Moreover, the overburdened army is already facing a shortage of combat-ready soldiers, which will increase further with each passing year without any change in the Agneepath plan.

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Only 40 thousand are recruited

Around 60,000 soldiers retire every year, while the annual recruitment of Agniveers is currently limited to 40,000. Given that, the government is unlikely to scrap the Agneepath scheme, which is primarily aimed at reducing the rising salary and pension bills. The armed forces want the retention rate of Agniveers to be increased from the current 25% to at least 50-60%, based on surveys and feedback from their units, among other changes.

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Former Navy Chief criticized

Admiral K B Singh, who retired as Navy chief in November 2021, said in a post on ‘X’ on Thursday, “The only motivation pushing Agnipath is to reduce the pension bill. The fact that this scheme will reduce combat effectiveness is known to all who understand national security. Another former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) said economics must take a backseat to national security. The only litmus test for any change or reform in the military should be: Does it increase or decrease combat effectiveness?

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A limited number were offered

he/she said there should be concern about the ‘huge operational constraint’ being imposed on combat units. These units are forced to accept barely trained recruits suitable only for sentry duty. Incidentally, the Agniveers first receive a shorter basic training of six months instead of about 11 months for regular soldiers. Other military chiefs and top officers have also criticised Agneepath on several counts. Former Army Chief Gen M M Naravane, who retires in April 2022, has certainly already said that the Army had initially proposed that only a ‘limited number (10%)’ of soldiers should be enrolled for short term service.

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Crack in the spirit of unity!

However, the PMO directed that not only the entire recruitment (100%) should be on short-service basis, but this would also apply to the Indian Air Force and Navy. Later, the Army also argued that 75% of the recruited jawans should be retained, but to no avail. A senior Army officer said the Agneepath scheme is already creating ‘cracks in the most important cohesion, camaraderie and regimental spirit’ of the battalions.

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What is wrong in making changes to Agnipath?

The military authority says that there are now two classes of soldiers, Agniveers and regular soldiers who get higher pay and annual leaves as well as pension. An unhealthy competition is also emerging among the Agniveers to prove their suitability to continue as regular soldiers. If the Constitution can be amended more than 100 times, what is wrong in making changes to Agnipath?