This is not the first time… Army Chief got extension, what next?

New Delhi: The government on Sunday gave one month extension to Army Chief General Manoj Pandey. he/she was to retire on May 31. This is the first such extension of service that an Army Chief has received from the government in many decades. Army Chief General Manoj Pandey has received a one-month extension six days before his/her retirement. General Pandey, who took over as the 29th Army Chief in April 2022, turns 62 this month. The inordinate delay in announcing his/her successor had already given rise to much speculation. The matter will be further complicated by the detail by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) headed by the Prime Minister. Because the next senior most army officer, Vice Chief Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi (Jammu and Kashmir Rifles) and his/her successor, Southern Command chief Lieutenant General Ajay Kumar Singh (Gorkha Rifles), are both scheduled to retire on June 30.

The Chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force can serve till the age of 62 years or three years, whichever is earlier. Whereas officers of Lieutenant General rank retire at the age of 60 if they are not approved for four star rank. A top government official told The Times of India that ‘any speculation or controversy is inappropriate’ as it was decided that no major posts would be filled before the election process is completed. There have been no top-level military postings in the past month. The next Army chief was to take charge on May 31, a day before the final phase of voting. Now, the next government is likely to announce the new Army chief in mid-June, the official said, who will take over from General Pandey on June 30 (both Lt Gen Dwivedi and Singh will still be in the race).

However, the election code of conduct did not stop the government from announcing on April 19 that Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi would take over as the new Navy chief on April 30, succeeding Admiral R Hari Kumar. The next three officers in seniority whose names were also sent to the ACC are Northern Command and Central Command chiefs Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar and NS Raja Subramani and Chief of Integrated Defense Staff Lt Gen J P Mathew.

Seniority is generally given importance for promotion in the army, but in some cases this has not happened. The earliest example is from 1975, when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi appointed General G. Yes. Bewoor’s tenure was extended. The Government of India has circumvented the rule of seniority twice in the last 10 years. For the first time, in December 2016, General Bipin Rawat was made the Army Chief, bypassing Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi and PM Harij. General Rawat later became the first Chief of Defense Staff, but he/she died in a helicopter crash in December 2021.

For the second time, Admiral Karambir Singh was made the Navy Chief in May 2019. During this, Bimal Verma, who was the chief of Andaman and Nicobar Command at that time, was ignored. In both the cases, the government had said that its decision was taken ‘not just on the basis of seniority, but on the basis of merit’. There have been many exceptions to the principle of seniority in the past. For example, Indira Gandhi appointed General A.S. Vaidya as Army Chief in 1983, replacing Lt. Gen. S.K. Sinha. Similarly, Air Chief Marshal SK Mehra became the Chief of the Air Force in 1988, replacing Air Marshal MM Singh.

A senior officer said that earlier the new army chief was announced two months in advance. These decisions taken at the last moment are not good for the morale of the armed forces. Politicization of the armed forces is also increasing. Some big officers are actively taking help of politicians for their promotion.