Officers in Army, Navy, & Airforce

Commissioned Officers / Medical Officers / Women Officers in Army, Navy, & Airforce.

Recruitment of Commissioned Officers in the Armed Forces is mainly through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). For Technical Branches, women special entry scheme, NCC special entry scheme and service entries is made directly through the respective Recruiting Directorates for the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.

Recruitment through the UPSC

The UPSC holds an all-India competitive examination, known as the Combined Defence Services Examination (CDSE), twice a year. University graduates are eligible to appear in the examination. Successful candidates join the respective training academies, viz., the Indian Military Academy (IMA) for the Army, the Naval Academy for the Navy and the Air Force Academy for the Air Force.

The UPSC also holds, twice a year, an examination for entry into the National Defence Academy (NDA). Candidates on completion of the 10+2 Examination or while in the 12th standard, are eligible to compete in this examination. Successful candidates thereafter join the NDA. On completion of the NDA course, they are sent to the respective service academies for their pre-commission training.

Recruitment through Selection Boards

Recruitment through Service Selection Boards/Air Force Selection Board is made for the following branches of the Army, Navy and Air Force:-

·         ARMY : All Arms and Services.

·         NAVY : Electrical Engineering, Engineering (Naval Architects), Logistics, Law, Education, Air Traffic Control.

·         AIR FORCE : Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics), Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical), Education, Administration, Logistics, Accounts and Meteorology.

University Entry Scheme

Final/pre-final year students in engineering disciplines are eligible for induction into the technical branches/services of the Army, as Commissioned Officers under the University Entry Scheme.

Short Service Commission (Technical) Entry Scheme

The Short Service Commission (Technical) Entry Scheme envisages recruitment of qualified technical graduates through the SSBs, to attend the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, after medical tests, for a 10 months course. On completion of training at the OTA, successful candidates are inducted as Short Service Commissioned Officers in the technical branches of the Army.

Recruitment of Medical Officers

Medical graduates from the Armed Forces Medical College, Pune are directly inducted as permanent Commissioned Medical Officers in the Armed Forces. For recruitment of Regular Commissioned/Short Service Commissioned Medical Officers from the graduates/Post graduates of Civil Medical Colleges, the Director General of the Armed Forces Medical Services conducts an all India competitive examination.

Recruitment of Women Officers

Eligible women are recruited as officers on Short Service Commission basis in the following Branches of the Armed Forces.

ARMY : EME, Signals, Engineers, Army Education Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Army Service Corps, Intelligence and Judge Advocate General’s Branch.

NAVY : All Branches of the Indian Navy

AIR FORCE: Flying, Aeronautical Engineering (Electronics), Aeronautical Engineering (Mechanical) Education, Administration, Logistics, Accounts and Meteorology.

Recruitment through NCC

University graduates possessing NCC ‘C’ Certificate with minimum ‘B’ grading and 50% marks in graduation are inducted in the Navy and Air Force as Regular Commissioned Officers and as Short Service Commission Officers in the Army. These graduates are exempted from appearing in the CDSE conducted by the UPSC and are selected through the SSBs.

Induction under Special Commissioned Officers Scheme

Government has approved the creation of a 6,000 strong Support Cadre of Special Commissioned Officers. These posts will be filled up by eligible JCOs and OR. Under this entry, serving JCOs/ NCOs/OR in the age group of 30-35 years, with an Army Senior School Certificate Pass (Class XI CBSE Pattern) qualification, will be eligible for commission after screening/selection through Service Selection Board and a Medical Board. They have to undergo a pre-commission training of six months duration. The officers so commissioned earn promotion upto the rank of Colonel. The rules for substantive promotion and acting promotion are the same as for regular officers. These officers are employed in units as sub unit Cadres/QM job/ERE appointments etc. upto the rank of Major. They retire at the age of 57 years after serving about 20-25 years as officers. The scheme  not only improve the career prospects of the existing JCOs/NCOs/OR but also help in making up the deficiency of officers in the Army to a considerable extent.

10 + 2 Technical Entry Scheme

Under this scheme, candidates with 10+2 qualification, after selection through SSB, is sent for military and engineering training at IMA and the College of Military Engineering , Pune. Initial six months military training is followed by Degree Engineering training of 4 years. The objective of this scheme is to help in bringing down the deficiency of officers in technical Arms/Services….for more information, please review website.