Army reduces training tenure

Army reduces training tenure
GAURAV C. SAWANT

NEW DELHI, FEBRUARY 1: Citing a dearth of officers as the reason, the Army has cut short the training of cadets at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) by six months.

For cadets of the National Defence Academy, the training period has been reduced from one year to six months. And for those taking the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exams, the cadets will graduate as officers in a year instead of the present 18 months.

These changes will apply to the cadets graduating from NDA in May.

Army spokesman Colonel Shruti Kant said the training of cadets will not suffer even though the cycle had been shortened by six months. ``Training has been condensed and there is availability of better and new training equipment,'' he said. ``There are simulators and training will be made more intense in this age of information technology,'' he said.

Sources say this step was taken since attempts to attract more recruits have been largely unsuccessful despite a sustained campaign in the media. There was also a plan to promotejunior commissioned officers to take leadership roles but this, too, hasn't had the desired response. ``This is a conscience decision by the Army headquarters taken after a lot of deliberation. The bulk of the training will be imparted in the stipulated time frame. It had been done earlier in the 1960s too. We now expect to fill the gap by reducing the training,'' sources said.

There are some in the Army who feel that reducing the training period will put extra pressure on the cadets. ``This means lesser time for teaching, grasping and reacting. A day cannot have 36 hours, training is bound to suffer,'' an official said. ``What they learn in six months will decide whether they survive terrorist attacks, counter insurgency operations and what will also be affected is six months' maturity and training under guidance of experienced officers.''

Another potential ``problem,'' say officials, is that Army cadets would gain six months seniority over their Navy and Air Force counterparts, which is a frustratingprospect.