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The Indian Army has made some changes in the promotion system for its officers. Now the merit list of all Lieutenant Generals will be prepared on the basis of their performance. This new system will come into effect from March 31 and its aim is to promote selection on the basis of merit.
This new arrangement will help the Indian Army in the selection of Lieutenant Generals serving in the Integrated Theater Commands.
This new policy will be implemented under the revised Annual Confidential Report (ACR) form for Lieutenant Generals. This new policy will not apply to the Vice Chief and Commander-in-Chief of the Army’s 6 operational commands and one training command. Let us tell you that there are eight officers who are Lieutenant Generals, but they are one notch above other three-star generals. The Indian Army has about 11 lakh soldiers. The army has more than 90 Lieutenant Generals, 300 Major Generals and 1,200 Brigadiers.
The Times of India quoted sources as saying that the new policy will prepare the Indian Army to match the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy. The source says, “Till now there was no ACR system for lieutenant generals. Now they will be rated on a scale of 1 to 9 based on various qualities. Their promotion will not depend only on seniority but will be based on performance. Due to the creation of theater commands, there was a need for a uniform evaluation system for all three services at the top posts of the army.” The Army Headquarters letter does not clarify whether this policy will also apply to the selection of the Vice Chief and the seven Commanders-in-Chief of the Army. According to the existing Army policy, promotion to the post of Commander-in-Chief depends entirely on seniority. It also takes into account the date of birth and available posts. A Lieutenant General who has led one of the 14 corps of the Army must have at least 18 months of service left to be promoted as Commander-in-Chief. Opposition is also being expressed by some officers regarding the new policy. A senior officer said, “Very few officers are selected on the basis of merit at each stage in the hierarchical structure of the army and become three-star generals. After the rank of Lieutenant General, promotion to the post of Commander-in-Chief was based on seniority. Including merit at this level may increase the possibility of interference, be it political or something else.” Let us tell you that this policy is being implemented at a time when India has finalized the blueprint for three theater commands for China, Pakistan and the Indian Ocean region.
