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Home > News > India News > Article > Wanted a few good men

Wanted: a few good men

Updated on: 07 October,2009 07:30 AM IST  | 
Anshuman G Dutta |

Special Forces in Army facing manpower crunch; two volunteer officers to be sent to these elite units compulsorily

Wanted: a few good men

Special Forces in Army facing manpower crunch; two volunteer officers to be sent to these elite units compulsorily

The elite Special Force units of the Indian Army need a few extra hands. And the Army has decided to take a strong step.

The Army has planned to compulsorily send two passing-out officers to Special Force (SF) units to maintain the sanctioned strength. Two volunteers from each batch of Indian Military Academy (IMA) and Officers Training Academy (OTA) will be sent to the seven PARA (SF) units.






Sources in the Army said almost 70 per cent of officers from Seven PARA have been deployed across the country.

The PARA have a sanctioned strength of 35 officers but due to the decreasing number of new inductions, most of the units are functioning with only 10 to 12 officers. "These are specialised units and only the best can go through the training. Even though we are heavily short-staffed there is no question of compromising on quality.
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Thus the existing strength is made to bear all the strain," said the officer.

The strain increases further as the existing officers are sent off to several schools related to battlefield training in the country to undergo mandatory courses and exercises. Consequently, the units are operating with an average strength of five to 10 officers at most times.

In some units there has not been any new induction in the last one-and-a-half year. "The criteria to join the SF units are tougher than in any other unit in the Army. More than half of the officers who opt for SF units are rejected in the 90 days probation period," said an Army officer, wishing anonymity.

Brave men
This year, PARA SF units won three Ashok Chakras for gallant actions of its men in Jammu and Kashmir. Major Mohit Sharma from 10 PARA SF was awarded the medal posthumously, while one Ashok Chakra went to 1 PARA SF unit.

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