Agnipath: Service chiefs unveil new military recruitment strategy

The Defence Minister and the three service chiefs will brief the media at NMC at 12.30 p.m. today, and a formal announcement is expected.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called for “breaking the silos” of the civil administration and the armed forces to deal with hybrid threats at an unrelated event at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie.

“Synergy does not imply infringing on one another’s autonomy.” “It means cooperating while respecting one’s identity, like the colours in a rainbow,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the final details of the new “Agniveer” recruitment policy would be revealed following the announcement.

The Army’s troop recruitment has been halted for two years.

In the first phase, approximately 45,000 young people aged 17.5 to 21 will be recruited for four years in the three services. After four years, they will all be demobilised, and a percentage of them will be called back to serve another 15 years. The four years of service would not be considered when calculating the pension at retirement.

At the moment, the proposal is to keep 25% of demobilised troops, but this could change once the policy is announced. The scheme provides six months of training to youths who will be demobilised after four years to help them adjust to life outside the forces. When the recruits are released, they will receive a diploma and a degree, as well as skill training.