New Delhi, January 15, 2008 (DefenceIndia News Service)

Is compulsory military service the answer to the woes of the Army, which is fighting a losing battle on two fronts? On one side, it's not managing to attract enough bright youngsters for its officer cadre and on the other, it's haemorrhaging under the onslaught of serving officers wanting to jump the ship.

Now, perhaps for the first time, a serving Indian Army chief has hinted that compulsory military service — in other words, conscription — may have to be seriously considered in the near future if present trends continue. "If things don't improve, the government may have to take a view on it," said General Deepak Kapoor on Monday, after being asked if conscription was the answer to the crippling shortage of officers in the 1.13-million strong Army.

Though the General was quick to point out that "we have not come to that stage yet", things don't look too good for the force. The latest statistics show the Army is grappling with a shortage of 11,238 officers in an "authorized" strength of 46,615. To top that, around 3,000 officers have applied for premature retirement just since 2004.

TNN

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