Govt nod for common promotion norm for two and three star officers in armed forces
The measure is aimed at enhancing cooperation and coordination among the three branches of the armed forces. This new system will be implemented starting from September-October 2023
FollowIn a significant step aimed at bringing in jointness and integration among the tri-services, the government has given the approval for a common annual confidential report for two and three-star officers of the armed forces. It will come into effect from September-October this year, sources in the defence establishment said on Friday.
The Annual Confidential Report (ACR) stands for an objective and impartial assessment of the character, conduct, capabilities and performance of an official throughout the year.
The two-star and three-star officers in the Army are of Major General and Lieutenant General ranks respectively. Similarly in the Navy, they are Rear Admiral and Vice Admiral while in the Air Force, they are of Vice Air Marshal and Air Marshal ranks.
Since the three services are moving towards theaterisation the need to have synergy in the appraisal system was felt as a large number of officers from the services will be employed in tri-services organisations, in the future.
Recently, it was decided to send 102 officers from the Army, Air Force and Navy for cross-postings in all arms and services, including logistics, aviation and artillery. These officers will be equivalent to the ranks of Majors and Lieutenant (Lt) Colonels. From the Indian Navy, officers at the ranks of Lieutenant Commanders and Commanders will be part of the cross-postings while from the Indian Air Force, cross-postings will be from the rank of Squadron Leaders and Wing Commanders.
This step has been considered as the first step towards integration. The sources said: "This reform will prove instrumental in the path towards achieving commonality in procedures, assessments and lead to better outcomes, thereby contributing to jointness and integration."
Once implemented, the armed forces would have better identification and selection of officers for tri-services appointments in the Command, Staff or Instructional channels, based on their suitability. Currently, the selection system for posting in combined or tri-service appointments is based on parent service-specific parameters. Earlier, the system was applicable for Major Generals and equivalent ranks in the sister services.
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