Services, govt ‘abusing’ defence report

Former defence secretary Ajai Vikram Singh alleges his report dealing with promotions in the armed forces has been grossly misinterpreted and abused, reports Rahul Singh.

Former defence secretary Ajai Vikram Singh has alleged that his report dealing with promotions in the armed forces and restructuring of the officers’ cadre has been grossly misinterpreted and abused.

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Singh told the Hindustan Times that he was never in favour of having more generals and admirals without functional requirements for these posts. Recently, the three service chiefs had a fight over the share of 156 general-rank posts which are being created under the provisions of the report. Singh feels that was totally unnecessary. “The services are ostensibly scrambling for the spoils and have conveniently forgotten that reducing the age profile of battalion and brigade commanders forms the kernel of my report,” Singh said.

He added: “The higher-ups have obviously not read the report in its entirety. The figure of 156 is the outer limit and these many posts do not have to be necessarily created.”

The report, its author says, made it clear that higher ranks were to be created only after exhausting the avenues of providing officers alternative employment to counter stagnation “as not all of them can become generals.”