The Defiance services offer dignified, disciplined and prestigious placements. An officer in the Indian army inherits glorious heritage and timeless traditions, blended perfectly with the latest technology in the fields of Management, Engineering and Medical Sciences. It offers a golden opportunity to be a part of the world’s finest army and get trained not only to be an officer but also a gentleman for life.
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Apart from attractive pay and perks, army offers the best in life style, even better than all other professions. Be it the social interaction, finest clubs, golf courses, medical facilities and ample opportunities to indulge in adventure and sports, army has it all. In fact you are paid to lead a healthy life in a healthy environment.
Facilities like subsidized housing, free medical for self & family, canteen facilities, group insurance cover, soft loans for house and/ or vehicle and above all the feeling of belonging to a family (Army) which cares for you, are the perks of the Army which no other organization provides.
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Nature of works: The Indian army is mainly divided into Combat Arms and Services.
- The Combat Arms are the infantry, the artillery, and the armored corps, the Corps of Engineers and Corps of Signals.
- Services include army service corps, army ordnance Corps, Army Postal Services, Army Medical Corps, Army Education Corps, Intelligence Corps.
Combat arms are responsible for actual combat, whereas, services are responsible to ensure continuous flow or required ordnance and supplies, including food for men and animals, including food for men and animals, fuel for vehicles and tanks and ammunition.With the Indian Air Force, one can be an officer in the Flying Branch, Technical Branch and Ground Duty (or Administrative) Branch. Post graduates (that is those with a master’s degree) who enter the Air Force are not eligible to be in the flying branch but can work in the technical branch and the ground duty branch.
- The flying branch includes fighter pilots who fly combat or fighter planes carrying ammunition and missiles; transport pilots who fly planes which carry men and materials and helicopter Pilots who provide air support to a moving army, or are used for para-droping men and supplies.
- The technical Branch which includes engineering sections and is responsible for the engineering equipment and weapons systems of the air force.
- The Administrative (or Ground Duty) Branch includes all the departments that provide logistical, Meteorological, Educational and Administrative support to the flying and technical branches.
- In the Indian Navy, one can join to be a sailor or an Artificer Apprentice (AA) or an Officer working as an Executive, Logistics and Education officer or an Engineering Officer or an Electrical officer or a Medical and Dental officer.
- The Executive Branch manages the Navy’s Warships and Submarines as instruments of tactical warfare.
- The Engineering Branch is responsible for the maintenance and service of engineering equipment and the propulsion systems on board including electrical and electronic systems, weapon systems, missiles, radar, and radio communication systems.
- The education Branch ensures that the officers and men are updated in their technical knowledge tactical skills.
Careers in the Indian armed forces, especially those of officer rank are seen as prestigious careers. Armed forces are seen as the defenders of the nation. If one is ideologically suited to such a career and considers oneself patriotic then one may think about careers in the armed forces. A certain notion of heroism is also attached to the Defense forces. If those appeals to you and if –to use the adline of the SSC- You have it in you, then you may contemplate joining the Indian Armed Forces.
Personality
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Acareer as a soldier or an officer requires a special type of personality. The screening tests that the Indian army conducts are primarily designed to check a candidate’s personality. More emphasis is laid on the candidate’s personality than on his (there is only a short service commission (SSC) for women called the Women’s Special Entry Scheme (Officers), all the other posts in the Indian armed forces can only be filled by men) physical abilities. The services selection board (SSB) tries to find out whether a candidate has it in him to handle mental and physical pressure. Since life as a soldier or officer involves combat and the harsh realities of it, there are only a few who can handle such mental and physical pressure. The tests that the services selection Board conducts are not physically very grueling but are meant to assess the candidate’s mental character more than anything else. A successful candidate needs to withstand physical and mental pressure. Even the courses in the National Defence Academy (NDA) or the Indian Military Academy (IMA) test a candidate’s ability to handle pressure to an extreme. Punishments (which are the only form of ragging allowed in these institutes) are justified on the basis that they are part of the training –they are meant to build a prospective soldier or officer’s ability to withstand and not succumb under physical and mental pressure.
Joining the Army is possible both after school as well as after graduation. Various types of entries are enumerated below:
Permanent Commission
A permanent commission means a career in the army till you retire. For a permanent commission you have to join the National Defence Academy or the Indian Military Academy.
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The National Defence Academy, Pune: You can take the NDA entrance exam right after class XI. Clear the UPSC exam and a 5day service Selection Board interview, pass your medical, and you are in NDA. Three years in NDA and you will be a much improved person. There are 31 extra-curricular activities to choose from. These include aero-modeling, golf, gliding, sailing, wind surfing, astronomy, photography and many more.
Indian Military Academy, Dehradun: Indian Military Acdemy is yet another cradle of leadership. There are four main entries to get into IMA. In your final year of graduation, you need to pass the Combined Defence Services exam, clear the SSB, be medically fit and join IMA as a Direct Entry if you come in merit. The other entries are 10+2 Tech entry where you apply after your 12th exams, university Entry Scheme is for those who wish to apply for army in pre-final/final year of engineering. Those who have completed B.E./B. Tech, in notified streams can also join IMA in the Technical Graduate Course. The selection procedure is same as for IMA (Direct Entry). The duration of training is 1½ years for IMA (DE), five years (one year at IMA and four years at Cadet Training Wings) for 10+2 TEST (including one year after commissioning) and one year for all other entries.
The IMA has excellent facilities for all-round development. You can go for adventure sports like rafting, para jumping, and rock climbing, trekking and mountaineering.From the IMA, you are commissioned as a “Lieutenant” in the Indian army, to go out into the world and live up to the IMA motto- “Velour & Wisdom”.
Short Service Commission
You also have the option of joining the Army and serving as a commissioned officer for 10 years. At the end of this period you have two options. Either elect for a permanent Commission or opt out.Those not selected for permanent commission have the option of a 4 years extension. They can resign at any time during this period.
A short service commission empowers you with analytical thinking, planning skills, administrative and organizational abilities. Qualities which will make you an invaluable asset for any organization that you join after the Army and there are opportunities to side step to an alternate career for which Army will also help you.
Officers Training Academy, Chennai: Once selected for short service commission, you go to the officers Training Academy at Chennai. The selection process is a written exam followed by the SSB interview and medicals. For Technical (Engineering) graduates it is direct SSB interview and medicals. If you have done NCC Senior Division (Army) and obtained ‘C’ certificate with minimum ‘B’ grade, you can apply through your NCC Branch HQ/Zonal HQ to Recruiting Directorate for direct SSB interview. SSB qualified candidates undergo a medical examination. The duration of training is 49 weeks. OTA training provides you with opportunities to broaden your perspective and widen your horizon. Whether it’s skeet-shooting, golf, riding or angling –at OTA you can do it all.
Short Service Commission for Women (Officers): the Indian army also has women officers. You can take up the challenge of short services commission and prove to the world that when it comes to courage and leadership, you’re second to none.
Women officers receive training at OTA, Chennai. You should be a graduate/ postgraduate to apply. After the written exam, there is the SSB interview followed by a medical examination.
NDA/ Naval Academy Examination
There is one common written examination for entry into army, Air Force and Naval Wings of NDA and Executive Branch of Naval Academy on the following pattern.
Mathematics 21/2 hours-marks 300 General Ability: 21/2 hours-marks 600.
Candidates who are declared qualified in the written examination have t appear before a services selection Board (SSB) for intelligence and personality test to assess the candidates for their officers’ potentiality and those for the Air Force in Pilot Aptitude test and officer potentiality.
Graduate / Direct Entry
Individuals between the age of 19 and 22 and having a three year Bachelors degree can appear for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam, which is held every 6 months at various centers in India. Again like the NDA process, there will be an SSB interview and a medical examination. On clearing these, individual is straight-away enlisted into the Indian Military Academy (if he opts for the Army), without entering NDA, and gets trained there for 18 months after which, he gets a commissioned rank.
Best of Luck …