Click to play videoNew Delhi: India is getting 156 more generals and a civil war is on in the military to grab these posts. The Army is crying foul, complaining that the Air Force and Navy have got more posts than they deserve.
On the occasion of the implementation of the second phase of the Ajai Vikram Singh Committee Report - aimed at ending the stifling stagnation in the military by creating more room at the top – the tension was palpable.
The Army made the rather ambitious demand for a 150 per cent increase in the number of its generals, even pressing for a new rank of Colonel General.
The Committee rejected the idea of a new rank and heavily pruned the numbers, deciding that there ought to be only 156 more generals and that new posts be shared by all three services.
The Army is furious, arguing that posts given to the Air Force and Navy are disproportionate to their much-lesser numbers. No side is holding its punches.
But what will the Indian military do with so many generals? In the past, the British Army expanded 10 times between the two World Wars, but its command structure remained the same.
Here, there will be a boom in the ranks of generals at a time when force reduction across the board appears inevitable"
Surprisingly, the same Army veterans who make a passionate case for a lion's share concede that there's no role for additional generals.
“Since today all units are being commanded, where are they planning to put all these guys? Ranks will increase but formations won't, only a fraction will be able to command,” says
Ex-Division Commander, Major Gen SV Thapliyal.
The sister services see the spat as a fight for pre-eminence.
“In the years to come, the IAF and the Navy will play larger role in national security and defence than the Army because inter-state wars will not take place,” says strategic analyst, AVM Kapil Kak.
The one silver lining of the spat is that the fighting spirit of India's generals is there for all to see.
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)
More on IBNLive Right Now
MOST SHARED
PHOTOGALLERY
