Indian armed forces, also known as the Defense forces of India, are more of an emotion than a career option. Like other fields, people do not come here just to make money and have a career. Rather, they have a passion to do something for the country. But on the other hand, it is also a fact that it is quite a fascinating career among the youth.
The life and lifestyle, of an Indian Armed forces personnel, is very different from that of an ordinary human being. Being in the Indian forces is a matter of great pride and honor.
So if you are also planning to join the Indian armed forces and preparing for the Indian armed forces at the officer level, then this article can be very helpful for you.
In this article, we will discuss the types of Indian armed forces and different ways to join these forces. The contents of this article will include
- Introduction
- Types of commission
- NDA
- CDS
- TES
- Direct Entry 10+2 (B.tech)
- UES
- TGC entry
- JAG
- SSC(Tech)
- AFCAT
- INET
- NCC entry
Introduction
The Indian Armed Forces are under the management of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Government of India, in which there are mainly 3 services –
- The Indian Army: has 1,237,117 active personnel and 960,000 reserved personnel
- The Indian Airforce: has 170,576 active personnel and 140,000 reserved personnel
- The Indian Navy: has 67,252 active personnel and 75,000 reserved personnel
Overall, in the Indian Defence Force, there are approximately 14.5 lakh active and 11.5 lakh reserved military personnel.
Types of commission
There are 2 types of commissions in the Indian armed forces
- PC: Permanent commission
- SSC: Short service commission
A Permanent Commission means a career in the army till retirement, while Short Service Commission is for 10 years, with the option of either leaving or opting for a Permanent Commission at the end of 10 years. If an officer doesn’t get Permanent Commission then, the officer can choose a four-year extension.
NDA
NDA – National Defence Academy exam is conducted by UPSC(Union Public Service Commission). This exam is for all the 3 services Indian army, the Navy, and Air Force. All the officers joining through this entry are permanent commissioned officers.
| Vacancies Per Course | 400 (As Notified) (Twice a year) |
| Notification Published in Employment News and leading Daily News Paper | Jun and Dec, Notified by UPSC |
| Eligibility Criteria | |
|---|---|
| Age | 16 ½ to 19½ yrs as on the first day of the month in which the course is due to commence |
| Qualification | 12th Class of 10+2 System of Education or Equivalent for Army and with PCM for AF/Navy |
| Marital Status | Un Married |
| How to Apply | Apply Online on UPSC Website as per the dates given in the Notification in the months of Jun and Dec. |
| Likely SSB Date | Sep to Oct for Jan Course and Jan to Apr for Jul Course |
| Date Commencement of Training | Jan and Jul |
| Training Academy | NDA, Khadakwasla, Pune |
| Duration of Training | 3 Yrs at NDA and 1 Yr at IMA, INA or AFA |
CDS
CDS – Combined Defence Services exam is also conducted by UPSC(Union Public Service Commission) and is for all the 3 services Indian army, the Navy, and Air Force. This exam offers vacancies for Short service commission along with permanent commission.
| Vacancies Per Course | 300 (As Notified) (Twice a year). |
| Notification Published in Employment News and leading Daily News Paper | Notified by UPSC under the aegis of CDSE in Jul and Nov |
| Eligibility Criteria | |
|---|---|
| Age | 19 to 24 years |
| Qualification | Graduation from Recognised University. |
| Marital Status | Un Married |
| How to Apply | Apply Online on UPSC Website as per the dates given in the Notification in the months of Jul and Nov. |
| Likely SSB Date | Aug / Sep and Feb / Mar |
| Date Commencement of Training | Jan and Jul |
| Training Academy | IMA, INA, AFA, or OTA |
| Duration of Training | 1 ½ Year |
TES
TES – Technical Entry Scheme is for the recruitment of officers in the technical trades of the Indian Army. All the officers through this entry are permanently commissioned.
| Vacancies Per Course | 90 (As Notified) (Twice a year) |
| Notification Published in Employment News and leading Daily News Paper | Notified by DG Rtg AG’s branch IHQ of MOD(Army) in May/Jun & Oct/Nov |
| Eligibility Criteria | |
|---|---|
| Age | 16 ½ to 19½ yrs as on the first day of the month in which the course is due to commence |
| Qualification | 10+2 Physics, Chemistry & Maths (aggregate 60% and above and appeared in JEE (Mains) for B.E/B.Tech to apply) |
| Marital Status | Un Married |
| How to Apply | Apply online on the official website of DG Rtg https://joinindianarmy.nic.in as Notified in the Notification. |
| Likely SSB Date | Aug to Oct and Feb to Apr |
| Date Commencement of Training | Jan and Jul |
| Training Academy | OTA Gaya |
| Duration of Training | 5 Yrs (1 Yrs OTA GAYA & 4 Yrs CTWS) Permanent Commission after 4 Yrs. Phase-I– 01 Year Pre-commissioning Training at OTA Gaya & 03 Years at CME Pune/MCTE Mhow/MCEME Secunderabad Phase-II– 01 Year Post commission training at CME Pune/MCTE Mhow/MCEME Secunderabad |
Direct Entry 10+2(B.tech)
It is a direct entry scheme for the recruitment of officers in the Indian Navy. All the officers through this entry are permanently commissioned.
| Vacancies Per Course | 35 (As Notified) (Twice a year) |
| Notification Published in Employment News and leading Daily News Paper | Notified by IHQ MoD (Navy)/ DMPR in May/Jun & Oct/Nov |
| Eligibility Criteria | |
|---|---|
| Age | 16 ½ to 19½ yrs as on the first day of the month in which the course is due to commence |
| Qualification | 10+2 Physics, Chemistry & Maths (aggregate 70% and above and appeared in JEE (Mains) for B.E/B.Tech to apply) |
| Marital Status | Un Married |
| How to Apply | Apply online on the official website https://www.joinindiannavy.gov.in as Notified in the Notification. |
| Likely SSB Date | Aug to Oct and Feb to Apr |
| Date Commencement of Training | Jan and Jul |
| Training Academy | INA Ezhimala |
| Duration of Training | 4 Yrs B.Tech Course in Applied Electronics & Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Electronics & Communication Engineering as per Naval requirements |
UES
University Entry Scheme
UES – University Entry Scheme is also for the recruitment of officers in the technical trades of the Indian Army. It also offers a permanent commission.
| Vacancies Per Course | 60 (As Notified) (Once a Year) |
| Notification Published in Employment News and leading Daily News Paper | Notified by Directorate General Recruiting / AG Branch in Jun/Jul |
| Eligibility Criteria | |
|---|---|
| Age | 18 to 24 years |
| Qualification | Pre-Final year students of Notified Engineering Streams |
| Marital Status | Un Married |
| How to Apply | Apply online on the official website of DG Rtg https://joinindianarmy.nic.in/ as Notified in the Notification. |
| Likely SSB Date | Nov to Feb |
| Date Commencement of Training | Jul |
| Training Academy | IMA, Dehradun |
| Duration of Training | One Year |
TGC entry
Technical Graduate Course
TGC – Technical Graduate Course is also for an officers level technical entry for the Indian Army. It is also a permanent commission.
| Vacancies Per Course | 60 (As Notified) (Twice a Year) |
| Notification Published in Employment News and leading Daily News Paper | Notified by Directorate General Recruiting / AG Branch in Mar/Apr and Sep/Oct. |
| Eligibility Criteria | |
|---|---|
| Age | 20 to 27 years |
| Qualification | BE / B Tech in notified streams of Engineering |
| Marital Status | Un Married |
| How to Apply | Apply online on the official website of DG Rtg https://joinindianarmy.nic.in/ as Notified in the Notification. |
| Likely SSB Date | Mar / Apr and Sep / Oct |
| Date Commencement of Training | Jan and Jul |
| Training Academy | IMA, Dehradun |
| Duration of Training | One Year |
JAG
Judge advocate general
JAG – Judge Advocate General branch exam is conducted for the recruitment of advocate officers in the Indian Army. It is a short service commission.
| Vacancies Per Course | 10(As Notified)(Twice a year) |
| Notification Published in Employment News and leading Daily News Paper | Notified by Directorate General Recruiting / AG Branch in Jul/Aug and Jan/Feb |
| Eligibility Criteria | |
|---|---|
| Age | 21 to 27 years |
| Qualification | Graduate with LLB with 55% marks. Eligible for Registration with the Bar Council of India / State. |
| Marital Status | Un Married |
| How to Apply | Apply online on the official website of DG Rtg https://joinindianarmy.nic.in as Notified in the Notification. |
| Likely SSB Date | Dec / Jan and Jul / Aug |
| Date Commencement of Training | Apr and Oct |
| Training Academy | OTA, Chennai |
| Duration of Training | 49 Weeks |
SSC(Tech)
SSC(Tech) – Short Service Commission Technical is for short-term technical services in the Indian army at the officers’ level.
| Vacancies Per Course | 100 (As Notified) (Twice a year) |
| Notification Published in Employment News and leading Daily News Paper | Notified by Directorate General Recruiting / AG Branch in Jun / Jul and Dec/Jan |
| Eligibility Criteria | |
|---|---|
| Age between | 20 to 27 years |
| Qualification | Engineering Degree in notified stream |
| Marital Status | Un Married |
| How to Apply | Apply online on the official website of DG Rtg https://joinindianarmy.nic.in as Notified in the Notification. |
| Likely SSB Date | Dec-Jan and Jun-Jul |
| Date Commencement of Training | Apr and Oct |
| Training Academy | OTA, Chennai |
| Duration of Training | 49 Weeks |
AFCAT
AFCAT – Air Force common admission test is the only option apart from NDA, CDS, and NCC entry by which you can join Indian Airforce.
There are broadly 2 branches in the Indian Airforce force
- Flying Branch
- Ground Duty Branch
- Technical
- Non-technical
Through this exam, both the Permanent and short service officers are commissioned. But it doesn’t offer permanent commission in Airforce flying branch. It is only available for the candidates joining through NDA & CDS.
Age eligibility criteria for the flying branch is 20-24 years and Ground duty is 20-26 years. This entry scheme is also conducted twice a year. IN education qualifications, only graduation in some specific field is allowed(mostly engineering). Most of the branches require Physics and Maths as compulsory subjects in 10+2 with a minimum of 50% marks.
After getting selected, candidates are sent to AFA i.e. Air force academy, Hydrabad for training.
The training period for Flying Branch and Ground Duty technical is of 74 weeks and for the Non-technical branch is of 52 weeks.
INET
Indian Navy Entrance Test (INET) is the officers’ entry under the control of IHQ MoD (Navy)/ DMPR and caters to both Permanent Commission (PC) and Short Service Commission (SSC). The INET will be conducted twice a year.
Branches of the Indian Navy undertaken through INET
- Pilot (MR) – for men and women
- Pilot (NMR) – for men only
- Observer- for men and women
- Air Traffic Contro (ATC) – for men and women
- General Service – Executive (GS/X)/
- Hydro– for men only
- General Service (Technical – Electrical & Engineering)
- Naval Architect- for men and women
- Information Technology– for men only
- Logistics- for men and women
- Education- for men and women
- Naval Armament Inspectorate Cadre (NAIC) – for men and women
Age eligibility criteria for INET are different according to the branch candidates are applying for.
After getting selected, candidates are sent to INA i.e. India naval academy, Ezhimala for training.
NCC entry
NCC – National cadet corps is also one of the paths for joining the Indian Armed Forces. If you have already a part of NCC and have an “A” or “B” grade in NCC “C” certificate, then it becomes a little easier for you to join the Indian Armed Forces, as you bypass the written test and directly get eligible for the SSB.
So these were different ways to join the Indian Armed Forces
If you want a Hindi explanation of this article, you may watch this video-
