Agnipath: Towards Combat Readiness

The worst that can happen in any nation's political history is when the Armed Forces are politicised. Many people still regret in their life of not being able to join the Armed Forces because of the selection criteria. Still, the nationalists continue with their appetite for trashing the unwanted people from their soil.

Are we at war – with the worst economies?

Before taking on this question- Since the war is fought in battlegrounds and borders, what is a border? While borders have been refined and modernised from land to your palm in the form of a smart mobile to a virus bug, then what stops recreating or modernising the Armed Forces? Yes, we are under constant threat surrounded by two enemy nations and even fighting the hegemony of Five Eyes. Excepting this, we in India also must constantly fight internal threats. Few political forces have an ideology of sweeping and mopping the country by diluting any important step toward change into a distorted perception of the public.

The election mandate of better Army jobs by one of the oppositions given during elections comes with an increase in the defense budget. Which Political Party can vow for it without fueling another issue of the bare minimum pensions and salaries of military personnel?

As a consequence of Agnipath – the Army is solidifying its combat force to fight with the enemy on the mountainous terrain where drone rotor blades might not work and radio frequency cannot be encrypted. India has deployed fierce Heron Mark -2 drones at a forward base in the northern sector to carry out missions of surveillance along the border of Pakistan and China. Combat readiness cannot be mixed with politics and campaign mandates.

What is in store for Youth in Agnipath?

Launched by the Indian government in June 2022, stands as a pioneering initiative revolutionizing military recruitment while offering unparalleled opportunities for India’s youth.

A robust and well-thought-out financial support system has been planned upon completing the service. Agniveers receive a skill certificate that demonstrates their acquired competencies in leadership, technical proficiency, and specialized trades—skills highly valued in the civilian job market. Additionally, they receive pay and allowances, including Risk and Hardship allowances, comparable to regular soldiers. Each Agniveer also benefits from the Seva Nidhi package worth approximately Rs. 12 lakhs, providing a substantial fund to support their reintegration into civilian life. The scheme further encourages entrepreneurial aspirations by offering bank guarantees for financial loans aimed at self- employment or entrepreneurship.

Leaner and Meaner Army

The Army is a combat force to fight with an army at every level and comes with multilayered security and echelon formation. Agnipath addresses the future challenges and makes the Indian Armed Forces agile. As a drive towards modernization of the Army, this scheme:

Enhancing Military Agility and Technological Expertise

It maintains a more agile and physically capable military by significantly reducing the average age of armed forces personnel from 32 to 26 years. This rejuvenation is essential as the speed and nature of contemporary threats evolve, requiring increased stamina, resilience, and technical expertise. Younger personnel are better equipped to handle the demands of modern operations, which are more intense and technologically sophisticated. The infusion of technically skilled individuals into the military ensures the op preparedness of the armed forces.

Agniveer Modernising Warfare

Finally, the Agniveer Scheme has aimed to make a young army. Reducing the average age in the Indian military forces is a modernizing warfare policy that will look to enhance the Indian defense forces. Be it a Drone operator or a cyber expert, a young Agniveer can easily be adept in the ecosystem contributing towards modernizing the armed forces,

However, the critiques of the scheme have pointed out potential skill wastage and set the narrative to fuel the internal threat and protests.

This a simple quizzing to those politicians and critics who instead of working towards governance or strengthening their ideologies towards national interest have never thought of joining the Armed Forces or giving this option to their children. Do they know the structure or demography of the LoC/LAC? Would they ever envisage the critical situations of defense operations? Maybe with this thought and defense budgetary constraints, they echo their voice towards national security.