Retirement age of Defence personnel to increase: CDS General Rawat

Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has said that the retirement age of jawans in the Army, airmen in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and sailors in the Navy will be extended as it could benefit nearly 15 lakh men of all three armed forces.

"We are soon bringing a policy to extend the service profile of the men (forces nomenclature for troops) and have an increased minimum retirement age," said General Rawat in an exclusive interaction with The Tribune yesterday.

On being asked if he was looking to cut down the manpower costs as rising salaries and pensions were taking away a large portion of the budget, General Rawat said, "I am looking at manpower costs. Why should a jawan serve for just 15 or 17 years, why cannot he serve for 30 years? We are losing trained manpower."

Easing fears that this policy would change the age profile of the fighting force, he said that the frontline combatant could be young. "We have an Army Medical Corps, why can't the nursing assistant serve till 50 years of age?"

When asked about the impact of Covid-19 pandemic, General Rawat opined that the transformation and restructuring is required in the armed forces. "There is transformation required in the armed forces and Covid means it will be done now," he said.

Responding on another question asked by The Tribune if the target for having joint commands within three years would be achieved by them, he said, "I don't visualise this going beyond three years.