Army for IIM-A study to review officer selection process

Facing a shortage of around 10,000 officers, Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh has ordered a study by IIM-Ahmedabad to review the six-decade-old process of their selection and make it speedy and more transparent.
The study under a senior faculty of the IIM-A would also be asked to recommend changes in the duration of the Services Selection Board which at present takes five days to choose an officer, Army officials said here today.
The SSBs can undertake only 60 batches in a year due to the lengthy procedure. The study would recommend changes to shorten the procedure for enhancing the number of candidates to be tried for selection.

The rate of in-take is also very low with only four to five per cent of the candidates clearing the process. The study would also look at recommending changes which may help in improving the induction rate, they said.
Talking about the scope of the study, officials said this will review the techniques used in the selection and suggest refinement in it with alternative tools.
Officer-like qualities tested in the candidates for the SSB process would also be reviewed by the study and they will be made relevant as per changing socio-economic environment.

The study would also review the officer selection process of some foreign armies including the US and the UK besides other major forces in the world.

The study would also help in evolving a "fair and more transparent" selection system for the force.
The study would be completed by the premier management institute in three phases in one year.