Indian Defence services – Do pride and honor run into your veins? Is protecting the borders of the motherland your only dream? No other than the armed forces can help you to do this. Serving in the nation’s armed forces is the highest responsibility one can ever get in their lifetime. There are mainly three types of defense forces in India:
(i) Indian Army
(ii) Indian Airforce
(iii) Indian Navy
India has the 4th most powerful armed forces on the planet after the USA, China, and Russia. India has the 3rd most enormous defense budget on the planet after the USA and China, making it the most strategic country globally. Becoming a part of one such defense system is undoubtedly the most prestigious moment as you get first-hand experience of frontline battle and defense.
Additionally to the uniformed core services, the Indian defense system consists of the Indian Coast Guard, Paramilitary Organizations (Special Frontier Forces and Assam Rifles), and other inter-service commands and institutions like Strategic Forces Command Andaman and Nicobar Commands and Integrated Defence Staff. Indian armed forces work under the command of the Ministry of Defence and have the President of India as their Supreme Commander.
Every year combined recruitment exams are organized to hire defense personnel for various core branches of the Indian armed forces. Lakhs of candidates aspire to become a part of the Indian defense forces. There are both combined as well as individual wing exams to recruit officers and non-official posts.
List of exams conducted for Defence Services:
There are some targeted exams by which you can join the defense forces of India like:
- NDA/NA
- CDS (Short service commission candidates are trained at OTA, Chennai)
- AFCAT (for officers recruitment)
- Indian Airforce X & Y Group
- Indian Coast Guard Assistant Commandant
- Indian Naval Academy Recruitment/ Indian Navy Entrance Test
- SSB
- Central Armed Police Forces
These are the most coveted exams in India to join the Indian Defence Forces with a permanent commission (short service commission is also there for 15 years). NDA, CDS, and Central Armed Forces exams are the combined exams from which the candidates either get selected in the Indian Army, Navy, or Airforce. In contrast, the CAPF exam is for paramilitary forces like BSF, ITBP CISF, CRPF, etc.
Who organize the exams:
All these exams are organized by the different recruitment bodies, e.g., the most coveted and difficult ones like the NDA/NA, CDS, and CAPF are conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), an apex recruitment body that recommends various specialty officers to the government of India.
Other exams are the individual recruitment exams conducted to recruit officers and soldiers for specific wings(Army, Navy, and Airforce). The AFCAT and Airforce X & Y group are organized by the Indian Airforce recruitment board, where the former is for officers, and the latter one is for soldiers.
Similarly, the Indian Navy recruits officers and soldiers directly through the Indian Naval Academy Recruitment/ Indian Navy Entrance Test. These exams recruit personnel for both permanent and short-service commissions.
There are no exams for direct entry of the officers in the Indian Army either you have to pass the NDA exam or the CDS exam to become an officer in the Military.
Eligibility and Pattern:
All these exams are nationalized and conducted once or twice a year. Both eligibility and pattern vary from exam to exam. If I talk about the eligibility, then it is 12th for NDA/NA, Airforce X & Y Group, and Indian Naval Academy Recruitment exam, but others its graduation in either technical or non-technical stream. The Airforce and Navy prefer those with a technical background both in school and graduation, but it is not mandatory for the Army (except technical services).
There are both physical and educational parameters that have to be fulfilled while applying for any of these exams. Academically, you should get a first-class result in science, maths, and English for the Navy and Airforce, but it is not of much importance for Military and Paramilitary.
You should also be physically fit with the required minimum measurements of height and chest. For all three defense wings (Army, Navy, Airforce) minimum height should be 160 cm (5 cm relaxation for Gorkhas, Garwalis, and other northeastern zones) and the chest 77 cm with 5 cm expansion. There should be no evidence of severe medical conditions or color blindness in the candidates; they will be disqualified forever from the services.
Except for NDA/NA and CDS, the pattern is almost the same for all the other exams. In NDA/NA and CDS, there are 3 significant stages (i) written exams, (ii) SSB (5days of the grueling process that includes the personal interview as well) (iii) Medical and Physical test.
For all other exams, there is a provision of written exam, medical test, and interview. Negative marking is also there for all the exams, so be careful while solving the questions.
Posts and expected salary for after the exam:
Posts are different with different examinations. If you are selected through NDA and CDS, you most probably get Lieutenant in the Army with a monthly salary of 65,000 to 70,000, depending on the posting. Similarly, suppose you get the Airforce of Navy through AFCAT or INET. In that case, the posts offered to you are the Flying Officer in Airforce and Sub Lieutenant in Navy with a salary of 70,000 to 75,000 for both in Airforce and Navy. All the wages depend upon your postings, and you may get even more than this.
Indian Coast Guard Assistant Commandant gets 50,000 to 55,000 per month after selection and successful training completion. The salary of Central Armed Police Forces varies from post to post, but you usually get compensation between 50,000 to 70,000 per month depending upon the service and posting.
Salary of X and Y group personnel ranges between 45,000 to 50,000 per month, depending upon the posting.
Remember that defense services are not your regular jobs. You have the responsibility of the whole nation on your shoulders, and salary won’t be the motivation for joining because the salary is the perk of serving your country. Being a service comes naturally from your heart and soul without any external incentive.
We hope you have your doubts cleared with this article and you will join the service soon!!