Unit Lifetime Assignments

[Ray]

The Indian Army is on the “lifetime assignment” system.

Having fought three wars and also COIN, I have found that there are many advantages.

First of all, every person knows the qualities of each other and so they bond better at the unit and sub unit level and have requisite cohesiveness which leads to efficiency and fast responses, even if the IQ levels are different for different individuals. They compensate for each other having known each other for “life”, so to say. Each man gets slotted for the task he is best at in the sub unit or unit response to a given situation.

Even the reinforcement during war that is at the Regimental Centre, are people of the same unit on Extra Regimental Employment. Therefore, these people when they are needed mesh in without any problems and so there is no inefficiency as such, that can be there in case people not conversant with the unit join during war and might cause.

The Regiment generally have troops from the same area of the country and so there is also a common tradition and customs which also acts as a bonding factor.

Our Services unit (combat service support) units have individuals being posted in and out. The bonding and efficiency is not the same as those of the combat units.

Personally, I found the lifetime assignment concept very rewarding in professional satisfaction and the fact that it becomes a bonding for life, which is best felt when the Units have their Reunions at their duty station where the retired people and their families also come for four to five days of festivities. The distance and money for travelling does not matter when viewed against the camaraderie and oneness that one displays for coming for these Reunions

The interesting part is that the soldiers and officers get their sons to join their units. This factor assists in the bonding being cemented further. As also, the people who had served with these newcomer's father make it easier for them to understand the unit functioning with a little more personal interest than otherwise would have been.