COMMON UNIFORMS FOR ARMY – DEFENCE AND SECURITY
News:
Common uniforms at higher ranks of the Army
What's in the news?
● In
a move that seeks to establish a common identity for the Army’s senior
leadership, all officers of the rank of
Brigadier and above will wear a common uniform from August 1 this year,
irrespective of their parent cadre and appointment.
Key takeaways:
● This
ends the long-standing practice of officers donning different uniform and
accoutrements reflecting various arms, regiments and services in the Army.
● For
instance, officers of the parachute regiment wear a maroon beret, while those
from the infantry, armoured corps, combat support arms and services wear green,
black and blue berets, respectively.
Common Uniforms:
● All
officers of the rank of Brigadier, Maj General, Lt General, and General will
now wear berets (caps) of the same
colour, common badges of rank, a common belt buckle, and a common pattern of
shoes.
● They
will no longer wear regimental lanyards (cords) on their shoulders.
● They
will also not wear any shoulder flashes
like ‘Special Forces’, ‘Arunachal Scouts’, ‘Dogra Scouts’, etc. Thus, there will
be no item of uniform that will identify them as belonging to a particular
Regiment or Corps.
● All
officers of these higher ranks will dress alike in the same pattern of uniform.
Reasons for the change:
1. Common Identity:
● A
standard uniform will ensure a common identity for all officers of senior rank
while reflecting the true ethos of the Indian Army.
● This
will also reinforce the Indian Army’s character to be a fair and equitable
organization.
2. Check on Favoritism:
● Most
officers promoted to the rank of Colonel no longer engage in regimental
service.
● Consequently,
all uniform affiliations with that particular Regiment or Corps must also end
at that rank to ensure that any Regimental favoritism is not promoted to the
higher ranks.
● The
senior officers in charge of these troops should present themselves in a
neutral uniform rather than a regimental one, as appointments at higher ranks
sometimes entail leading troops with mixed regimental lineage.
3. Reverting to old practice:
● The
army is reverting to a practice that was followed about four decades ago when
changes towards wearing regimental affiliations began in the army.