Lt Gen Dushyant Singh Hails Agnipath Scheme for National Security

Agnipath Scheme Bolsters National Security

Terming the Agnipath scheme a “beneficial proposal” for national security and the operational preparedness of the armed forces, Director General of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), Lt Gen Dushyant Singh, said that in addition to the mandatory 25 per cent retention, the remaining 75 per cent of Agniveers will also be given an option to extend their service, subject to their willingness, discipline, and medical fitness.

Speaking to ANI, Lt Gen Dushyant Singh emphasised that the initiative serves the interests of both the armed forces and the personnel. “I want to say that this scheme is good for everyone. I mean, it’s a really great scheme for national security. It’s also coming across as a really solid scheme for the Armed Forces’ preparedness and operational performance, and it’s actually a really beneficial proposal for the Agniveers themselves,” he said.

Retention Mechanisms and Voluntary Service

Elaborating on the retention mechanism and the voluntary nature of military service in India, the CLAWS Director General noted: “First of all, the 25% that was already in the scheme is still there—they will become regular soldiers, sailors, and airmen. But now the 75% is there… People who are leaving will also be given the choice to continue further, depending on whether they’re willing or not. Since it’s a voluntary force, we can’t force anyone to stay—it’s not a conscription army.”

“India’s armed forces aren’t a conscription army; they’re volunteer-based. If you don’t want to volunteer, you just can’t join. So, those who do volunteer will get a chance, depending on their performance, their discipline is good, their health is fine, and they’re in shape one. If someone isn’t in shape one, how can they serve going forward? So, a lot of things need to be met. After that, those who are fit—I don’t mean they have any… That would be great, but all these things keep coming up during the periodic review,” he added.

Fitness Benchmarks and Service Extensions

Highlighting the physical and service review process, Lt Gen Singh stated that soldiers fulfilling annual fitness benchmarks would receive a two-year extension with retained batch parity. “Every soldier gets a medical once a year, and they take a BPT test every year. There are a lot of things like this, including the physical proficiency test and so on. If they meet all those criteria, they’ll get another two years. And the best part is, once those two years are up, they’ll be given the option to decide whether they want to continue or not… Their seniority will be maintained with their batch. Their pension will also stay exactly the same with their batch, just like when they first joined as Agniveers,” he said.

Gender Integration in the Armed Forces

Responding to a question regarding expanding opportunities for women across the ranks in the armed forces, Lt Gen Singh noted that gender integration is progressing in a phased and structured manner. “Look, this was bound to happen. Gender equality is our main point, but we just wanted it to happen gradually so we don’t run into administrative issues. So, we’ve slowly started inducting them into the armed forces. The Air Force has even commissioned female pilots. The conditions in the Army are a bit different, so we started with the Army’s military police. Now, their battalions are being formed and they are performing well. So slowly, we will also open this up for other ranks. I believe this would be a good thing,” he said.

Underlining the collective strength of men and women serving together in uniform, he added: “Because look, women have certain strengths and men have others. When both come together, you know what can happen. We believe Durga is power, so if Durga’s power and Shankar’s strike come together, then in my opinion, no one can mess with India.”

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