Army facing shortage of 13,000 officers : Antony

New Delhi: Defence Minister AK Antony on Monday said that Indian Military is facing a shortage of around 13,000 officers and 53,700 personnel below officer rank.
In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Antony said some of the major reasons for vacancies in the armed forces include lucrative alternative career avenues and difficult service conditions.
Army was short of 10,100 officers till July this year while the shortage of Personnel Below Officers Rank (PBOR) stood at 32,431 till the month of September.
Around 10,800 service personnel have taken premature retirement from the services this year alone, he said.
In the Army, 10,081 personnel opted for early retirement, while the number for the Navy and the Air Force was 170 and 571, respectively.
Last year, 10,603 Army personnel left the force. The same stood at 157 and 1,000 for the Navy and the IAF, respectively.