Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told the Lok Sabha in a written reply today that the Army was facing a shortfall of nearly 10,000 officers and the Navy a shortage of about 1,800.
He also said 644 officers have taken premature retirement from the Army since 2012. In the Navy and Air Force the figures stood at 343 and 441 respectively.
Giving the details, he said that some of the major reasons for shortage in armed forces include increase in authorised strength and availability of attractive alternate career avenues.
He also cited stringent selection criteria and difficult service conditions coupled with perceived high degree of risk.
