Ways To Join The Defence Services Of India

The defence services of India consists of the tri-services, i,e the army, air force and navy. They are supported  by the Indian cost guard and the paramilitary services. In the following blog we will discuss all the ways to join all the three services as officers.

Indian Army

1) NDA- This entry is the earliest chance a defence aspirant can avail in order to join the preferred service of his choice. On selection there is a training of 3 yrs at the NDA followed by 1 yr of pre-commission training at the IMA. This entry is for 12th pass or 12th appearing candidates.

2) CDS- This entry is for all the graduates who on successful selection are allowed to join the IMA for permanent commission or OTA for short service commisssion. However, the lady aspirants are only allowed to apply for OTA. There is a 1.5 yrs of training at IMA and about 49 weeks of training at OTA Chennai.

Direct Entries

1) 10+2 TES- Aspirants are called for the SSB interview based on their PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Maths) aggregate which is usually above 75%. On selection there is a 4 years of pre- commission training (1 yr at OTA  Gaya and 3 yrs at CME Pune, MCTE Mhow and MCEME Secunderabad) and a 1 yr post commission training at CME Pune, MCTE Mhow and MCEME Secunderabad.

2) TGC- This entry is for all the technical graduates who are in their final year of engineering. They are selected on the basis of their marks and the available vacancies in various streams. On successful selection they undergo 1 yr training at the IMA.

3) AEC- Candidates who have passed Post Graduate Degree MA/M.Sc (in subjects as per notification) /M.Com/MCA/MBA with 1st or 2nd Division are only eligible for this entry. Final year appearing/Result awaiting students are not eligible. On successful selection there is a 1 yr training at the IMA,

4) JAG- The law students have also got a special entry for them. It is for those candidates, who have passed LLB with minimum 55% marks and are eligible for registration under the Bar Council of India. On selection they undergo training of 49 weeks at OTA Chennai. Lady aspirants can apply for this entry.

5) SSC(Tech)- This entry is for all the male and female candidates who have or are studying Btech. On successful selection, they undergo a training of 49 weeks at the OTA Chennai.

6) NCC Special Entry- This entry is for all the male and female candidates who have undergone NCC training and are NCC ‘C’ Certificate holders. On selection they undergo training of 49 weeks at the OTA.

7) UES- This entry is for all the graduates who are in the final year of their degree. They are selected on the basis of their marks and the available vacancies in various streams. On successful selection they undergo 1 yr training at the IMA.

Indian Air Force

1) NDA- This entry is the earliest chance a defence aspirant can avail in order to join the preferred service of his choice. On selection there is a training of 3 yrs at the NDA followed by 1 yr of pre-comission training at the AFA, Dundigal. This entry is for 12th pass or 12th appearing candidates.

2) CDS- This entry is for all the graduates who on successful selection are allowed to join the AFA. The graduates applying for AFA through CDS should either be pursuing a technical degree or should have studied physics and maths in their 10+2. On selection they join AFA, Dundigal for a training period of about 1.5 yrs.

3) NCC Special Entry- This entry is for all the male and female candidates who have undergone NCC training and are NCC ‘C’ Certificate holders. On selection they undergo training of AFA,Dundigal. Lady aspirants can join through this entry.

4) AFCAT- This entry is again for all the graduates. On selection the candidates are inducted into the various branches of the Indian Air Force based on their qualifications. Again the lady aspirants can join through this entry. One difference is that it only offers short service commission in the Flying Branch.

Indian Navy

1) NDA & NA- This entry is the earliest chance a defence aspirant can avail in order to join the preferred service of his choice. On selection there is a training of 3 yrs at the NDA followed by 1 yr of pre-comission training at the INA. However, if the aspirant gives Naval Academy (NA) as their preference then they undergo 4 yrs of training at the INA while simultaneously pursuing a Btech degree.This entry is for 12th pass or 12th appearing candidates.

2) 10+2 TES- This is a direct entry scheme for all the aspirants who are called for the SSB interview based on their PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Maths) aggregate which is usually above 75%. On selection the candidate undergoes training at the INA.

3) CDS- This entry is for all the technical graduates who on successful selection are allowed to join the INA for permanent commission.

3) NCC Special Entry- This entry is for all the male and female candidates who have undergone NCC training and are NCC ‘C’ Certificate holders. On selection they are allowed to join the INA.

4) UES- This entry is for all the graduates who are in the final year of their degree. They are selected on the basis of their marks and the available vacancies in various streams. On successful selection they undergo training at the INA.

5) Special Naval Architecture Entry Scheme- The Government has recently approved the induction of Naval Architect officers into the navy, as short service commissioned officers, under a “Special Naval Architects Entry Scheme” (SNAES).

*The Indian Navy mostly calls the candidates with a technical background. Hence, it is advisable to go through the official website in order to know about the available vacancies and required qualifications.