Do assessors prefer one over another in the defence brats vs civilians comparison? “Oh! He got recommended because his father is a Colonel!” You must have heard such a statement from someone in SSB who got conference out? For some candidates, seeing another candidate, whose father is a military officer, getting recommended immediately gives birth to the assumption of added advantage. This often creates confusion in their minds, and they start fantasizing what life would be if they were in the former’s position.
So, today, to counter this very confusion, let us understand the defence brats vs civilians comparison, what each means and what the assessors are actually looking for during the SSB selection process.
Who are Defence Brats?
Before starting off with the defence brats vs civilians, let us begin by understanding who defence brats are in the context of SSB. A defence brat is someone whose either or both of the parents are serving or retired from the Indian Armed Forces. Interestingly, even the term “brat” has a full form, which is, “Born, Raised and Transferred”, symbolizing the life that these young men and women experience.
Please note that one does not have to be an officer’s son or daughter to be called a brat. Each child, irrespective of the rank that their parent or parents hold is called a defence brat in military terminology. Such candidates have a zeal to join the Armed Forces and follow in the footsteps of their predecessor.
Who Are Civilians?
Then who are civilians? Isn’t it obvious by now? A civilian is someone who has no military background at all. The parents of such candidates serve in the civilian world, and could be in the government or private sector. Hence, their motivation to join the Indian Armed Forces may come from a personal experience, interaction, or a person who motivated them over the years.
These young minds aspire to become the first-generation officer in their family and give their parents the pride of being a part of the military. Most of us fall into this category of candidates. Now that we have a clear idea of the defence brats vs civilians distinction, let us move to the next section.
Defence Brats vs Civilians: Who is Favoured at SSB?
We started with a simple question about whether you had ever heard people blaming their rejection at SSB on someone else’s family background. We are sure you must have countered such people, or at some point in time, felt this way too. But, how true is that?
To put it straight, it is not true. While the defence brats vs civilians debate does sound interesting, it simply falls flat. The assessors at SSB are never looking for candidates who come from military backgrounds, but the Officer Like Qualities or OLQs in them. In fact, if you’ll observe closely, most of the people who get recommended or make it to the military training academies and get commissioned have no defence background at all!
Having a defence background may give a candidate a clear goal at an early stage in life and a greater familiarity with life in the military, but it does not guarantee selection. The SSB assessment process is meant to provide every candidate with a fair opportunity based on their individual performance and potential.
Final Thoughts
The defence brats vs civilians debate often rises from assumptions that we make after judging the family backgrounds of those who get recommended. However, we miss out on the nuance of how the SSB assessment works. Please know that being a defence brat can only help a person know about the life in military earlier than a civilian, or even have a clearer goal at an early stage. However, this does not guarantee selection. The same is true for civilians. Remember that SSB judges your individuality, and not your family background. Hence, prepare accordingly without attending to such debates.
