NEW DELHI: The Indian Army has adopted a new, common uniform for officers of the rank of brigadier and above to bolster a common identity and approach in service matters among the senior leadership, officials familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The decision to switch to the common uniform was taken in April during the Army Commanders’ Conference, chaired by army chief General Manoj Pande, after extensive consultations with all stakeholders: The decision was implemented on Tuesday.
With the new regulation in place, senior officers will no longer wear accoutrements specific to their respective arms and services.
The ubiquitous lanyard around the shoulder has also been done away with; these officers now wear dark green berets, the belt is common, and they will all wear brass ranks, the officials said, asking not to be named.
These officers include major generals, lieutenant generals, and the army chief.
Earlier, the uniforms worn by senior officers varied with the arms they were from.
For instance, while generals from the Gorkha Rifles wore their trademark hats, their counterparts from specific armoured regiments donned brown shoes, and the Special Forces brass sported the famous maroon beret.
All senior officers will henceforth will wear only black shoes.
The belt is no longer arms or services specific, and the buckles have the Indian Army crest on them. The shoulder rank badges are golden for all senior officers.
Until now, officers from the rifle regiments such as Gorkha Rifles, Garhwal Rifles and Rajputana Rifles wore black rank badges.
The common uniform does not reveal the regimental or service affiliation of the senior officers.
Once you reach a particular rank, regimental affiliation can be done away with, former Northern Army commander Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd) said when the common uniform was announced in May.
“The message is that there should be no regimental bias in functioning and decision making. The senior officers will belong to a common pool and old affiliations will no longer be important,” he then said.
A standard uniform will ensure a common identity for all senior officers, while reflecting the true ethos of the army, the officials said.
To be sure, there will be no change in the uniforms worn by colonels and below.
Distinct identity within the arms, regiments and services is essential for junior leadership and the rank and file to further strengthen camaraderie, esprit de corps and regimental ethos which form the bedrock of soldiering, the officials said.
At the unit level, a distinct sense of identity reflects a strong bond among officers and men in the same regiment, they added.
In 2022, the army introduced a new combat uniform, and all soldiers will switch to it over the next two years. The army said at the time that the new uniform provided soldiers better camouflage, more comfort, and uniformity in design.
While soldiers wear the combat uniform in operational areas, officers posted in the Army headquarters in New Delhi also wear the combat dress on Fridays, in solidarity with men operating in forward areas.
