Focus on experience: Why armed forces want to retain more Agniveers after four-year tenure

Agniveers recruited under the Agnipath scheme began their training in early 2023. The initial batches of Agniveers will complete their four-year tenure with the services later this year.

The key reason why the Armed Forces are seeking an increase in the percentage of Agniveers who can be retained after completion of their four-year tenure is the need for a bigger pool of experienced troops in the services, particularly in the event of a conflict.

This, people familiar with the matter told The Indian Express, was among the lessons learnt from Operation Sindoor last year.

While the Agniveers performed extremely well in operations, there were instances where experience gained across various field tenures and multiple training exercises came in handy, in terms of faster and more effective reactions in operational situations.