Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Uniforms, Ranks and Insignia
Mains level: Not Much
Central Idea: A decision has been taken at the recent Army Commanders Conference to change the uniforms worn by senior Army officers.
Changes in Uniform
- All officers of the rank of Brigadier and above will now wear common uniform items.
- The common uniform items include berets, badges of rank, belt buckle, and pattern of shoes.
- Regimental lanyards and shoulder flashes will no longer be worn by officers of these higher ranks.
- There will be no item of uniform that will identify them as belonging to a particular Regiment or Corps.
Present Uniform Accoutrements
- Officers from the rank of Lieutenant to General currently wear uniform accoutrements as per their regimental or corps affiliation.
- Each Infantry Regiment and Corps has its own pattern of lanyard, badges of rank, buttons, and belt buckle as per regimental traditions.
Reason for Change
- Regimental service in the Army ends at the rank of Colonel for most officers who rise further.
- Senior officers commanding troops of mixed regimental lineage should present themselves in a neutral uniform rather than a regimental one.
Reversion to Past Practice
- The Army is now reverting to the practice that was followed almost 40 years ago, when the changes towards wearing regimental affiliations took hold in the service.
- Until about the mid-1980s, officers of the rank of Colonel and above had common uniform patterns and insignia.
Tradition in Other Armies
- In the British army, the uniform worn by officers of the rank of Colonel and above is referred to as the Staff uniform, to distinguish it from the Regimental uniform.
- Among neighbouring countries, the Pakistan and Bangladesh armies follow the same pattern as the British army.
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