Sir: Indian army is planning to drop rank of lieutenant and brigadier (commanding 4,000 soldiers) to make it `leaner and meaner’. There are about 43,000 officers in the 1.3 million Indian Army. With abolition of brigadier rank, a colonel will directly become a major general after completing a minimum of 20 years’ service. A newly commissioned officer will start with the rank of captain. The ostensible reason for the reform is to accelerate promotions in ranks at par with civilian bureaucracy. Now, a captain will reach the rank of a major general after 18 years of service, instead of 32-33 years. Indian army is frustrated at prolonged involvement in `counter-insurgency’ operations and rebukes by courts over human rights violations. The lure of accelerated promotions is meant to keep up their morale. MALIK A JAAVED Islamabad Published in Daily Times, November 17th 2018.