How to become an officer in the Indian Navy (IN)

About Indian Navy

Indian Navy is the Naval branch of Indian Armed Forces. The primary objective of Indian Navy is to guard India’s  maritime borders  in conjunction with other armed forces. Indian Navy is a three-dimensional force which operates above sea, on sea and under the sea to deter or defeat any acts of aggression against India, to protect its maritme interests both in times of war and peace. Naval officers are selected purely on merit without any distinction of caste, creed or religion from across the country.

How to join Indian Navy?

There are different ways to join Indian Navy as an Officer. Indian navy offers both Permanent Commission (PC) and Short Service Commission (SSC). Selection and recruitment to Indian Navy is based on the entry scheme as well as the type of commission an applicant may choose.

The candidates are selected through exams conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) as well as direct entries based on the criteria laid down by the naval headquarters. The selection in on merit only.

Types of Commission

There are two types of Commissioned officers in Indian Army:

1. Permanent Commissioned Officers
2. Short Service Commission Officers

Permanent Commission (PC) is permanent career in Navy i.e. you serve till you retire.  In case of Short Service Commission, you are recruited to serve as a Commissioned officer for minimum of 10 years. You have an option to request PC or an extension of another 4 years on completion of 10 years of service.

Different Cadres in Navy

Indian Navy has different cadres as given below:

1. Executive (General Service) As an officer in the branch you will rise to command Ships, Submarines and will be at the helm of Indian Naval Operations as well as India’s Naval Ambassadors to foreign waters.
2. Hydro – As a Hydrographer you shall fly, sail and dive into national and international uncharted waters. You will be trained to explore and chart uncharted territories and have international professional recognition.
3. Pilot – As a pilot you will serve the Naval Air arm to fly over the challenging environment over sea. You will fly naval aircraft to search, locate and attack enemy ships, submarines and aircraft as well as provide cover to our own fleet.
4. Observers – As an observer you will act as an airborne coordinator of maritime warfare whilst operating the state of the art equipment including sonice, radars, sonar and communication equipment.
5. Logistics – As an logistic officer you will trained in the field of Inventory Management, Finance, Supply Chain Management and Information Technology and would be responsible for management of Integrated Supply chain activities, using cutting edge technologies and suitable managerial skills.
6. Naval Armament Inspection (NAI) NAI officers are specialists responsible for Inspection & Quality Assurance (QA), in-house R&D, life extension and life assessment to ensure safety, serviceability and functional reliability of Armaments in the inventory of Indian Navy.
7. Information Technology – IT personnel are responsible for operations, maintenance and administration of networks, not only the shore based but also the afloat units.
8. Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) – ATC officers in the Indian Navy control naval fighter aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft and multi-role helicopters both ashore and afloat.

Other Branches include:

1. Engineering further divided in to General Service, Submarine and Naval Architecture
2. Electrical further divided in to General Service and Submarine
3. Education
4. Medical

Entry Schemes and Eligibility Criteria