In written reply to a question, Defence Minister A K Antony said "the extent of shortage of officers is around 12,349 in the Army, 1,818 in the Navy and 837 in the Air Force. The shortage of pilots in the Air Force is about 426."
"There is no significant problem of shortage of personnel below officer rank (PBORs) in the Armed Forces," he added.
The minister also informed the House on the measures being initiated to motivate the youth to make armed forces a preferrable career option.
"All officers, including those in the Short Service Commission (SSC), are now eligible to hold substantive rank of Captain, Major and Lieutenant Colonel after two, six and 13 years of reckonable service respectively. The tenure of SSC officers has been increased from 10 to 14 years," he said.