Indian Navy Officer

Selection for Permanent Commission through 10 + 2 NDA / Indian Naval Academy cadet entry and CDSE (Combined Defense Service Exam) (Graduate) entry is through a written examination conducted by the UPSC, followed by an interview by the Service Selection Board (SSB). For all other Permanent Commission entries and Short Service Commission entries there is no written examination. These applications are short listed as per the criteria laid down by the Naval Headquarters, Directorate of Manpower Planning & Recruitment. Selection is through merit alone.

Women Entry in Indian Navy

Women are granted Short Service Commission (SSC) in Naval Architect, Law, Logistics, ATC, Aviation (Observer) & Education Branches. The government has also given approval for Permanent Commission (PC) in Education, Law and Naval Architect branch on completion of SSC tenure depending upon merit and vacancy.

Navy officer

One can become a navy officer in following branches:

Executive Branch

As an officer of the Executive Branch one can exercise command of ships, submarines and aircraft. Executive officers can specialize in any of the following:-

• Gunnery & Missiles
• Navigation and Direction
• Anti-Submarine Warfare
• Communications
• Pilot
• Observer
• Submarine
• Hydrography
• Diving

The other cadres that form part of the Executive Branch are - Law, Air Traffic Control, Naval Armament Inspection, Information Technology and Logistics.

Engineering Branch

As an Engineer Officer, you will be responsible for keeping all the Hi-tech machinery and propulsion systems serviceable. Opportunities exist to work in gigantic naval dockyards and indigenous production units. An Engineer Officer’s career is interspersed with technical courses up to post graduation level in India/abroad.

You can also join in the Naval Architecture Cadre of the Engineering Branch. The Indian Navy today employs the largest pool of trained Naval Architects in India. A Naval Architect is involved in design, construction, quality control, repair and new construction work of naval vessels.

Electrical Branch

A warship is a mini floating city with an integral power generation and distribution system. In addition, complex missile systems, underwater weapons, radar and radio communication equipment form major part of a warship’s equipment. A majority of these are either computer-based or computer aided and incorporate the latest trends in electronics engineering. For a ship to be able to fight effectively, all these equipment must be kept working at peak efficiency. Electrical Officers have this responsibility and other challenging tasks. To sharpen their skills, the Navy offers excellent opportunities for post-graduate courses in India/abroad to deserving candidates.

Note: Officers of the Engineering and Electrical Branches can also volunteer for the Aviation/ Submarine Arm.

Education Branch

Any service will be as good as the training its officers and men receive. As an Education Officer you will play a major role in the training of naval officers/sailors. Education Officers are responsible for scientific and methodical instructions, including theoretical aspects of technical subjects of all branches of the navy and also for general education. An Education Officer can specialize in almost all specializations of the Executive Branch. In addition some officers also get specialization in Oceanography & Meteorology.

For NDA and CDSE you must have 10+2 with physics and maths. PCM with 70% is the min requirement for engineering branch. Post graduates with more than 50% can join education branch.

The navy trains its officers at Naval Academy. The academy is equipped to run 4 year engineering programs and all cadets are awarded engineering degree. Navy also sends its officers to premier institutes for further education like IIT for M Tech.