The Union cabinet has decided to give Agniveers an option to continue in service for two more years beyond their four-year tenure and apply for absorption into the armed forces at the end of this extended period, chief of defence staff General NS Raja Subramani announced on Wednesday.
“In four years, we assessed them and received very positive feedback about their performance. Their remuneration during this extended period would be higher than their existing emoluments. Initially, only 25% were to be retained. Now, the remaining 75% Agniveers will get a two-year engagement period offer,” CDS Subramani said at a media briefing.
Once they complete the two-year engagement period, all willing Aginveers will be enrolled in the armed forces, subject to ‘objective selection criteria’, he said. Defence minister Rajnath Singh thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the decision, referring to the extended duration of service as a “two-year ‘Second Tour of Duty’“.
Raja Subramani announced. This decision is a continuation of long-term structural reforms of our defence forces, aimed at creating a younger, fitter, technologically equipped and future-ready military. “This would also provide enrollment of all willing Agniveers as regular soldiers after the tenure of 4/6 years, who meet the selection criteria. The 18,300 soldiers, who were to be released this year, account for three-fourths of the 24,400 recruits inducted into the army, air force and navy in the first round of recruitment. The first batch comprised around 19,000 Agniveers in the army, 2,850 in the IAF and 2,550 in the navy, according to official data. Earlier reporting noted: Agniveer service tenure extended by two years, CDS announces The Union Cabinet on Wednesday (November 4, 2026), cleared a scheme for the absorption of 25% of Agniveers into regular forces based on merit, Chief of Defence Staff General N.S.
It is not merely a recruitment policy; it is a way forward to prepare India’s military for the changing character of warfare,” the defence minister said. Earlier reporting noted: Two more years of engagement period offer to be given to the remaining Agniveers and when this engagement period is over, all Agniveers to be inducted into armed forces subject to objective selection criteria, the CDS said.
Earlier reporting noted: If an Agniveer is not retained even after the six years, then there will be no reservation for them in any government jobs.
