The Indian Navy has reportedly shelved its proposal to indigenise the ranks of its non-officer cadre, bringing to a halt a reform initiative that was aimed at replacing several colonial-era designations inherited from the British military system.
According to officials, the proposal was dropped after the Defence Ministry concluded that any changes to military rank nomenclature should be implemented uniformly across all three services rather than as a Navy-specific measure.
The proposed reforms, first unveiled nearly three years ago, would have affected more than 65,000 sailors across the Navy. Officer ranks were not included in the review.
Ranks under consideration for renaming included Master Chief Petty Officer First Class, Master Chief Petty Officer Second Class, Chief Petty Officer, Petty Officer, Leading Seaman, Seaman First Class and Seaman Second Class. Officials indicated that the existing rank structure will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future.
The decision reflects the Ministry’s preference for a coordinated tri-services framework, given that the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force continue to use several ranks with historical British origins, including Warrant Officer, Sergeant, Corporal and Lance Naik.
The rank reform proposal was part of a broader effort to Indianise military traditions and symbols across the Armed Forces. In recent years, the Indian Navy has introduced several changes aimed at reducing colonial-era influences, including adopting a new naval ensign inspired by the seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, discontinuing the use of ceremonial batons by senior commanders, and permitting traditional Indian attire at officers’ mess functions.
The wider Indianisation initiative gained momentum after Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the removal of colonial-era practices from the Armed Forces during the Combined Commanders’ Conference in 2021. The effort was later reinforced as part of the Prime Minister’s “Panch Pran” vision announced during the 2022 Independence Day celebrations.
The Armed Forces have since undertaken several measures to promote Indian military heritage. These include the Army’s “Udbhav” initiative, which draws strategic lessons from ancient Indian texts such as the Arthashastra and the renaming of roads, military establishments and cantonment landmarks after Indian military heroes.
While the Navy’s rank indigenisation proposal has been put on hold, officials indicated that broader efforts to promote indigenous traditions, military heritage and national identity across the Armed Forces will continue.
