Personnel Below Officer Rank
Also called: PBOR · Topic: Civil Services: Role, Accountability and Reforms · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Personnel Below Officer Rank (PBOR) are all members of the Army, Navy and Air Force who are not commissioned officers. A commissioned officer holds a formal commission, a grant of authority to command. PBOR are the soldiers, sailors and airmen who make up most of the armed forces. In the Army, the group also includes Junior Commissioned Officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs, such as havildars). Under the Agnipath scheme, all PBOR recruitment in the three Services now happens through Agnipath. These recruits are called Agniveers.
Example
A young person who joins the Army as a soldier through Agnipath enters as PBOR. They serve an initial four years as an Agniveer. Up to 25% of each batch can then be kept in the regular cadre. Under the November 2026 changes, the other 75% are offered a two-year second engagement.
Don't confuse with
- Commissioned officers: they are recruited separately, for example through UPSC exams and service academies. They hold command authority. Agnipath does not cover them.
- Civil servants: they are covered by the Article 311 safeguards (no dismissal without an inquiry and a hearing). Defence personnel, including PBOR, are not covered by Article 311.