NEW DELHI, Nov. 5 -- A younger military was the centrepiece of the government's Agnipath pitch when it launched the scheme four years ago. "It will enhance the youthful profile of the armed forces and provide them a fresh lease of 'josh' (enthusiasm) and 'jazba' (passion). It is envisaged that average age profile of Indian armed forces would come down by 4-5 years by implementation of this scheme," the defence ministry said at the time. The shift from releasing 75% of Agniveers after four years to retaining all of them for full-term service marks a sharp departure from the original plan. The government has effectively reversed the Agnipath scheme's most defining feature: short-term service intended to maintain a youthful military profile. Chief of Defence Staff General NS Raja Subramani on Wednesday said that one of the principal reasons for the rethink was that the character of warfare has changed in the last few years. "You require a mix of youth, technology, and maturity. The changes meet the requirement of the armed forces, both in terms of having a youthful, motivated force, as well as having a mature and technology-enabled force," he said at a joint cabinet briefing on Wednesday with Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. Only young men and women aged between 17-and-a-half and 21 are eligible for recruitment under the scheme. All defence forces continuously review what is happening in the world, the CDS added. "Based on what conflicts are happening, and what kind of quality manpower we need, this decision has been taken." The move to retain all Agniveers addresses concerns within the armed forces over losing personnel trained for specialised roles, military affairs expert Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retd) said. "It makes little sense to let trained personnel go and then invest in training a fresh batch." The Agnipath reset comes weeks before the three services were set to release 75% of Agniveers from their first batch, retaining only the 25% selected on merit for another 15 years under the scheme's provisions. Some experts, however, pointed to the creation of three classes of soldiers. The armed forces will now comprise soldiers who become permanent after four years, another batch after six, and senior personnel recruited under the old system, they added. The CDS expressed confidence that maximum amount of Agniveers will opt for full-term service. What happens to those who do not wish to extend their military service? "That's okay, they have a dignified exit plan with an attractive financial package. The armed forces will be happy to enrol all willing Agniveers for the second engagement period of two years followed by absorption into the regular cadre," Subramani said....