Junior commissioned officer

Under the British, there was a clear colonial context, with the VCOs being the highest ranks an Indian could attain. The full commissioned officers were British, from the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century. However, that changed slowly under the principles of [[Indianisation (British India)|Indianisation]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} In 1905, a special form of a king’s Commission in His Majesty’s Native Land Forces was instituted. Indians who had qualified through the [[Imperial Cadet Corps]] would earn a commission that was limited to having authority over Indian troops only. Its holders could not rise above [[Major (rank)|major]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} From 1917, in the midst of [[World War I]], Indians 'with good family background' became eligible to study at the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]] and earn a commission as [[King's Commissioned Indian Officer]] (KCIO).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/how-indians-rose-up-to-be-officers-10124 |title=How Indians rose up to be Officers |work=[[The Tribune (India)|The Tribune]] |date=14 December 2019 |access-date=9 July 2022 |last=Singh |first=M. P. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121052229/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/how-indians-rose-up-to-be-officers-10124 |archive-date=21 November 2023}}</ref> By the time of independence in 1947, there were many Indian (and Pakistani) officers who had graduated from Sandhurst or the [[Indian Military Academy]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} In 1945 the Willcox Committee Report recommended that VCOs be phased out, though this never occurred.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gaylor |first=John |date=1992 |title=Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903-91 |publisher=Spellmount Ltd. |isbn=0-946771-98-7 |pages=29, 331}}</ref>

Under the British, there was a clear colonial context, with the VCOs being the highest ranks an Indian could attain. The full commissioned officers were British, from the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century. However, that changed slowly under the principles of [[Indianisation (British India)|Indianisation]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} In 1905, a special form of a king’s Commission in His Majesty’s Native Land Forces was instituted. Indians who had qualified through the [[Imperial Cadet Corps]] would earn a commission that was limited to having authority over Indian troops only. Its holders could not rise above [[Major (rank)|major]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} From 1917, in the midst of [[World War I]], Indians 'with good family background' became eligible to study at the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]] and earn a commission as [[King's Commissioned Indian Officer]] (KCIO).<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/how-indians-rose-up-to-be-officers-10124 |title=How Indians rose up to be Officers |work=[[The Tribune (India)|The Tribune]] |date=14 December 2019 |access-date=9 July 2022 |last=Singh |first=M. P. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231121052229/https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/how-indians-rose-up-to-be-officers-10124 |archive-date=21 November 2023}}</ref> By the time of independence in 1947, there were many Indian (and Pakistani) officers who had graduated from Sandhurst or the [[Indian Military Academy]].{{cn|date=June 2025}} In 1945 the Willcox Committee Report recommended that VCOs be phased out, though this never occurred.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gaylor |first=John |date=1992 |title=Sons of John Company: The Indian and Pakistan Armies 1903-91 |publisher=Spellmount Ltd. |isbn=0-946771-98-7 |pages=29, 331}}</ref>

The [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]] has recruited [[Gurkha]] soldiers from Nepal since the 19th century and separate Gurkha regiments were created for them, the Gurkha soldiers got same ranks as other Indian soldiers; the modern [[Nepal Army]] officially used the Indian Army rank system for their soldiers in the 1960s through a series of reorganizations and the ''JCO'' term has been used by them from then.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nepalarmy.mil.np/page/history |title=History of the Nepali Army |website=[[Nepali Army]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214031533/https://www.nepalarmy.mil.np/page/history |archive-date=14 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Makeig |first1=Douglas C. |editor1-last=Savada |editor1-first=Andrea Matles |title=Nepal: a country study |series=Area Handbook |date=1993 |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |lccn=93012226 |edition=3rd |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/frdcstdy.nepalbhutancount00sava/?sp=267 |access-date=11 January 2022 |chapter=National Security |pages=221–223}}</ref> After the secession of [[East Pakistan]] in 1971, the [[Bangladesh Army]] inherited the JCO rank system from the [[Pakistan Army]].{{cn|date=June 2025}}

The [[British Indian Army|Indian Army]] has recruited [[Gurkha]] soldiers from Nepal since the 19th century and separate Gurkha regiments were created for them, the Gurkha soldiers got same ranks as other Indian soldiers; the modern [[Nepal Army]] officially used the Indian Army rank system for their soldiers in the 1960s through a series of reorganizations and the ''JCO'' term has been used by them from then.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nepalarmy.mil.np/page/history |title=History of the Nepali Army |website=[[Nepali Army]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241214031533/https://www.nepalarmy.mil.np/page/history |archive-date=14 December 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Makeig |first1=Douglas C. |editor1-last=Savada |editor1-first=Andrea Matles |title=Nepal and Bhutan: Country studies |series=Area Handbook |date=1993 |publisher=Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |lccn=93012226 |edition=3rd |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/frdcstdy.nepalbhutancount00sava/?sp=267 |access-date=11 January 2022 |chapter=National Security |pages=221–223}}</ref> After the secession of [[East Pakistan]] in 1971, the [[Bangladesh Army]] inherited the JCO rank system from the [[Pakistan Army]].{{cn|date=June 2025}}

==Bangladesh==

==Bangladesh==