Many people who are interested in joining the Nigerian Army as graduates may have been hearing these two terms, DSSC and SSC, but may not know the difference between them. In this post, we will be explaining all the differences between the Nigerian Army DSSC and SSC.
Before we start explaining the differences between these two terms, let’s first explain their meaning and what they stand for in the Nigerian Army. Now the question is: What is DSSC and SSC?
The Nigerian Army DSSC simply means Direct Short Service Commission, while SSC means Short Service Combatant Commission. These two terms are used in the Nigerian Army as a means of recruiting graduates into the Nigerian Army. Now, what is the difference between them? Let’s explain that below.
Difference Between DSSC and SSC in the Nigerian Army
The Nigerian Army DSSC is a short period of training offered to graduates who wish to join the Nigerian Army, while the SSC is also a short period of training offered to graduates who wish to join the Nigerian Army, but the duration is different. The Direct Short Service trains for a period of 6 months before they are commissioned into the Nigerian Army as officers, while the Short Service Combatant trains for a period of 9 months before they are commissioned into the Nigerian Army as officers.
The Nigerian Army DSSC is for career graduates who wish to continue with their careers in the military, like Doctors, Engineers, Education, etc., while the SSC is for those who wish to be combatants in the Nigerian Army.
The Direct Short Service officers are always deployed to career corps in the Nigerian Army like the Nigerian Army Engineers, Nigerian Army Medical, Nigerian Army Finance, while the Short Service Combatant officers are deployed to combat corps like Infantry, Armour, and Artillery.
The Direct Short Service officers grow faster in rank more than the Short Service Combatant because they graduate with the rank of Lieutenant, Captain, or Major depending on their field of professionalism, while the SSC graduates with the rank of Second Lieutenant and have to wait for at least 2 years before they are promoted to the next rank, which is Lieutenant.
The Direct Short Service officers tend to retire earlier than the SSC as they are mostly older than the Short Service Combatant candidates. When applying for the Nigerian Army as a graduate, their age requirements are different. The DSSC are given older age limits while the SSC are given younger age limits. The reason is because the DSSC are career officers, while the SSC are combatant officers who have to compete with the Regular Officers who train in the Nigerian Defence Academy for a period of 5 years before they are commissioned as officers in the Nigerian Army.
Mind you, to apply for either DSSC or SSC, you need to be a graduate. Also, note that there are some ranks that the DSSC officers may not attain but the SSC officers will attain. The reason is because age is going to catch up with them before they reach certain ranks. You can read about the Nigerian Army ranks and salary to learn more.
