More professional defence services
A comprehensive solution is needed.
In a piece titled Tarnished Brass: Is the U.S. Military Profession in Decline? in the World Affairs Journal, Richard Kohn echoes certain points that are valid in the context of reforming the Indian defence services.
But if the military is to repair its professionalism without a massive (and inevitably messy) intervention by civilian authorities, piecemeal approaches will not suffice. Almost any academic would immediately target professional military education (PME) as the point of leverage, focusing on curriculum in an attempt to renew among officers critical expertise and the norms and values of their professional world. But the services are far too action-oriented, too busy and strained, too focused on re-capitalizing and modernizing their weapons systems, and in truth too anti-intellectual for PME to suffice. Most treat “schooling” as something distinct from serving, therefore making it for most officers an experience only to be endured. (Only very recently has the navy made war college a prerequisite for flag rank). Rather, a more systematic, comprehensive solution is needed, imposed from the top by either the civilian or military leadership in ways that cannot easily be undone by bureaucratic sloth or subsequent leadership.[WAJ]
The question about reforming and restructuring the Indian defence services is not about if, but when. Thus, one sentence in the concluding paragraph needs to be taken cognizance of by all well-wishers of the Indian defence services.
Professions that cannot change themselves from within, cannot respond to the needs of their clients, and cannot enforce standards of behaviour so as to maintain the confidence of their constituencies while also inspiring the admiration and loyalty of their own members are in trouble.[WAJ]
Read the complete piece here.
” Nearly twenty years after the end of the Cold War, the American military, financed by more money than the entire rest of the world spends on its armed forces, failed to defeat insurgencies or fully suppress sectarian civil wars in two crucial countries, each with less than a tenth of the U.S. population,…” , and so starts the article . BUT India has successfully defeated insurgencies in N.E and J&K , so why should restructuring be required ? Do you have an answer ? One needs to change based on certain results/ Reasons and not just because “Amrika” has done it !!
The Phoren bhai gives an explanation on why the U.S needs to change , namely because , I quote ” ” The challenges to global stability are less from massed armies than from terrorism; economic and particularly financial instability …”, Unquote . Where is your explanation or is it that we are to be made aware that The World affairs Journal is followed and read on the “Internet” by a certain individual ?
The Gentleman whom you quote has said that challenge for any modern military lies at Intellectual ,political and Moral plane . and based on it and the experiences of the U.S Armed forces , one needs to examine if there is a change needed . The “Original” author is also rather learned and has had a long association with the U.S Armed Forces namely that He was associated with the USAF from 1981–1991 .
Additionally , Is Corruption by a CRPF IG and his cohorts not an issue of National security ? and do you not feel that these organisations need more urgent restructuring than the Indian Army ? Or is it that there is no article on the same in the World Affairs Journal ?
how about out sourcing the defense security of india based on hire and fire policy then no body will dare to ask for parity and pb4
@ Amit
The typical ABCD (avoid, bypass, confuse and deflect) concept. What, pray, was the basic issue? Reform and change from within, it appeared to me, was the basic issue. The issue is not the US Armed Forces or the CRPF. It is pertaining to the Indian Defence Forces.
Do the Forces need reform and review, especially from within? There is a need for a debate. If, at the end of the debate, the conclusion arrived at is that the present system is adequate and no changes are required, the case rests. On the other hand, if the conclusion suggests that change is required, then let us deliberate upon the changes needed.
To throw open a debate, let me pitch the ball to the wider audience some of the issues
Is there a need for myriad number of Army, Air Force and Naval commands which are not even co-located, appear to live in splendid isolation while the three services pay a lot of lip service to jointmanship? The ANC was established with a lot of fanfare as some sort of a test bed but the environment, till now, is clueless as to the lessons learnt from the so called ‘jointmanship’. Is there a roadmap to carry this ‘jointmanship’ forward?
How about some integrated commands like the Eastern, Western and Southern Joint Commands; the leadership going to Naval or Air elements with the Army playing the second fiddle? How about some joint Army/Air commands like the Western, South Western etc? Moreover, do we have a joint doctrine for war or the time for it is yet to come?
The current politico-military situation in our neighbourhood is well known. Are the forces developing the critical expertise, think tanks etc which can suggest both strategic and tactical initiatives to combat those problems which will stare at the nation in the near future? (or am I inviting the old line that will petulantly ask as to whether the IAS, IPS, CPMF, IRS, IAAS, IES, IFS, PCS or the Indian Railway Service are thinking the same way -have I missed any?). Yes, there are country specific desks at the highest level in both IFS and the Armed Forces. What needs to be deliberated is that what else is being done?
The ills and sins of the service elements in the Armed Forces are too well known for iteration. What has been the systemic response to address corruption (other than the usual routine of waiting for the ever present CBI raid which will tell the system that person A, B or C is corrupt)? Or is it that the eleventh commandment comes to vogue? Or is it the response that the corruption in IAS, IPS, CPMF, IRS, IAAS, IES, IFS, PCS or the Indian Railway Service should be eliminated before tackling corruption in the services or that all will say READY, STEADY, GO and tackle corruption simultaneously. Oh! I missed out the politicians, petty bureaucrats and the judiciary out of the list.
Supersession of 80% of the officers was a reality before 6th CPC and will continue to remain till 7th CPC (or the 1st AFPC – Armed Forces Pay Commission). Are the services going to do something about it or is it that the bones of PB4 are enough to quieten the barking? Let us not discuss the old line that those who do not want to stay can leave. The system does not even have a scientific exit policy. I am not sure as to whether it even has a passable one.
PS1: Most of the bloggers here would be either retired soldiers or those in the middle ranks. This site tries to throw up issues for the benefit of these unsung and silent soldiers as well as for the overall interest of the organisation.
PS2: The floor is open for abuses!!!
@k_ram
The point is , you are quoting a scholarly article “specific” to the problems faced by the US army .
Can you dare write such a well informed piece on the Indian Army ? Can you really analyse the present security situation ? Do you “KNOW” what all mechanisms presently exist in India to cater for any unwarranted security situation ? For that matter , do you know the nitty gritties of the organisation of the Indian Army , its doctrine and strategic objectives to be qualified to make such a comment ? For that matter , do you have any knowledge of the armed forces except for what exists in Chat rooms and such discussion forums , where for most of the times , Newspaper articles are quoted as being scholarly ( eg : Dawn report on Taliban !!) . It is a different matter to have “good” knowledge regarding a topic and then give an opinion , rather than to have “some” knowledge and use the policy of “spit and run ” !! Which basically it means , You can say anything and since you are quoting an article , You cannot be asked to justify your opinion !!
Pray , can you tell what is the reason India needs to restructure its Armed forces ? Just because somebody says “Change the colonial mindset ” that becomes a rallying call !! Just because you read that an American professor has said USA needs to rethink its policies and restructure its armed forces does not mean India also needs to do so !!
Are our security needs not different ? Is our economy of the same size as USA ? that it can withstand the financial implications of such a “Tughlaqi” restructuring move ?
Similarly , question arises , Why does India not go in for Aerial Gunships ? Why do we not blast the terrorists hideout along with the civilian population nearby like the Americans do ? Why is it that the casualty rate of Indian officers in war surpasses that of all other armies of the world ? It is because we are NOT Americans , my friend !! We are Indians and our Armed forces are so too !! They face a unique “Indian” problem . If you could write on the Indian Army quoting reliable sources (Even Internet will do !!) and write a well researched , scholarly article , I will be the first one to congratulate you !!
Best Wishes and Best of luck .
ps : World Affairs Journals etc are good for collating Information and gaining knowledge , but there can be no true wisdom unless you yourself experience a situation !!
Dear Amit,
Precisely you have stated the problem that begs an answer. On the one hand you state that ‘true wisdom’ comes from hands on experience. And, on the other hand, you challenge me to write a ’scholarly’ article (even if it is culled – or is it ‘cut and paste’ from the internet). Can you write an article which expresses the type of changes that you envisage for the Armed Forces, as I can make out that I have ruffled the feathers of a soldier? With your ‘experience of a situation’? The answer is that you cannot. Have you ever felt the need to express yourself but found that speaking will either damage you or you are not likely to be heard. The rules of the organisation will prevent you from expressing your thoughts outside the uniform and the organisation does not have a forum to hear you out within! If you look for a typical and live example of ‘catch 22′ you cannot land up with one better!
@k_ram
Dear Ram , THAT is NO Excuse for your unresearched article !!
can you take up the challenge or you quit ?
LOL !!
And the moral of the story is , “Silence is Golden” especially about unknown !!
Regards ,
@K_Ram
“The ills and sins of the service elements in the Armed Forces are too well known for iteration. ”
You statement of “service elements” in the Armed Forces is interesting.
It implies that there are other elements too in the Armed Forces. Would you elucidate what are these other elements?
It seems a lot of busy bodies want to be somehow part of the AF. Then grudge its professionalism. Resorting to perceptual criticism may one way one way of dealing with extreme jealousy.
Any thoughts as why every Police, paramilitary and plethora of other uniformed dispensations (NSG, RAC, Force One etc.) want to adopt military lookalike badges, uniform and ranks structure?
May be because of the “ills and sins of the service elements in the Armed Forces that are too well known (???) for iteration.”
Sathye
@ Sathye
The reference to ’service elements’ was in comparison with arms within the Armed Forces and not the OGs per se in general. In specifics, you can assume that the reference was towards the Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, MES etc. If you refer to my original post, the precise question was -
“What has been the systemic response to address corruption (other than the usual routine of waiting for the ever present CBI raid which will tell the system that person A, B or C is corrupt)?”
I am not surprised that the responses to my post do not address any of my questions. The answer to all the issues raised is a resounding NO! I do feel sorry when I read each response as most of those responding have always been the foot soldiers, carrying on with a honourable loyalty towards the uniform, been obedient subordinates and have never been involved in enunciating policy.
“Any thoughts as why every Police, paramilitary and plethora of other uniformed dispensations (NSG, RAC, Force One etc.) want to adopt military lookalike badges, uniform and ranks structure?” If Mr Sathye wants to imply that others are aping the rank, uniform and badge structure of the Armed Forces because of the professional excellence of the Armed Forces, he is welcome to it. Incidentally, I would advise Mr Sathye to study the insignia of other Armed Forces throughout the world carefully. Perhaps he would then reach the conclusion that copying is not particularly confined to the CPMFs. Indian Armed Forces have also adapted the rank structure from elsewhere – no marks then for originality.
@ Amit
The issues on which I had invited debate still remain virgin territory. Any thoughts on those issues?
Yes I do have many thoughts on the issue . BUT and it is a big BUT …. Intelligent Debates and discussions should take place between people having a similar knowledge base about a given subject . for example , I cannot debate Physics with a Physicist without any knowledge of what all has occurred , has been written (!!) , and without an understanding of the mechanics of the science !! Similar is the case here !!
Secondly , As far as the question of freedom is concerned , will you still hold your job in case you abuse your Boss and your company on this Blog ? I hope that answers your question regarding rights and privileges and freedom enjoyed by servicemen !!
Thirdly ,I said you should not comment on “serious” issues “without” gaining some expertise on the subject . Your comments on @Sathye regarding copying badges comes without any understanding of the history of the Indian Army . All know that it was a colonial army and so the badges !! Why blame the present day Army for it ?! or Justify the copying post-Independence , when there was no coloniser forcing you to do so ?? and if the Insignia were such a problem , the democratic govt. elected after independence would ,in any case have changed the insignias.
Similarly , There is a difference between professional conduct and personal conduct . Most Intelligent authors focus on Professional conduct of an organisation ,in order to gauge it . Not the personal conduct of individuals in the organisation in order to gauge the organisation!! Therefore ,your comments on actions of certain people from the “services” (Pl note the ’s’ at the end) elements is not in good taste .
Lastly , In all the well known and respected journals , the authors name and antecedents are written in Bold at the end of the article . This place is an exception !! In case Pragmatic desires to be a “thinktank ” , you need to put the antecedents of your authors in bold !! After all intelligent discussions cannot happen on a “Nukkad” !!
Ref my Second paragraph , It did not come out the way I intended it to !!
The impression that comes is Service personnel would like to abuse their organisation , which was not my intention .
Please replace “Abuse” with “Comment”
regards .
@ Amit 10
The typical roundabout once again!! Keep attacking the credentials of the author and be silent about the contents of the article.
Dear Amit! You may be having lots of thoughts and not be interested in discussing those at this ‘Nukkad’. The issue is, do you have a forum for discussing your ‘thoughts’ within. Criticism of the system is not abuse of your ‘Boss’. Also, unlike a corporate job, a government job is more secure and is for a lifetime, unless you choose to exit (if you are permitted to do so). The problem with most of the officer class is that ‘career progression’ makes them tongue tied till they are in the ‘race’. Once they cease to be in the race, no one cares to listen to them either.
All this discussion is not to deride the Armed Forces. In comparison with almost all government organisations, the standards of the Armed Forces have always been much higher. Bulk of the credit, though, goes to the junior and middle level leadership and the transition from middle level leadership to the top brass has not been successful for a number of officers who sport the flag rank.
The issues of supersession, gross cadre mismanagement, absence of fora for promoting internal discussion and development, unnecessary and unhealthy competition with civil government services, ‘dog in the manger’ and ‘frog in the well’ attitudes, lack of strategic planning etc etc still haunt the Armed Forces. Are they going to move forward? Will they change in time to be a top class employer? Will the Armed Forces find meaningful ways of ensuring career progression of its officer community either within or without? Will there be a credible exit policy for those who have been left behind? Do the Armed Forces understand the magnitude of damage caused by the breast beating that took place over the sixth CPC? Do they seriously think that the best among the youth will continue to be attracted by the challenges of donning the uniform or be disheartened that the broader society is unconcerned about the fate of the soldier? Kind courtesy the negative propoganda!
As I said earlier “The rules of the organisation will prevent you from expressing your thoughts outside the uniform and the organisation does not have a forum to hear you out within!” The option left to those who have ‘lots of thoughts’, therefore, is to carry it with them in their heart, lacking the courage to speak when time was there; and not finding a listener when they are willing to talk!
Dear K_ram , your hiding your credentials shows that you may be no more than “Chati” pass for all I care !!
Just as only Engineers can construct buildings ,Only doctors can treat people , only Historians can write history , Therefore it but to assume that people with Knowledge of Mil Affairs can discuss them !!
In fact , If I was not mistaken , you had initially started by trying to discuss changes in Mil thpought but have demoted the discussion to “freedom of thought” in Mil affairs !! Additionally , without any reference , you are stating that Indian armed forces have no strategic thought !! How have you reached the conclusion and what events force you believe such a conclusion ?
Similarly , what do you mean by “Unhealthy competition with civil government “?
It is my personal opinion , that , in case the govt feels that its civil cadre is more talented than its defence cadre , contibutes better and more to the nations growth and security and would be able to do a better job managing the countrys armed forces then that justifies the degradation of the armed forces .
Also they should ask the civil service aspirants to also take over the management “including” at supposedly , Junior and middle levels of the armed forces !! Then we will have similar cases of Babus and IGs earning not in a few crores like happened for the recruitment of Policemen in chattisgarh but earning in Hundreds of crores and finally , our democracy will be safe and complete !! Our borders secure because a DGP who when in BSF could only earn through cattle smuggling,gun running , human trafficing etc will have larger stakes which will include bartering huge districts and states of this country and also earn him huge profits !!
“Chati” pass is ” sixth ” pass
Additionally, Before you misunderstand my “views” , and start about the inherent “bias” among serving and retired people in the armed forces regarding babus and Thullas !!
It should be understood that ,in a democratic setup , no one set of people should get absolute power !! The IAS is needed to keep check on the police and other arms of the Goct , The Police needs to keep all IAS ?Babus in check & The politician needs to keep both IAS, Police in check !! The role of military in this scheme gets murky because it is answerable to the people , through the very hazy thing called public opinion .
Incidentally , the hanging of Zulfikar Bhutto by the Pakistan Army in 1979 , a full 8 years after 1971 , signifies this . So does the coup in favour of Yeltsin by the Russian Army and refusal by the chinese army to fire on protestors in Tianammen . In fact , no good and professional army in the world has sided with its politicians during a protest by the people , and that is what is eating up our Babus and politicians !!
So it is the sacred duty of the armed forces to keep fear in the minds of the polity , in the service of the people .
This example is not to promote some sort of Dictatorship or to demean democracy , but to remind you that how the various arms of a democracy keep each other in check . They achieve this through use of Authority and Fear , by rule of Law . Into this scheme of things , in case one arm (In the present case, the civil Babus !!) become all too powerful and project their superiority as a god given right in a democracy , I believe , some errors have crept into the system !!
There can be no justification for this scheme of things that exist presently and to say so is putting the point across !!
When you spoke of freedom ,Did it imply that freedom should be to challenge valid orders of a superior officer but not for the armed forces to put forward their point of view on 6th CPC to the govt ? why do you contradict yourself ?
Dear Amit
“Incidentally , the hanging of Zulfikar Bhutto by the Pakistan Army in 1979 , a full 8 years after 1971 , signifies this” .
Pray what is the context of referring to this? Is it meant to imply that Pakistan Army hung Bhutto due to public opinion. ‘A full 8 years after 1971′ also is not very clear. If my facts are right, the military coup took place in 1977 in disturbed circumstances due to alleged rigging of polls by Mr Bhutto. Mr Bhutto had no contribution to make towards the defeat of 1971 as Yahya Khan was the head of state during the war.
“…….. and refusal by the chinese army to fire on protestors in Tianammen.”
The statement appears to be incorrect as the estimates of casualties of Tiananmen standoff vary from 200-300 (if you trust Chinese government data) to about 2000-3000 (as per Chinese Red Cross data). The protestors died because of firing on them. Perhaps, you are referring to that famous photograph where a man stops a column of tanks, but it remains that the protestors died due to the PLA action which included firing.
“In fact , no good and professional army in the world has sided with its politicians during a protest by the people, and that is what is eating up our Babus and politicians !!”
I can imagine the babus and politicians shuddering at the sight of the Armed Forces, especially when the Armed Forces are answerable to the public opinion according to you “The role of military in this scheme gets murky because it is answerable to the people, through the very hazy thing called public opinion”. Armed Forces are answerable to the people through the Parliament which is the elected voice of the people of India. The sad part is that there is a very cursory oversight of the parliament over the Armed Forces. Budgets get passed without discussion. Compare the status with the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee of the USA. Please visit the website using the following link
http://armed-services.senate.gov/
I would request you to go through reports and the bills that are taken up at this level. This is what I would say accountable to the public through the parliament. Sadly, there is no such system in India. This lapse suits both the political class and the military while the general public finances the Forces but remains clueless as to what happens to the money. Let me open the door a little more; The issue that bites me is ‘Why are the Armed Forces being treated as holy cows?’ Is India interested in what happens to the 2.5 to 3 percent of the GDP being spent on the Armed Forces? Are the funds being utilised in the most optimum manner? The other issues will remain sub-texts of the main issue “Proper oversight of the Armed Forces by the Parliament on behalf of the Indian public”.
Surprisingly, we may find that the real issues and problems of the Armed Forces will be recognised and appreciated by our opinion makers and leaders if there is close monitoring. Probably, if such an oversight was available pre-6th CPC days, all the fracas could have been avoided and the Armed Forces would have got a better deal without fuss.
By the way, ‘Chati’ pass will not disturb you so much if you can make out the difference between ‘literacy’ and ‘education’!
Dear k_ram ,
you have succeeded in diverting attention from your shortcomings as an author on military affairs to my personal shortcomings as a historian !!
But , As you so rightly say ,the armed forces are answerable to the parliament , then I wonder where does the Babu jump in as a symbol of parliamentary control ? Is the defence minister really answerable to the parliament on military issues ? How many times has he had to provide explanations for any actions taken by the government ? unlike the senate committee which we hear of so much in the USA .
However , that was not the topic , if I seem to remember right !! The topic was , if the armed forces require any reforms !! And I would say no based on the fact that we have had success in fighting the same non-conventional forces against which the americans have not succeeded . In case you can give an example of drastic failure give specifics of “what ” exactly should be changed , this discussion is going nowhere and is degrading into a slanging match !!
“BUT India has successfully defeated insurgencies in N.E and J&K”
Have we, really ?