A month ago our Indian Military Academy (IMA) course met in Dehradun to celebrate the Golden Jublee of our commissioning from the IMA. We were shown a short film titled ‘Making of a Warrior’. In the film the then Commandant is shown addressing the Gentlemen Cadets. He poses them a question: ‘ What is the soldier’s limit in combat?’ and goes on to answer thus: ‘ It is directly proportional to the combat limit of the officer who leads him in battle’.
In these simple words lies the very ethos of the Indian Armed Forces. The soldier, sailor and airman demands top level leadership from his officers. Since independence, India has been involved in four armed conflicts with Pakistan and one with China. There was also an ill- advised participation in ‘Op Pawan’ in Sri Lanka. Other than these the Indian Army has been involved in counter insurgency operations in the North East and Kashmir. In all these conflicts the officers of the Armed forces have shown exemplary courage and have led from the front. The military folklore is full of sagas of extreme bravery by all ranks. In the Air Force a Squadron Commander does not sit in the comfortable and safe confines of the Operations room. Instead he will fly the first combat mission himself. The Captain of a Naval ship will never abandon his ship in distress till all others have been evacuated safely. There is the famous saga of Capt Mulla who went down with his ship ‘ INS Khukri’ in the Arabian sea after it was hit by a torpedo in 1971. Some of the ship’s company were saved but many went down with the Capt sitting in his chair on the bridge.
Now compare this with the other elements of Indian security forces. Firstly, forces like CRPF and ITBP are wrongly called para military forces. There is nothing military about them. They are armed police forces. The CRPF frequently suffers heavy losses at the hands of the Naxals and Maoist rebels. It is a police force which is commanded by IPS officers’ right down to the Battalion level. The junior officers are recruited into the CRPF but their commanding officer is an IPS officer who has no experience of combat. He never moves out of his headquarters and thus gets saved from getting gunned down like the men he commands. One of the main reasons of the consistently poor show of the CRPF is lack of effective leadership. Unfortunately no government has taken any corrective measures.
Is there a solution to this? Well every year many short service commissioned officers retire after putting in 12 or 13 years of service in the Army. These officers would have served in counter insurgency operations for a number of years. They are physically fit and honed onto the tough disciplined life of the Army. They would make excellent leaders for such a force. This has been suggested by various pay commissions but the bureaucracy has for some reason or the other not allowed this to happen. There is a new government in place and the 7th Pay Commission is in the process of submitting it’s report. Apart from revising pay scales it must suggest ways of improving the efficiency of various elements of the government. The big question is,’ does the government have a will to make these changes’?
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ A COUPLE of months ago, we had a reunion at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, to celebrate the golden jubilee of our commissioning. A brochure was published, with details of those who formed a part of the passing-out course of the spring term of 1965. A quick look at it sprang up startling facts about the promotion pyramid of the defence forces. Of the 300 who passed out of the Chetwode Hall, only 34 (11 per cent) reached the rank of Maj-Gen and above. Of course, we know about the famous fauji promotion pyramid with a very broad base. What is not known in the civvy street is the tough route that exists between the base and the pinnacle. The military is all about competition from the time you join the NDA/IMA/OTA. Once you get commissioned, a slew of training courses get lined up for the young officer. The most important of these is the Staff College Course. It is tough to clear the entrance exam of this course. Less than 25 per cent of a batch make it. Having gone through this course, which lasts over a year, you have a good chance of making it to the rank of Colonel/Group Capt/Captain (IN). However, it will all depend on the ACRs that you earn, and if there is a drop in performance, it is curtains for you. So, the shedding starts from here onwards, till only about 10 per cent reach the rank of Maj-Gen. From here, about 25 to 30 per cent of this lot will go further to the rank of Lt-Gen and one of these (out of every four-five batches) becomes the Chief of Staff. Now, have a look at the other side of the moon. In the IAS, everyone in a batch will make it to the Joint Secretary level, unless you have run into some serious trouble. So also in the IPS, everyone becomes an IG in about 18 years of service. A big percentage goes on to get promotions beyond this level. For those who do not get it, the NFU has been factored in, wherein you catch up with your batchmates in terms of emoluments within two years, no matter what your present rank/ appointment is. No such provision for the forces. In the armed forces, even if your performance is at the top level, there may not be a place for you on the upper shelf. A few IAS/IPS officers do get deputed to attend the Staff College Course, along with the military guys. For them, the course is like a holiday, because there is no 'perform or perish' situation in their services. Further, there is little or no accountability for lack of achievement. The maximum that will happen is that you get moved to another ministry or city. Finally, if and when there is serious trouble, such as during a natural calamity, there is always the option of calling in the armed forces. This culture of no accountability and the absence of the ‘perform or perish’ factor is the main cause of slow development and the poor law and order situation in our country. Politicians come and go with every election but the bureaucracy has a firm base. No government has managed to shake that base and it is unlikely to happen any time soon.
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