Women in the Indian Armed Forces

Maj Gen Mrinal Suman (Indian Defence Review Sep 2006)

Introduction

The recent debate about the entry of women officers in the armed forces has been highly ill-informed and subjective in nature. People have taken stands and expressed opinion without analysing the matter in its entirety. It is imprudent to consider it as an issue of equality of sexes or gender bias or even women’s liberation. It is also not a question of conquering the so-called ‘last male bastion’. That would amount to trifling a matter that concerns the well-being and the war-potential of a nation’s armed forces.

Armed forces have been constituted with the sole purpose of ensuring defence of the country and all policy decisions should be guided by this overriding factor. All matters concerning defence of the country have to be considered in a dispassionate manner. No decision should be taken which even remotely affects the cohesiveness and efficiency of the military. Concern for equality of sexes or political expediency should not influence defence policies.

A World Scan

India has limited experience as regards induction of women in the armed forces. The first batch had joined in 1992. Therefore, our knowledge of the complexities and long term effects of the issues involved is highly limited. On the other hand, women have been serving in the militaries of developed countries for a long time. These countries have acquired a deep understanding of all the issues involved.

The United States

The United States is considered a pioneer and a trend-setter as regards induction of women in the services. There are approx 200,000 American women on active duty in the US armed forces. They constitute nearly 20 percent of its strength. Women are also participating in Iraq operations in large numbers, albeit in support functions as they are forbidden to be placed in direct ground combat with enemy. They, however, are assigned ‘combat support’ duties on voluntary basis.

Prior to November 1975, if women became pregnant, they were given the option to terminate pregnancy or seek discharge. A number of important steps were initiated during President Clinton’s time. Women were permitted to join as combat aircraft pilots and could also be assigned for prolonged duty on combat naval ships. The scope of combat-risk assignments for women was redefined to open additional appointments to them.

Israel

Though Israel has conscription for women (as well as men), a large number of them are exempted for various reasons. Women are generally not allotted active battle field duties. They serve in many technical and administrative posts to release men for active duty. Although they make excellent instructors as well, most women occupy lower and middle level appointments. Only a handful reach senior ranks.

Britain

A major enlargement of women’s role in the British armed forces took place in early 1990s. A number of new duties were assigned to them. Today, 71% of all jobs in the Navy, 67% in the Army and 96% in the Air Force are tenable by women. Women are primarily excluded from the duties which require battling enemy at close quarters.

Out of the total strength of 196,650 of the three services, women number 17,900 (3,670 officers and 14,230 other ranks). Thus they constitute 9.1% of the total strength, 11.2% of the officer cadre and 8.7% of the other ranks. Service-wise, the Navy has a women population of 9.4%, the Army 7.1% and the Air Force 11.9%.

Canada

For Canadian women it has been a long and slow struggle to be part of the armed forces. For over a hundred years, women were considered suitable only for nursing duties. However, things changed rapidly during the recent past and today women account for close to 13 percent of the total strength of the Canadian forces. Women are permitted in all corps and can rise upto senior decision making levels.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria has adopted a highly flexible model. As per the law, women in Bulgarian Army are appointed to professional military service in the Armed Forces on appointments proposed by the Chief of the General Staff. They have equal training standards and equal professional rights as men. Women constitute about 7 percent of the total force.

Germany

Though established in 1955, the Bundeswehr allowed women to join medical units and musical bands in 1975. It was only in 2001 that women won the right to join the Bundswehr as soldiers. Today, there are nearly 12,000 German women in uniform on voluntary basis as compulsory military service for women is banned by law. Women constitute almost 6 percent of the total strength.

Some Other Countries

In the Australian army women are still not allowed in the field/battle. In Russia, women generally serve in nursing, communications and logistic support functions. According to some estimates, their number is close to 95,000. Slovenia became an independent state in 1971 and inducted women in its armed forces soon after. Presently, women account for 18 percent of the total strength of the Slovenian Army.

Like all Islamic states, Pakistan does not permit women in the armed forces. It is feared that women would create distraction and cause disruption of internal order. There is also a great deal of concern for the safety of women from the organisational environment itself.

Major Issues Experienced

Women in all militaries are confronted with social, behavioural and psychological problems at all levels. According to many surveys carried out women are not fully satisfied with the ethos of military profession. Some of the major issues concerning women in all defence forces are discussed below.

Sexual Harassment

This is one single concern that has defied solution so far - how to ensure safety and protect dignity of women in the forces. Almost all women view this as their major fear. The American and the British societies are highly emancipated and liberal with women having equal status in all fields. Yet, the level of sexual harassment of women in their forces is startling (see boxes).

What hurts women most is the attitude of military officials who dismiss complaints as frivolous and due to over-sensitivities of women involved. Even serious accusations of sexual assault are many times treated in a perfunctory manner. Moreover, many officers tend to adopt an attitude of acquiescence by resorting to ‘boys will be boys’ apology. In the US, only two to three percent perpetrators are court-martialled and they are also let off with minimal punishment.

Low Acceptance

Acceptance of women in the military has not been smooth in any country. Every country has to contend with sceptics who consider it to be a counter productive programme. They tend to view it as a political gimmick to flaunt sexual equality, or, at best, a necessary liability.

Additionally, every country has to mould the attitude of its society at large and male soldiers in particular to enhance acceptability of women in the military.

Lack of Job Satisfaction

Most women feel that their competence is not given due recognition. Seniors tend to be over-indulgent without valuing their views. They are generally marginalised and not involved in any major decision making. They have to work twice as hard as men to prove their worth. Additionally, a woman is always under scrutiny for even minor slip-ups.

Many women complain that despite their technical qualifications, they are generally detailed for perceived women-like jobs. Either they get routine desk work or are asked to perform duties related to social minutiae.

Poor Comfort Level

Most women accepted the fact that their presence amongst males tends to make the environment ‘formal and stiff’. Mutual comfort level between men and women colleagues is low. Men miss their light hearted banter which is considered essential to release work tensions and promote group cohesion. They consider women to be intruding on their privacy.

Doubts about Role Definition

The profession of arms is all about violence and brutality. To kill another human is not moral but soldiers are trained to kill. They tend to acquire a streak of raw ruthlessness and coarseness. This makes the environment highly non-conducive and rough for women.

Women, in general, are confused about the way they should conduct themselves. If they behave lady-like, their acceptance amongst male colleagues is low. On the other hand, their active participation in casual repartee carries the danger of their losing colleagues’ respect.

Essential Prerequisites for Smooth Induction of Women

The experience of countries that have inducted women in their armed forces has been mixed. They have had and are still grappling with considerable adjustment problems even in societies that are liberated and profess gender equality.

The profession of arms requires both mental and physical prowess. That is the reason why even advanced countries are wary of inducting women in fighting units. They have been taking precautions to ensure that women are neither pitched against enemy in face-to-face direct combat nor exposed to the risk of capture by the adversary. No wonder then that despite the much touted huge presence of women in US forces in Iraq, there has been not been a single woman casualty so far whereas close to 3,000 men have lost their lives. They have been kept sheltered in safe appointments.

It is imprudent to replicate the model or path followed by others. Every nation has to weigh its options against the backdrop of its own social and environmental mores. Every country has its own social/cultural moorings, type of hostilities encountered, level of technology and larger man power issues. it is now commonly accepted that women should be encouraged to join the services only under the following circumstances:-

· When a country is short of men or there are not enough men volunteering to join the forces.
· When the armed forces of a country are technologically very advanced and there is a huge requirement for highly qualified personnel for high-tech support functions. Women can be gainfully employed for the same.
· Where societal and cultural ethos have matured to the extent that barriers of gender prejudices have vanished and both sexes have adjusted to the desired level of mutual comfort.
· Where militaries are not deployed on active combat duties and are generally assigned comparatively passive tasks. A number of countries like Canada and Australia induct women in their forces as they are aware that they will never be required to participate in an operation at home or abroad.

The above parameters act as a universally accepted bench mark to determine the need and extent of women’s’ employment in the forces.

The Indian Experience

Earlier, entry of women was limited to the Army Medical Corps, the Army Dental Corps and the Military Nursing Service. It was in 1990 that a decision was taken to induct them into the non-combat wings of the armed forces as short commissioned service officers. They are inducted into Engineers, Signals, Army Service Corps, Ordnance, Education, Intelligence, Legal Branch and EME (Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers). Presently, the Indian Army counts 2.44 percent women in its ranks, the Indian Navy 3.0 percent and the Indian Air Force 6.7 percent.

The Indian experience has been too short to facilitate conclusive appraisal. The initial feedback has been varied. New insights are being gained into the complete gamut of related issues.

Four categories of people are intimately connected with women’s presence in the services – women officers themselves, their commanding officers, colleague male officers and the soldiers. Their views and response should be seriously considered while moulding policies to address all concerns.

Women Officers

Women who are mentally robust, physically fit and highly motivated resent preferential treatment being meted out to them. They want to be treated at par with their male colleagues so that they get a fair opportunity to prove their worth. They demand same selection criteria, same training standards and same work schedules. They do not want to be treated as weaklings as it offends their sensitivities and self-respect. They take exception to some women seeking kid-glove treatment to escape hardships.

However, most of the women opting for a career in the services belong to families where their upbringing has been in a highly sheltered environment. A career in the military is at the other extreme. They admit having limited knowledge of military life at the time of joining. Subsequently, life in the military comes as a big shock to them. While some adapt to it well others find the task to be too daunting. Additionally, many women officers are unsure of their identity - they want to be officers and yet be given the deference of service wives. It has been a cause for despair for many.

Women normally get commissioned at the age of 23 to 25 years. Soon thereafter family pressures start building up on them to get married. Many women confess that managing married life with military service is difficult, though marrying a service officer helps. Subsequent pregnancy and motherhood prove very demanding.

Commanding Officers

The first posting of all newly commissioned officers is to their assigned units. It is for the Commanding Officers (COs) to induct, mould and employ them. Therefore, views of COs carry utmost importance as they indicate an objective appraisal of actual position on ground.

Most of the COs find women officers to be highly committed and sincere. They admire them for their enthusiasm despite the environmental difficulties faced by them. Safety of women under their command becomes their primary concern and they find it quite taxing, especially in field areas. The second common problem faced by them relates to their useful employment.

CO of an engineer regiment recounted – “My unit was in Punjab when a young lady officer was posted to it. Soon thereafter the unit was ordered to move to insurgency affected Poonch area. I did not know how to employ her and where to house her. Ultimately, I had to send her on long leave to tide over the problem.” Another CO of a services unit said – “All young officers have to train, exercise and play games with their respective platoons. They are also required to visit troops’ barracks at lights-out to ensure that all mosquito nets are down and even check the cleanliness of latrines. I could not ask or expect the lady officer to do any of these duties”.

By turn, every officer is detailed as a duty officer and has to visit the Quarter Guard and all sentry posts at midnight to ensure their alertness. All unit commanders rue the fact that lady officers can not be assigned any of these duties. Thus the male officers have to undertake additional work load, which they resent.

Referring to the recent increase in women’s service, some COs pointed out that at 14 years of service a lady officer will be second in command of a unit and will officiate as its commanding officer. In an Engineer or Signal unit she will be an advisor to the Divisional Commander. Without having commanded a platoon or a company and without having attended essential professional courses, it will be unfair to expect her to be able to deliver the goods.

Some COs also expressed concern about the physical fitness of women officers and their being highly prone to back problems, pelvic injuries and stress fractures. Many COs showed reluctance to have women under them due to concern for their safety and dignity. They also tend to be over-cautious in assigning duties to them lest they be exposed to any harm.

Male Colleagues

Almost all male colleagues admire women officers for their courage and determination. They understand and appreciate challenges faced by them in trying to adapt to an environment which is totally male dominated.

However, they want the women officers to do their share of work and duties. They resent preferential treatment given to their women colleague. One officer was outspoken enough to state – “They have joined the military on the plank of equality of sexes but this plank vanishes the day they join the training academy. Thereafter, they again become the weaker sex needing special dispensations.”

An officer recounted that a lady officer posted to an Ordnance Depot declined to carry out periodic stocktaking of stores lying in isolated sheds unless provided with escort for security. Other officers had to do her job.

When told about women making up shortage of male officers, most young officers scoff at the speciousness of the argument. According to them, there is no shortage of male volunteers to join the services but the required number of candidates do not come up to the standards laid down. The services do not want to dilute the standards even marginally in the fear of compromising the quality of intake. But when it comes to women, standards are reduced to extremely low levels.

In army there is a concept of field and peace postings. Every officer looks forward to a good peace posting to be with his family and sort out family issues. But a large number of peace postings at junior officers’ level are held by the women, thereby depriving male officers of their due share. It has become a sore point with many.

Soldiers

Most soldiers view women’s induction as a fall-out of Government policies and generally take it lightly. They are convinced that women can never lead them effectively. Some Junior Commissioned Officers were blunt enough to state – “An officer, who cannot run with us, cannot train with us and cannot exercise with us can barely be expected to lead us”.

Not withstanding the above, India is proud of the fact that women in the Indian services are being treated in a manner befitting their dignity and self respect, despite the fact that the Indian soldier is drawn from rustic stock where women to date are confined to household chores. In this regard, India can rightfully claim to have a record which is far better than that of any advanced nation in the world.

The Way Ahead

Every army is but a part of its own people. It reflects a nation’s social, cultural and historical predispositions. Many social scientists call the military a mirror image of a nation or a microcosm. They are of the view that military’s functioning and behaviour are conditioned by the societal influences that the members are exposed to in their formative years prior to joining the military. There is, thus, a need to delve deep into the psychology of soldiers to understand their attitudes. It is only then that an objective study can be carried out of military’s ethos and functioning.

It is a universally accepted fact that militaries are not created to generate employment and hence have nothing to do with gender equality. They are tasked to ensure national defence and that is the sole reason for their existence. They need only the fittest - men or women. Armed forces require personnel who are physically strong and mentally robust to be able to handle battle-field pressures. The fighting potential of a force depends fundamentally on its cohesion, mutual trust and faith in the leadership. Nothing should be done to weaken these traits.

The whole concept of women’s induction in the services has to be viewed in a holistic and objective manner. The first step should be to ascertain whether the required preconditions, as mentioned above, exist to warrant women’s entry into the Indian services. Here is a brief appraisal:-

-India is not short of male volunteers.
-India is still a second generation technology force which is trying desperately to graduate to the third generation, whereas the US and the Western nations are already well into the fourth generation. Indian defence forces are man-power intensive needing physical ground effort.
-Indian society is passing through a phase of transition from traditionalism to modernity. Societal and cultural ethos continue to be mired in sex discrimination.
-A major part of the Indian Army is deployed on combat duties at all times. Peace tenures are rare and there are very few periods of comparative lull.

In view of the above, the following are suggested:-

· Women must continue to play a dominant role in the Armed Forces Medical Services and the Military Nursing Service. They have done India proud by rising to three-star ranks. Their contribution in providing medical support to the soldiers has been invaluable.
· Their expertise, talent and dedication should be profitably utilised in areas which are totally non-combat in nature and where their competence can be fully harnessed. As is being done at present, they should continue to serve in Legal and Education Branches of the services. They could even be considered for the grant of permanent commission at a later date.
· A majority of uniformed officers in the Survey of India, Military Engineering Service Militarised Cadre, Director General Quality Assurance and such organisations should be women. The current provision for 14 years service should remain in force.
· The current policy of non-induction of women in combat arms should continue. Additionally, their entry into Engineers, Signals, Supply Corps, Ordnance and EME (Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) should be deferred for the time being and reviewed after a few years, once the environment becomes more conducive for their smooth absorption in the organisation.

The services are not opposed to the entry of women per-se but demand that a number of crucial issues, as discussed above, be addressed as well. Decisions which have a far reaching effect on the functioning of the armed forces must be taken with due diligence and after a careful study.

Appendix A: Findings of the British Equal Opportunities Commission

A joint survey was carried out by the Ministry of Defence and the Equal Opportunities Commission to determine the nature and extent of sexual harassment and sexualised behaviour in the British armed forces. Sexualised behaviour was described as ‘unwanted sexual contact, sending of explicit material, unwelcome comments and sexual assaults’.
The findings were released on 22 March 2006 and have caused wide-spread consternation. Almost all (99%) who responded had been in situations where such sexualised behaviours had taken place in the previous 12 months, with two-thirds (67%) having had such behaviours directed at them personally and 15% having had a ‘particularly upsetting’ experience.
Some of the other major findings of the survey are as follows:-
· Almost all (99%) of the servicewomen had been in situations where sexualised behaviours had taken place in the previous 12 months and over half of them found them offensive.
· Explicit sexual language, details of sexual exploits and pornography were the behaviours most frequently found offensive.
· Over two thirds (67%) had also encountered in the previous 12 months sexual behaviours directed at them personally. These varied from making unwelcome comments, sending sexually explicit material and unwanted touching through to sexual assaults.
· The younger the women, the more likely they were to have experienced unwelcome sexual behaviours. Seventy-seven per cent of women under 23 had experienced behaviours compared to 44% of women in their forties.
· Just over 15% of survey respondents reported having had a “particularly upsetting” experience. Sexual assault was cited by 12.7% of survey respondents.
· Twenty-one per cent of the perpetrators of these experiences were the individual’s own senior and a further 36% were other personnel senior to the individual.
· Only 5% of those who had suffered a particularly upsetting experience made a formal written complaint. Nearly half of them were dissatisfied with the length of time it took to resolve. Forty-six per cent were dissatisfied with the way they were kept informed and 42% were dissatisfied with the way the outcome was explained.
· Over half of those who made a formal complaint stated that there had been negative consequences as a result of which 64% were considering leaving the Services.

Appendix B: Sexual Harassment of Women Soldiers in the US

The US society is highly emancipated and liberal with women having equal status in all walks of life. However, the recent case of Specialist Suzanne Swift of 54th Military Police Company has traumatised the entire nation and exposed the degree of ill-treatment meted out to women in the US forces. Swift has declined to serve in Iraq during her unit’s second tenure of duty there.

During her first tenure in Iraq, she was one of three women in her unit and has accused her superiors of intense sexual harassment using ‘war zone as a pretext’. She has claimed that she was sexually harassed and assaulted by three sergeants in Iraq. Intense publicity received by the case has forced the authorities to take a fresh look at the problem that they all knew existed but preferred to ignore. Sexual harassment and assaults of women soldiers is known to be blatant and quite prevalent. The Defence Department has conceded that reports of sexual assaults rose 40 percent to 2,374 in 2005.

The extent to which the malaise of sexual harassment pervades can be gauged from the fact that a sexual harassment hotline set up at Aberdeen received 6,825 calls from women from all branches of the military in just two months. Many women have been too traumatised to lead a normal life afterwards and need continuous counselling and medical attention.

According to Miles Foundation, a non-profit organisation that provides service to victims of military violence and advocates stricter implementation of protective laws, approximately 508 women have complained of sexual assault in the forces since the beginning of Iraq war in 2003. Due to the ongoing hostilities, rape victims are neither given any medical treatment nor can any test be carried out in field conditions to collect medical proof of rape for pressing criminal charges.

Many women dread duty in war zone. Several young women prefer to be declared ‘absent without leave’ due to their fears of sexual assaults. But most of them are too scared to speak out. The case of Colleen Mussolino, who served as a cook at Women's Army Corps, is symptomatic of the fear stifling women’s complaints. She was gang raped, beaten and left for dead. Under continued threats, she ultimately signed an undertaking promising not to press for prosecution.
‘Command rape’ has come to be accepted as a common phenomenon in the military. A superior official, under the might of his command authority, can force a subordinate woman soldier to accede to his sexual demands. Many feel that women in the military are no good as soldiers and their real value lies in their contribution to keep the organisation in good cheer.

Appendix C: Women Soldiers and the Liberated Societies

During the recent debate over the issue of women’s induction in the Indian defence services, the military brass came under severe criticism for it’s allegedly anti-women bias. Many senior officers are reluctant to have women subordinates because of their concern for their safety and dignity. They are over-cautious in assigning duties to them lest they be exposed to any harm. Most superior officers take it as their personal duty and moral obligation to ensure the well-being of women in their command.

Indian senior brass takes pride in the fact that there have hardly been any cases of sexual harassment in the Indian defence forces despite the fact that the Indian soldier is drawn from rustic stock where women to date are consigned a lesser status.

They refer to the indignities inflicted on women in the militaries of the so-called liberated societies. There are a number of web sites where women soldiers from these societies exchange their experience and seek counseling to get over their trauma. Extracts from some of the letters appearing on the web sites are given below:-

· “I can understand because I was molested by five different people and then raped in 1999.”
· “Just want to add my name to the list of female veterans that suffered sexual discrimination/harassment and a rape while in the Navy. I have not been able to get any type of compensation for what happened to me, but it is good to read that some females in each branch of the military services are receiving some type of compensation.”
· “I joined the US Army at the age of 17. I endured much more in the Army than I had ever bargained for. I cried many nights during basic training, but I was a survivor, and determined to make it through. At the base, I was escorted to my room by the staff duty NCO, who later demanded a reward for his kindness. He pushed me onto the bed, forced himself upon me and did ‘his business’.”
· “I grew up in a patriotic family. The thought of serving in the military was as natural as breathing. Today I live with so many conflicting emotions. I hate the military and what it allows to happen to women. It does condone rape. If it didn't, there wouldn't be so many cowards and rapist still wearing uniforms. Whenever I see any news item concerning the US stance of condemnation against foreign militaries that assault and rape, I get sick. Why in the hell don't they clean up the mess in our military before they pound on someone else? I was even denied access to records about my assault case.”
· “I was one of several single female officers (nurse corps) on a Southwestern air base in the middle of nowhere in the early 1990s. A famous squadron was performing at the upcoming air show and needed escorts. They preferred single female nurses in something short, sexy and black. This suggestion made me feel dirty and I felt as if the Air Force was asking me to be a prostitute. I was told that it was expected that the female nursing officers sleep with pilots. And it's unsetting when I think that this was and could still be a standard practice. How many women and men had their military careers cut short because of adultery and then the Air Force seems to encourage it in the elite pilot corps.”
· “I am an Army veteran now. During my time in the service I was raped and assaulted and nobody did anything. They did some corrupt things and didn't even counsel me correctly. They covered everything up. They did not believe me. I was harassed repeatedly and everyone thought I was crazy.”
· “I joined the reserves when I was 17. I decided to join the regular force as an artillery person and moved to my new base. There were some people who, not much later on, ended up harassing me, both sexually and physically. A year and the court case is still going on. It has drawn attention to me, to my name, to my reputation amongst and to my sex so much that I no longer want to be a soldier in the Canadian armed forces, something which at one time I use to love very much. They say it's getting better, what they mean is we're telling you less about it now!”
· “When I joined the Army, I was a 21 year old very enthusiastic female who enjoyed the challenges of military life. Reality came quickly. Drill sergeants flirted and had sex both consensual and not with recruits and so the story begins in basic training. Being a strong minded individual or so I thought I shrugged off my share of flirtations, propositions and dates, that is until 1991, when a supervisor I had in a very high position continually harassed me nonstop for 2 years and was always propositioning me for sex. Things got out of hand on a duty trip to Atlanta where he finally forced his way into my hotel room, which he booked next to his, and he raped me. I requested out of the military after 14-15 years of service, because I felt trapped.”
· “I am a 35 year old prior service Army veteran who left the military after a period of sexual abuse that ended with my suicide attempt. My attacker is a married white senior NCO who continues his career unscathed 6 years after my initial report of the abuse and 5 years after the first substantiated investigation report. If the regulations tell you a sexual harassment case should be decided within 120 days of the investigation, why has the Army National Guard kept me on hold for eight years?”

Many still recall the shameful Tailhook Incident of 1991, where naval aviators at their annual convention surrounded over 80 ladies including 14 women naval officers stripping them and assaulting them sexually. According to most women, the incident reveals an attitude of contempt towards women and worse, it is tolerated by the military leadership. The naval enquiry tried to downplay the whole incident but the subsequent public uproar forced the US Government to act tough. A number of senior naval officers were forced to retire.

Indian Armed Forces: Agenda for the New Government

Major General Mrinal Suman (Gfiles Jul 2009)

Indian democracy has proved itself yet again. A new government has been put in place with comfortable working majority to pursue progressive policies without any encumbrance. Agenda for the new government relating to the Indian defence forces needs diligent consideration and dynamic implementation. Some of the critical issues that have a profound effect on the operational efficacy of the services have been discussed here. To many it may appear to be a wish list. But unless one sets objectives one cannot strive to achieve them.

Modernisation of the Armed Forces

It is a well accepted fact that the modernisation of the Indian armed forces is lagging behind by 10 years with critical gaps in equipment profile causing grave concern. Whereas successive governments have been making adequate funds available for the procurement of new equipment; structural, procedural and policy adequacies have been stalling their full utilisation. Following steps will help:-

· Delegation of Technical Evaluation. Currently, Acquisition Wing under the Ministry of Defence (MoD) handles the complete gamut of procurement activities. For every decision, the services have to refer cases to MoD, resulting in avoidable delays. As MoD has little to contribute to technical appraisal of competing equipment, all functions from the issuance of tender documents to selection of technically acceptable equipment should be transferred to Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff. However, commercial evaluation and price negotiation with the successful bidder should continue to be undertaken by MoD as at present.

· Reforms in Procurement Procedure. All procurements are required to be carried out as per the approved 15-Year Long Term Integrated Procurement Plan and 5-Year Services Capital Acquisition Plan (SCAP). SCAP for the period 2002-2007 had not been approved till 2007, resulting in a massive 43 per cent of the capital budget being expended on unplanned items in 2005-06. All procurement plans must be finalised well in advance and comprehensive sanctions issued at the outset, thereby obviating need for repeated references for piecemeal approvals. Matrix system should be introduced to select equipment that provides best performance parameters commensurate with its cost. While working out cost, life cycle costs should be considered rather than initial procurement costs which can turn out to be highly misleading in the long run.

· Offset Policy Issues. Major changes are required in the Indian offset policy. Offset threshold should be reduced to 100 crore rupees from 300 crores at present (the British demand offsets for all contracts over 70 crore rupees). Similarly, offset value should be raised from the meager 30 percent to 100 percent, as has been accepted the world over to be a fair level. To promote Indian defence industry, transfer of technology should be accepted against offsets.

· Foreign Direct Investment Issues. Although the defence industry was opened to the private sector in 2001 with a cap of 26 percent on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), the response has been decidedly lukewarm. Prospective foreign investors find the policy to be highly dissuasive - they have no significant control, strict capacity/product constraints, no purchase guarantee and no open access to other markets (including exports). It is time to raise FDI cap to 49 percent and revisit the policy to rationalise other incongruent provisions.

· Carrying Forward of Defence Budget. Defence procurement cycles span three to five years. The current system of unexpended defence budget getting surrendered is a big impediment to long term planning and allocation of resources. MoD should be allowed to carry forward unexpended funds. Such a provision will also curb the current tendency of procuring unplanned items near the end of a financial year just to spend all allotted funds.

· Integration of the Private Sector. Both the public and the private sectors are national assets. Whereas the public sector possesses extensive infra-structure and trained manpower, the private sector excels in technology, financial management and marketing. Therefore, entry of the private sector in defence industry must be facilitated. Both the sectors should be treated at par. The Department of Defence Production in MoD should be replaced by the Department of Defence Industry.

Promotion of Jointness

The contemporary world-wide Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) pre-supposes total tri-service integration in thought and execution. In RMA-oriented warfare, joint operations constitute the key to battlefield dominance and military superiority. Lack of jointmanship amongst the three services and the current mindset of segregated service-wise operations have been the bane of Indian defence preparedness.

All military commanders acknowledge criticality of jointmanship to national security. They support it when it comes to platitudes but fight every step towards jointmanship fiercely on specious grounds. This dichotomy is due to the fact that the services guard their turf with relentless fanaticism and every jointmanship proposal has to result in a reduction of domain of each service to prevent duplication/triplication. Conservation of resources and effort is one of the primary objectives of jointmanship.

As the services continue to quibble, the Government must intervene forcefully. Although decision by consensus is always the most preferred option as it creates synergy in an organisation and facilitates smooth implementation, there are times in the life of every nation when hard decisions are required to be taken by the leadership. Delay or wavering can cause irreparable damage to national security interests. Should the persuasive approach fail to yield the desired consensus, the Government should enforce jointmanship through decree. National interests cannot be permitted to be held hostage to the intransigence of a few dissenting military leaders.

Kargil Committee Report has suggested a number of measures. They must be carried out without delay or dilution. Foremost among its recommendations that needs immediate implementation is the creation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff. Additionally, Defence Intelligence Agency needs to be empowered and made more effective.

Outsourcing of Non-Core Functions

Outsourcing in its broadest sense refers to contracting out to external agencies certain services and tasks which were earlier performed with internal resources. Manpower ceilings, limited defence budgets and advent of increasingly complex military hardware are forcing the militaries the world over to outsource non-core functions. If implemented intelligently, outsourcing can act as a force multiplier by freeing additional manpower for operational tasks.

Soldiers are trained to fight an adversary and must concentrate on their primary function. They should not be wasted on routine administrative functions, for which civilian service providers are better equipped and are more cost effective. For example, organisations like the Military Engineering Service have outlived their utility and must be disbanded. Building construction and maintenance functions can be fruitfully outsourced.

Organisational Reforms

With a view to inject professionalism and to promote jointness in MoD, at least half the appointments at Director, Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary levels should be held by service officers. There is no reason that the Chief Administrative Officer of MoD be an IAS officer. Similarly, it is incongruous to have bureaucrats man all posts in the Department of Ex-Servicemen’s Welfare.

Urgent reforms are required in the Defence R&D Organisation (DRDO). It should be made accountable for its performance through periodic external audits. As mandated, DRDO should focus only on strategic, complex and security sensitive systems. It must not waste the defence budget on unrelated activities.

On an average, 40,000 personnel are discharged from the services every year. As recommended by SCPC, close to 12,000 retiring servicemen can be laterally shifted into various civilian cadres under MoD every year. This measure will save considerable pension bill and provide employment to needy soldiers who retire in the prime of their lives as well.

Most Importantly

With the release of the Sixth Central Pay Commission (SCPC) report, the services have come to believe that they are being downgraded and marginalised in a deliberate and systematic manner. It does not augur well for a country to have demoralised soldiers. Creeping despondency and growing discontentment must be arrested immediately. It is time their grievances are redressed and their confidence in the fairness of the Government restored.

Some of the pressing issues are as follows:-

· A separate standing pay commission should be constituted for the services, as is done in many countries. All issues relating to pay and allowances of the services should be referred to the commission.
· Earlier status of Lieutenant General vis-à-vis Director General of Police should be restored.
· Rank based pension should be sanctioned to help retired soldiers improve their quality of life and live their old age in dignity.
· Shortage of officers should be overcome by making Short Service Commission attractive through assured second career by lateral induction, as recommended by SCPC.

Although five years is too short a period in the life of a nation, all matters pertaining to defence have a long gestation period and take time to fructify. Therefore, it is essential that the new government gets going at the earliest without getting bogged down in bureaucratic quagmire.

Expert Committees or Bureaucrat Rozgar Yojana

Major General Mrinal Suman (Gfiles Nov 2008)

The most worrisome time in the career of a bureaucrat is just prior to his retirement. He dreads loss of power, recognition and perks that he had got so used to during his long innings with the Government. The worst of course is the fear of losing Government accommodation in the capital. Fading away gracefully is not a trait that most bureaucrats can be accused of suffering from. They, by their very nature, are ‘lingerers’ and hate the sight of an exit door.

Every retiring bureaucrat undertakes a highly systematic exercise regarding his future prospects. First, he explores the possibilities of obtaining extension of service in his current appointment. This is the most preferred option as it provides continuity and additional time to fix up things. In case that does not appear possible, he starts assessing his chances for post retirement employment. Governorship is by far the most sought after appointment. All god fathers cultivated over decades of service are contacted and sounded. If the response is not too encouraging, the next option is to ascertain vacancies existing in UPSC, CEC, CAG and other such establishments. CIC has opened new vistas, both at the Central and state levels.

In case none of the above measures work, many functionaries initiate proposals for the constitution of monitoring/regulatory commissions to create suitable slots for themselves. As a final resort, the retiring bureaucrat ‘offers himself’ for appointment on an expert committee, howsoever obscure it may be. At any given time there are numerous expert committees functioning under different ministries. It is often said that Indian governance is totally dependent on expert committees.

Expert committees serve three important purposes. First, constitution of an expert committee is a time tested method of deferring decision making and putting an inopportune subject in deep freeze. Therefore, the Government finds it to be a highly convenient expedient. Secondly, the serving functionaries obtain desired recommendations from a pliant expert committee and in case things go wrong later on, they shift the onus to the committee concerned. And finally, expert committees provide employment opportunities for the well-connected.

To be eligible to be appointed on an expert committee, an aspirant should have retired from a Secretary level appointment. It helps as many erstwhile subordinates can be persuaded to recommend aspirant’s name for old time’s sake. Most bureaucrats feel obliged to help out an unemployed senior, knowing fully well that they would also be on the other side of the fence in near future. Therefore, they recognise that it is in their own interest to keep the tradition of accommodating ‘oldies’ going.

It is essential that an aspirant is located in Delhi or NCR as frequent contacts and networking are essential. If located away from the centre of power, one may get forgotten. Most importantly, an aspirant has to convince and assure the environment that he carries no independent opinion and would submit recommendations as desired by the appointing authority.

Every ministry has a well recognised pool of self-proclaimed experts. They always remain employed on one committee or the other and ensure that their employment on another committee is ready prior to completing the current assignment. In case of time lag, the tenure of the current committee is got extended. Another ploy is for a committee to recommend constitution of another committee to look into a specific aspect of its recommendations. Naturally, experts of the first committee are considered ideally suited for the follow-up committee as well.

There are some whose influence spans across more than one ministry as they feel competent to handle any subject under the sun. In some cases, they may be on more than one committee simultaneously. Committee members get office, staff, telephone, car and other perks along with honorarium. Many well-entrenched experts have permanent offices allotted to them. They continue to occupy them, irrespective of the committee they are working with – only the name of the committee is changed outside their office.

Committee members keep the appointing authority (generally the Secretary of the ministry concerned) happy through periodic personal briefings. Proposed recommendations are shown and directions sought. At times even the Minister is kept in the loop. Committee recommendations are prepared as per the ‘guidance’ provided by the appointing authority. Such an exercise is commonly called as ‘tailoring a recommendation’ or ‘situating an appreciation’. It is amazing as to how skillfully the whole exercise is carried out.

Some veterans with long experience of committees are sensitive about their public image and do not want to be seen toeing official line. A convenient middle path is found. In addition to all the recommendations sought by the functionaries, a few unrealistic but innovative looking suggestions are also included. Such suggestions are only for academic purposes as even a lay man would know about their impracticality.

No proficiency is required to be a member of an expert committee as every committee is permitted to engage skilled persons to do the spade work. In any case, most committee reports are compilations of submissions made by different affected entities. Although they run into a number of volumes, they contain nothing new or pioneering. However, voluminous reports serve two purposes – one, no functionary dares to try to read them and, secondly, they show hard work put in by the concerned committees. Needless to say, most reports are consigned to proverbial shelves to gather dust. All recommendations remain unimplemented except the one suggesting constitution of another expert committee. The cycle thus goes on and the employment continues.

Lateral Induction of Ex-servicemen

Major General Mrinal Suman (Gfiles Feb 2009)


No other pay commission has come under so much of attack from the armed forces as the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC). Discussion at every social gathering invariably veers around to the recommendations of CPC. Surprisingly, everyone appears convinced that members of CPC were hand picked for their anti-services bias. “Not one member had any relation or progeny in the services. Their knowledge of the military is limited to what is displayed during the Republic Day Parade,” is a common refrain. According to a veteran, “The services should have anticipated such a deal. In a country where the Finance Minister (an ex-bureaucrat) expresses his inability to spend a few crores on soldiers while writing off thousands of crores of farmers’ loans, the military should learn to be thankful for whatever crumbs are thrown at it.”

Many military personnel feel that every pay commission should be asked to stay at Siachen Glacier for just a week to get a true feel of army life prior to finalizing their recommendations. An email making the rounds is indicative of prevailing despondency amongst soldiers who are unable to understand the reasons for Government’s apathy. It reads, “ISI and all other entities inimical to India have passed a resolution thanking Indian Pay Commission for achieving in one stroke what they have been unsuccessfully trying to achieve for decades – demoralization of the Indian armed forces.”

Notwithstanding general disenchantment with its apparent anti-military bias, CPC deserves credit for proposing an extremely viable scheme to help the services overcome the twin problems of shortage of officers and resettlement of ex-servicemen. Both the problems are acute and have been defying solution. Currently, the Indian Army is facing a shortage of over 11,000 officers, close to 24 percent of its authorisation of 46,615 officers. The other two services face a similar problem. The only solution lies in making Short Service Commission (SSC) attractive. Presently, adequate number of suitable candidates do not apply for SSC due to their sense of insecurity about future prospects. They fear that failure to get Permanent Commission will make them jobless in the prime of their lives with full family responsibilities to boot. As regards resettlement of ex-servicemen, over 40,000 young, trained and disciplined soldiers are released from the defence forces every year. The Government has to bear a huge pension bill while this large pool of highly skilled manpower is lost to the country without being put to any productive use.

CPC rightly recognised that only an assured second career can make SSC attractive as financial packages can never compensate for short tenure of service and uncertainty about future employment. Similarly, CPC felt that provision of alternate Government service to ex-servicemen can ensure utilisation of their full potential whilst reducing the pension bill. It, therefore, suggested a scheme of assured lateral induction of retired service personnel into suitable Government organisations. The scheme is easy to implement and cannot be faulted on any count.

Proposed Scheme

Due to similarity of functions, central police organisations and paramilitary forces (collectively referred to as CPO) provide ideal opportunity for optimum utilisation of training and experience of service personnel. Additionally, various defence civilian organisations (DCO) under the Ministry of Defence (MoD) can also absorb suitable ex-servicemen. The total average intake of all CPO and DCO is around 35,000 annually. Thus, almost all retiring SSC officers and soldiers can be conveniently absorbed.

CPC recommended that recruitment of soldiers should continue as hitherto fore under the services. Depending on the requirement of the services and vacancy position in CPO/DCO, service period in the defence forces could vary between 7 and 17 years. Thereafter, depending on the availability of posts, choice and medical fitness, retiring personnel should be laterally shifted to analogous posts in different CPO/DCO with protection of salary and seniority. Such lateral shift would be optional - soldiers can opt to retire with their normal pension as at present.

According to CPC, the following major benefits would accrue from the proposed scheme:-
· CPO/DCO would save over Rs 100 crores per annum currently spent on recruitment and training of personnel as they would get trained manpower.
· Servicemen would come with rich experience of anti-terrorist and counterinsurgency duties.
· The pension bill of the Government would get significantly curtailed as pension would be due to the retiring servicemen only after 30/33 years of service as against 17 years of service at present. Growing cumulatively, the annual savings on this account would be to the tune of Rs 7800 crore after 13 years.
· SSC would become more attractive with assured second career option, thereby ensuring adequate intake of officers.
· It would also help keep the age profile of the defence forces young.

CPC sought views of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) before finalising its recommendations. As was expected, MHA opposed the scheme citing frivolous reasons like the likely adverse effect on the age profile of CPO, problems regarding fixation of parity and career progression. The most ridiculous argument offered against the scheme was that soldiers are trained to kill whereas police personnel are trained to control. CPC found all reasons to be specious and untenable. It dismissed them out of hand. Soldiers are highly disciplined personnel and have acquitted themselves admirably in counter insurgency operations and aid to civil authority in the maintenance of law and order. They have never been accused of excessive or indiscriminate use of force. CPC considered the scheme to be ‘extremely viable, beneficial and with no real drawbacks existing in its effective implementation’. It recommended its implementation in entirety without any delay.

As was expected, the Government rejected the proposed scheme without making public reasons for the same. Even the Committee of Secretaries did not bother to examine it.

Opposition to Induction of SSC Officers

Induction of SSC officers was bound to be opposed both by the political leadership and CPO. Political leadership has already politicised CPO to the extent that the officers have been rendered spineless. They do the bidding of their political masters without a whimper of protest. Politicians fear that SSC officers may not toe their line. Having served in an apolitical environment they may resist political pressures.

On the other hand, officer cadre in CPO resents induction of ex-service officers for the following reasons:-

· Due to their better training and experience, they make police officers feel inferior and ill-equipped. This sense of inadequacy results in petty groupism and jealousies.
· SSC officers are liked by the rank and file due to their better man-management skills and empathy for subordinates.
· SSC officers pose a threat to their advancement in career because of better professional proficiency, physical fitness and operational acumen.

Resistance to Side-stepping of Ex-servicemen

As regards side-stepping of ex-servicemen into CPO, resistance appears to be on the following grounds:-

· CPO are considered personal fiefdoms of political leaders and bureaucrats of MHA. Any policy that appears to be diluting their absolute control is perceived as an unacceptable threat.
· Recruitment to CPO is a highly lucrative activity with political patronage playing an important role. Lateral induction would halt it totally.
· Military training makes ex-servicemen averse to carrying out chores which are routine in CPO. Additionally, military culture imbibed by soldiers inhibits their use for partisan purposes.

Conclusion

Opposition from MHA was on expected lines. However, what came as a big shock was total indifference displayed by MoD as well. Inability of MoD to force MHA to accept induction into CPO is understandable. However, DCO are directly under MoD. It could have made a beginning and set an example by admitting ex-servicemen in DCO. But then, MoD has always been more interested in ‘keeping the armed forces in their place’ rather than looking after their welfare. It is incongruous that MoD wants other organisations (including private sector) to provide employment to ex-servicemen but refuses to accept them in organisations under its own direct control.

In view of the new threats emerging, there is an emergent need to improve the quality of CPO. Induction of ex-servicemen, both at officer and subordinate levels, with long experience of fighting terrorism and insurgency will prove to be of immense value to CPO. It will also bring in much-needed professionalism.

As is obvious, the scheme has been rejected to protect fiefdoms. As lateral induction is construed as a threat, the decision makers are not ready to consider it seriously. No reasons have been made public for its rejection. Selfishness has been the bane of Indian governance. Every proposal is evaluated on the basis of personal benefits accruing to the decision makers. National interests mean little. Subordination of personal interests to national interests requires rare vision and altruism. It is not a trait which is prevalent amongst India’s governing authorities. It is time political leaders and bureaucrats rise above narrow partisan outlook to prove their concern for national security. Proposal mooted by CPC must be implemented without dilution and delay.

Public Standing of the Indian Military

Major General Mrinal Suman (Indian Defence Review Sep 2008)


“Our God and soldiers we alike adore ev'n at the brink of danger; not before: After deliverance, both alike requited, Our God's forgotten, and our soldiers slighted”. (Francis Quarles)


A number of social scientists and military historians have been trying to discover reasons for Britain’s success in ruling the world while retaining its own independence throughout known history. Many are of the view that the secret of the British success lies in the fact that it always values its soldiers and the military, unlike most countries who forget them the day the war is over. No other country bestows so much honour on its war heroes. To prove their point further, they recall that before World War II; it was not uncommon to see placards hanging outside some restaurants in Paris which read, “Dogs, lackeys and soldiers not allowed.” On the other hand, even pregnant women used to get up and offer seats to soldiers in London buses. When the war broke out, they recall, France capitulated in no time while Britain remained undefeated.

Soldiers are highly sentimental by nature. Their dedication to duty, loyalty to the nation and willingness for the supreme sacrifice are driven less by material considerations and more by an overwhelming urge to earn love and respect of their countrymen. A grateful nation’s recognition of their contribution to national security acts as the strongest motivator. Unfortunately, only a few nations have understood this aspect. It is often said that any country that does not care for its soldiers, loses moral right to expect them to die for its security.

The standing of soldiers in a country is dependent on the interplay of a number of dynamic factors like the conduct of military leadership, treatment meted out by the political leadership, relationship with bureaucracy and the image created by the media.

As regards India, public at large still holds the military in high esteem. However, its standing appears to be getting unduly affected by some unsavory trends noticed over the last few decades. First, the military is in media for all the wrong reasons. Secondly, there is a deliberate attempt to downgrade soldiers in some segments of the society. Thirdly, India has not fought a major war since 1971 except for the Kargil conflict which was localized in nature and did not affect the whole nation as such. Lastly, with growing economic prosperity, there is an increasing apathy amongst many countrymen towards security matters.

The Military Leadership

Maximum blame for the diminishing stature of the Indian military can be apportioned to the military leadership. A few 'Ketchup Colonel,' 'Booze Brigadier' and 'Frisky General' have done immense damage to the public image of a military officer. Worse, excessive media coverage has dented his self esteem as well. The spectacle of a Chief and a three star officer fighting for the chairmanship of a club in full media glare reflects very poorly on the top military leadership. Similarly, the unheard of refusal of an Army Commander to obey transfer orders drew snide public comments about military’s much touted culture of unquestioned obedience of orders.

Opposition to inter-services jointmanship on specious and tenuous excuses has exposed senior officers to public ridicule for their selfishness. Nobody is taken in by their professing of national interests. Worse, the bureaucracy and other antagonistic entities play up inter-services differences to show them as highly disunited and self-serving individuals. It was shameful to learn that both the Naval Chief and the Air Chief did not consider it necessary to attend the state funeral of India’s greatest military leader Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. No words are sufficient to express disapproval of their conduct. One columnist has commented adversely on the quality of current military leadership. Another observer has called them unworthy of the ranks they have come to occupy. “If the service chiefs cannot extend basic protocol courtesies to a military icon on his last journey, they have no right to fault the Government for the alleged neglect of the services,” lamented a retired military officer.

It is often said that higher an officer rises in rank, more ‘impotent’ he gets. In the fond hope of bagging a good post-retirement assignment, he becomes a weakling and never takes a stand. In the process, he loses both peer respect and public standing.

The Political Leadership

Indian political leadership lacks compassion for the military for the following reasons:-
· No political leader has even the remotest connection with the services. In the history of independent India, no political leader has sent his progeny to the services. Therefore, they can neither relate to the military nor empathize with their lot.
· Political leadership is inadequately qualified and equipped. Any politician with no knowledge of national security imperatives can be appointed as India’s defence minister. They neither possess basic military knowledge nor display any penchant for educating themselves. Further, there is no culture of orientation training or briefing. Inadequacies of the political leadership result in their over dependence on the bureaucracy for governance.
· Most importantly, soldiers do not count as a worthwhile vote bank and hence do not need to be cultivated.

A few years ago, some bureaucrats were ordered by the then Defence Minister to visit forward areas to get a feel of the ground conditions. The services were very excited as they felt that at last they had a Defence Minister who empathized with them. The Defence Minister’s stock went up considerably amongst the soldiers. In a social gathering soon after the above incident, a few service officers were busy eulogizing him. Overhearing their conversation, a senior retired bureaucrat told them that the euphoria was premature. He advised them to watch for a few days. “Military salutes and guards are good for ego but politicians need funds to fight elections. Therefore, they need bureaucrats and listen to them,” he added.

Political leadership is highly uncomfortable in dealing with military officers and prefers to let the bureaucracy handle them. However, it does not hesitate in ticking off top military leadership in public to show its supremacy. Courtesies mean little to them. An inconsiderate and grossly ill-suited Defence Minister always took pleasure in bypassing the military leadership to establish rapport with soldiers, thereby denting the chain of command. He shall be long remembered for his unethical sacking of an honest and forthright Naval Chief in collusion with the bureaucracy. Recent criticism by the Defence Minister of the Naval Chief for accusing Russia of reneging on contractual terms follows the well set pattern of trying to put down the service chiefs. A well known opposition leader lost respect of the servicemen when he publicly criticized the Army Chief for his comments on the Chinese incursions. It came as a surprise to many as he is an ex-army officer and was not expected to make impolite comments.

The Bureaucracy

The services blame the bureaucracy for lowering their standing in public eyes. Soon after Independence, exploiting the inexperience and gullibility of the then military leadership, bureaucracy took two major steps – one, put the services out of the governance regime by making service headquarters as departments of the Government, and secondly, perpetuated the notion that civilian control of the military is synonymous with control through the bureaucracy. Indian military has not been able to recover from this body blow to date, and worse, there has been a continuous flow of policy changes which have further reduced the status of the services.

According to a senior retired functionary, bureaucracy bears no animosity towards the services and the haughty conduct is a manifestation of the inferiority complex that they suffer from. A large number of bureaucrats would have unsuccessfully appeared for the NDA or other entry schemes to join the services in their youth and it affects their psyche for life, he stated. “It is only later on in life that they manage to enter IAS and other services through quotas and reservations. But while dealing with the military officers they get reminded of their own failure and inability to succeed in open competition and hence tend to hold a grudge against them,” he added. Penchant of every bureaucrat in the Defence Ministry for wangling a military staff car with uniformed soldier-driver is symptomatic of their unfulfilled aspirations, he declared.

Another observer had a different explanation. He was of the opinion that the services officers by their professional knowledge, smart dress, polished demeanor and impeccable manners make bureaucrats feel under-equipped and deficient. Most bureaucrats are incapable of drafting a sound and well-reasoned paper. Invariably, the services are assigned the task. Although they wield authority, their knowledge about military matters is highly shallow. By rejecting services’ proposals repeatedly on specious grounds, they try and put the services down to assert their power. Their misplaced sense of importance is the biggest impediment in their relationship with the services. Although a joint secretary is equated with a two star service officer, he never visits a service officer’s office for consultations and demands that the service officer comes to him. Through such petty acts, bureaucrats try to overcome their sense of inadequacy and ‘keep the military in its place’.

Whatever be the underlying reasons, there is no denying the fact that bureaucracy has been responsible for continued damage to the esteem of the armed forces. It appears to be least interested in the well being of the soldiers and their morale. Putting down the services is common. Every proposal to curtail powers of the military is instantly approved. Civilian functionaries of Military Engineering Service and the Border Roads Organisation routinely approach the bureaucracy over the heads of their military superiors and obtain dispensations that dilute military’s authority and vitiate the working environment.

In the wake of the controversy raised by the Sixth Central Pay Commission, a retired senior service officer wondered if the bureaucracy was aware that by slighting the military it was demoralizing soldiers, thereby gladdening the hearts of India’s enemies. Most service officers lament the fact that the bureaucrats do not empathize with them due to their ignorance of trials and tribulations of military life, as they hardly have any close relative or progeny in the services.

The Media

Both print and electronic media have seen unprecedented growth and proliferation over the last few years. The pace of propagation has been too fast for comfort, especially for the coverage of security matters. There are very few writers, reporters, anchors and correspondents who know much about military affairs. Due to their incapability to carry out any worthwhile coverage of serious issues, they resort to sensationalism of the poorest genre. For them, military matters mean problems faced by a few women officers, some enquiries about rations and some sound bytes about shortage of officers.

Media must remain objective and provide balanced coverage. Criticizing the military for sensationalism is highly unfair. It lowers military’s public image unwarrantedly.
For example, the media is quick to highlight that 15 officers or so have been court-martialled and punished for various acts of misdemeanor. Tone and tenor of the report faults the military for the falling standards and paints a negative picture. The media fails to recognise the fact that in a 1.3 million strong organisation, there are bound to be minuscule aberrations. It should, in fact, praise the military for being the only institution to take prompt disciplinary action against defaulters, whereas all others carry on regardless.

A woman officer committed suicide in Jammu last year. A major TV channel organised a discussion the same evening on ‘working conditions in the Army that force women to commit suicide’. It went on to flay the Army brass for gender-bias and ill-treatment of women officers. Apparently, the said channel did not ascertain facts and wanted to be the first to highlight the allegedly sorry plight of women in the services. Had it waited for the police investigations to be over, it would have realised that the suicide was due to matrimonial dissentions and the husband has since been arrested for abetting it. The working environment had nothing to do with it, yet the Army was subjected to public condemnation.

Despite having a plethora of TV news channels, not a single in-depth programme either on security concerns or on the tribulations of a soldier’s life has ever been telecast. For them, coverage of a film star’s visit to a military unit and dancing with the troops is adequate. Incongruity of media’s priorities can be gauged from the fact that twenty fifth anniversary of India’s world cup win was played up as an unprecedented achievement whereas victories in 1971 and the Kargil War are remembered in a perfunctory manner. But then cricket crazy India has little time for national security concerns. See box.

Conclusion

Despite repeated representations, India still does not have a war memorial in the capital to honour independent India’s dead soldiers. India wants to ape the West in all sundry aspects but not in matters that affect the well-being and morale of the armed forces. The Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington in Washington, Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Cenotaph in London are admired by all Indian visitors. Yet, the absence of a suitable war memorial in New Delhi does not appear odd to them.

All countries honour their war heroes by erecting their statues at prominent places like Nelson’s Column at Trafalgar Square. No statues of political leaders are seen in the developed countries. On the contrary, millions are spent every year in India on erecting statues of politicians as they are an essential part of vote-bank agenda of most political parties. It is not considered necessary to honour war heroes, martyrs and gallantry award winners as they do not fetch votes. One is reminded of those poignant lines of A. Lawrence Vaincourt’s classic poem:-

“When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?”

As seen above, the falling stature of the military is due to both historical and cultural factors. To a considerable extent military commanders are responsible for the same. Their conduct has certainly raised questions regarding the quality of leadership that the military is throwing up. It is a cause for concern. Additionally, the political leadership and the bureaucracy must realise the irretrievable damage they are doing to the morale and the fighting potential of the military. India survives today because, as General Sir John Hackett said, “A soldier places his body between those of the citizens of his country and those who are attempting to destroy them”. The media must also realise that most soldiers are posted at remote border posts or are battling insurgency against heavy odds and at great personal risk. Denigrating and lowering the image of the military can prove extremely dear to the country in the long run.

Finally, India will do well to remember the advice offered by Kautilya to Chandragupta on the treatment of soldiers. He said, “Pataliputra reposes each night in peaceful comfort secure in the belief that the distant borders of Magadha are inviolate and the interiors are safe and secure, thanks only to the Mauryan Army standing vigil with naked swords and eyes peeled for action, day and night, in weather fair and foul, all eight praharas (round the clock), quite unmindful of personal discomfort and hardship, all through the year, year after year. While the citizenry of the State contributes to see that the State prospers and flourishes, the soldier guarantees it continues to exist as a State! The day when the soldier has to demand his dues or, worse, plead for them, will also bode ill for the State. For then, on that day, you, My Lord, will have lost all moral sanction to be the King! It will also be the beginning of the end of the Mauryan Empire!"

Appendix A: An Anonymous Soldier
(It has been composed by a fourth generation, 24-year old career officer in the Indian Armed Forces, spurred by the report of the Sixth Pay Commission and an insensitive article written by a 'respectable' denizen of the country in a national daily on the armed forces and the pertinence of the Sixth Pay Commission therein. This free-flowing verse has not been edited; it is to ensure that the originality of the angst is maintained. After all, when you are in pain, the language of expression is the last thing in your mind.)

How you play with us, did you ever see?

At Seven, I had decided what I wanted to be;

I would serve you to the end,All these boundaries I would defend.

Now you make me look like a fool,

When at Seventeen and just out of school;

Went to the place where they made "men out of boys"

Lived a tough life …sacrificed a few joys…

In those days, I would see my 'civilian' friends,

Living a life with the fashion trends;

Enjoying their so called "College Days"

While I sweated and bled in the sun and haze…

But I never thought twice about what where or why

All I knew was when the time came, I'd be ready to do or die.

At 21 and with my commission in hand,

Under the glory of the parade and the band,

I took the oath to protect you over land, air or sea,

And make the supreme sacrifice when the need came to be.

I stood there with a sense of recognition,

But on that day I never had the premonition,that when the time came to give me my due,

You'd just say," What is so great that you do?"

Long back you promised a well to do life;

And when I'm away, take care of my wife.

You came and saw the hardships I live through,

And I saw you make a note or two,

And I hoped you would realise the worth of me;

but now I know you'll never be able to see,

Because you only see the glorified life of mine,

Did you see the place where death looms all the time?

Did you meet the man standing guard in the snow?

The name of his newborn he does not know...

Did you meet the man whose father breathed his last?

While the sailor patrolled our seas so vast?

You still know I'll not be the one to raise my voiceI will stand tall and protect you in Punjab Himachal and Thois.

But that's just me you have in the sun and rain,

For now at Twenty Four, you make me think again;About the decision I made, Seven years back;

Should I have chosen another life, some other track?

Will I tell my son to follow my lead?Will I tell my son, you'll get all that you need?

This is the country you will serveThis country will give you all that you deserve?I heard you tell the world "India is shining"I told my men, that's a reason for us to be smiling

This is the India you and I will defend!But tell me how long will you be able to pretend?You go on promise all that you may,But it's the souls of your own men you betray.Did you read how some of our eminent citizensWrite about me and ridicule my very existence?I ask you to please come and see what I do,Come and have a look at what I go throughLive my life just for a dayMaybe you'll have something else to say?I will still risk my life without a sighTo keep your flag flying highbut today I ask myself a question or two…Oh India…. Why do I still serve you?

(Source: http://surajitdasgupta.blogspot.com/2008/06/why-do-i-still-serve-india.html)

Appendix B: Strange Priorities of the Indian Media

(An extract of the tribute paid by Rajeev Issar to the Late Major Manish Pitambare dated 28 November 2006 and circulated by email)

On Tuesday (27 November 2006), this news swept across all the news channels 'Sanjay Dutt relieved by court', 'Sirf Munna not a bhai', '13 saal ka vanvaas khatam' and 'although found guilty for possession of armory, all the TADA charges against him are withdrawn'. Then many personalities like Salman Khan said 'He is a good person. We knew he will come out clean'. Mr Big B said ‘Dutt's family and our family have relations for years, he's a good kid. He is like elder brother to Abhishek’. His sister Priya Dutt said ‘we can sleep well tonight. It's a great relief.’

In other news, the Parliament was mad at the Indian team for performing badly; Greg Chappell said something; Shah Rukh Khan replaces Amitabh in KBC and other such stuff. But most of the emphasis was on Sanjay Dutt's ‘phoenix like’ comeback from the ashes of terrorist charges. Surfing through the channels, a news item on BBC startled me. It read ‘Hisbul Mujahidin's most wanted terrorist Sohel Faisal killed in Anantnag, India. Indian Major leading the operation lost his life in the process. Four others are injured.’

It was past midnight. I started visiting the Indian channels, but Sanjay Dutt was still ruling. They were telling how Sanjay pleaded to the court saying 'I'm the sole bread earner for my family', 'I have a daughter who is studying in US' and so on. Then they showed how Sanjay was not wearing his lucky blue shirt while he was hearing the verdict and also how he went to every temple and prayed for the last few months.
Sure Sanjay Dutt has a daughter; sure he did not do any terrorist activity. Possessing an AK47 is considered too elementary in terrorist community… sure Sanjay Dutt went to all the temples; sure he did a lot of Gandhigiri but then...
Major Manish H Pitambare got the information from his sources about the terrorists' whereabouts. Wasting no time he attacked the camp, killed Hisbul Mujahidin's supremo and in the process lost his life to the bullets fired from an AK47. He is survived by a wife and daughter (just like Sanjay Dutt), who is only 18 months old. Major Manish never said 'I have a daughter' before he took the decision to attack the terrorists in the darkest of nights. He never thought about having a family and he being the bread earner. No news channel covered this… Their aim was to show how he (Sanjay Dutt) defied the TADA charges and they were so successful that his conviction in possession of armory had no meaning. They also concluded that his parents in heaven must be happy and proud of him.

Parents of Major Manish are still living and they have to live rest of their lives without their beloved son. His daughter won't ever see her daddy again.

Indian foreign policy: timidity begets contempt

Maj Gen Mrinal Suman (Gfiles Jul 2009)

Media coverage of repeated attacks on Indian students in Australia has hurt the collective conscience of the nation. On an average, 2 to 3 attacks per week have been taking place since 2004. According to the Victoria Police Commission, 1,083 cases of robbery and assault were reported against Indians in 2007-08 and the figure increased to 1,447 in 2008-09. Indian Government and the High Commission were fully aware of the increasing atrocities but decided not to intervene.

The credit for highlighting the plight of Indian students goes to the media. Amitabh Bachchan declined to accept an honorary doctorate from the Queensland University of Technology, stating “my conscience does not permit me to accept this decoration from the country where citizens of my own country are subjected to such acts of inhuman horror.” Bollywood has decided not to shoot in Australia till the Australian Government takes effective steps.

The reaction of the Indian Government has been typical of its wont and timid demeanour. It has taken no concrete action even as the attacks continue and the Australian Government refuses to accept it as racist violence. While urging the Australian Government to prevent such attacks, India counseled students to exercise restraint. Despite Indian sensitivities and protestations, Australia had branded India unsafe for the Davies Cup tie recently. India could have easily forced the Australian Government on the back foot by issuing an advisory against visiting Australia on similar grounds. In any case, Australia is no great friend of India. It opposes Indian nuclear policy vehemently and has stubbornly declined to export uranium to India.

India’s foreign policy has been a chronicle of abject servility, utter timidity, sheer gutlessness and inexplicable reticence. It is characterised by a total lack of aggressive protection of Indian interests. The foreign office appears more concerned about the sensitivities of other nations rather than looking after its citizens. While masquerading as a growing super power, it behaves like a weakling in its foreign affairs.

In January 2008, the Indian Prime Minister was advised not to visit Tawang (an integral part of India), lest China gets irked. There cannot be a more shameful example of dismal surrender of India’s sovereign rights over its own areas. Similarly, India went overboard to ensure safe passage of the Olympic torch in April 2008 as China had expressed its disapproval of pro-Tibet protests.

Last year, India’s envoy to Beijing was called in the middle of the night for absurd reasons. Even a banana republic would have taken offence. But, India is different. Its ambassador to Beijing promptly reported to the Chinese foreign ministry without a whimper of protest. Let the South Block try the same with the Chinese ambassador in New Delhi. Even a peon from the Chinese embassy will not respond. That is India, a nation with the pretensions of being an emerging power in the world arena.

A look at India’s foreign policy record with respect to Pakistan is equally revealing. Kashmir issue was taken to the Security Council when India was on the verge of ejecting all aggressors and reclaiming the whole state. Strategic Haji Pir Pass was handed back to Pakistan in Tashkent in the misplaced hope of placating Pakistan to behave like a responsible neighbour. Hard won victory in 1971 War with Pakistan was lost on the negotiating tables of Shimla. India returned over 80,000 Pak soldiers while Indian soldiers continue to rot in Pak jails. Naivety of Indian foreign policy framers has ensured that all gains made in the battlefields are frittered away subsequently.

Let us take a look at Pak response to such Indian gestures. Pakistan captured an Indian patrol led by Lt Saurabh Kalia in May 1999 from the Indian side of the Line of Control in Kargil. Defying all conventions on the treatment of Prisoners of War, Pakistanis chopped off various limbs and private organs of the hapless Indian soldiers besides inflicting unimaginable physical and mental torture. After 22 days of torture, the brave soldiers were ultimately shot dead.

Had such treatment been meted out to Israeli soldiers, Israel would have made Pakistan pay dearly for it. In case US soldiers were brutalised in this manner, the US would have obtained custody of the guilty and tried them in the US for war crimes. Instead of hauling Musharraf before international law commissions for crimes against humanity, India allows him to roam free in India as an honoured guest to propagate his anti-Indian views.

Recently, over 50 Indian passengers flying Air France were subjected to blatantly racial treatment and kept in inhuman conditions for 28 hours at Paris airport with little food and water. Any self respecting country would have punished Air France for its misconduct. But the Indian government remained totally unconcerned and apathetic.

Indian embassies and High Commissions are notorious for their unhelpful attitude and indifferent demeanour. Every Indian visitor is considered a nuisance and shunned from one desk to the other. Most of the staff remains busy managing VIP visits.

There are four main reasons for the inability of Indian foreign office to safeguard Indian interests:-

· Lack of Accountability. Like all bureaucratic organisations, Indian foreign office has no concept of fixing responsibility. No one was sacked for the ill-advised military intervention in Sri Lanka. Similarly, the Indian envoy in Beijing was not questioned for embarrassing the country by responding at midnight. The list is endless.

· Burden of Obligations. It is common knowledge that almost all foreign office functionaries are under personal obligation of Western countries. Their children have been granted green cards and citizenships as favours. Even mediocre offspring are accommodated in foreign universities with liberal scholarships. It will be highly revealing if complete data of all such ‘diplomatic gratifications’ is made public. It will prove the normally held belief that external influences govern Indian foreign policy.

· Networking for Future. All bureaucrats crave for lucrative appointments under UNO, World Bank and other international organisations. They know that their candidature would need positive support from the developed nations. Therefore, they never say or do anything that can irk them. Need for continued ‘good behaviour’ renders Indian diplomats incapable of taking up Indian issues forcefully.

· Servile Attitude and Slavish Mindsets. Despite the fact that India has been Independent for over six decades, it still suffers from an acute inferiority complex when it comes to interacting with the developed nations. It is a most disgusting sight to see Indian officials clasping a foreign dignitary’s hand with both hands rather than shaking hands in a normal manner. Such slavish mindset prevents objective and forthright conduct.

Pretentiousness of an emerging power must be matched by a determination to stand for national prestige. Great nations are distinguished by their self-confidence and self-respect. India fares miserably on both counts. Indian foreign office would do well to remember the old saying – “If you behave like a foot mat, you will be treated like one”. It is time foreign office mandarins show some spine. Let no country dare to take India lightly and inflict insults on its citizens.

Defence Finance: Authority Sans Accountability

Maj Gen Mrinal Suman (Gfiles Nov 2008)

One of the fundamental principles of management of a mission oriented organisation like the military is that authority delegated must match the responsibility assigned. Many tend to confuse power with authority. Whereas power refers to the ability to achieve certain ends, authority refers to a claim of legitimacy, justification and right to exercise that power. Therefore, grant of unambiguous authority is a prerequisite before any executive can be held answerable for the achievement of assigned objectives. Such delegation of authority must cover all resources, i.e. human, material and financial. On the other hand, accountability suggests imminence of retribution for unfulfilled trust or violated obligation.

Military has a very well structured command hierarchy. Every executive is fully aware of his responsibility and has been given the necessary powers. However, financial powers delegated to him can be exercised only with the concurrence of the designated Defence Finance officials. Every service organisation is wedged between two Defence Finance functionaries – Integrated Financial Advisor (IFA) and Controller of Defence Accounts (CDA). The primary role of IFA is to counsel executives as regards financial prudence to prevent irregularities to safeguard Government’s interests. CDA, on the other hand, handles functions related to budgeting, accounting, payments and internal audit. It also carries out Performance Audit and Super Review of Accounts of major units. Whereas the institution of CDA has been in existence for long, the concept of IFA is of comparatively recent origin.

Not withstanding the high sounding taxonomy, IFA is incapable of rendering any financial advice. Financial advice is generally defined as a well-considered economic counsel that offers multiple options to the decision maker with cost implications duly spelt out. IFA is neither educationally qualified (many do not know even elementary economics) nor trained (no training in defence economics or military matters is ever imparted to them) to provide any worthwhile financial advice. Many see their creation as a ploy to create additional appointments for the cadre.

Lack of Accountability

It is claimed that IFA have been co-located to ensure that executives take financially prudent decisions as every proposal gets vetted at the outset to ascertain that proposed expenditure is in consonance with the rules. Executives are thus bound to act as per the advice rendered by IFA. However, if any financial irregularities or omissions are noticed later on, IFA disowns any responsibility under the plea that decision making is the prerogative of the executives and they cannot be held accountable for the same. It is a strange and totally untenable logic.

If IFA has been positioned as an expert and if its advice is binding, no executive can be held responsible for any act of omission or commission. The onus should be totally on IFA for rendering flawed advice. The position of an executive is most unenviable. He cannot go against the counsel of his IFA. On the other hand, if he follows IFA’s advice, he is held responsible if any mistake comes to light later on. IFA decline to attend courts of enquiry proceedings, washing their hands off all faulty transactions, though done at their behest. Unfairly, executives are left to fend for themselves.

Usurping of Executive Powers

Over a period of time, IFA has acquired overriding powers by usurping executive functions without any answerability. It has taken upon itself to scrutinise technical aspects of proposals as well, a role which is totally outside its domain or competence. A few years ago, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) faced immense difficulties in achieving assigned targets due to the intransigence of an IFA who insisted on checking technical aspects of every proposal, though well beyond his competence. He wanted to be convinced as to why the proposed thickness of a road surface was 35 cm and as to why 25 cm would be inadequate. Soon he realised that his office could not even comprehend technical details and requested BRO to lend him some technical officials. He thus, usurped the powers of BRO and assumed excessive control of the whole organisation. He was commonly referred to as the Big Boss.

Exploitative Approach

A senior Defence Finance officer used to often compare his cadre with orchids. “We look pretty but we thrive on the very organisation we are detailed to serve,” was his common refrain. In one case, when a proposal to purchase staff cars was put up to IFA for his concurrence, he withheld concurrence on one pretext or the other till he was assured that the first car would be put at his disposal. It is common knowledge that every proposal for computers/laptops has to include their requirement to get through, thereby putting additional load on scarce financial resources of the organisation.

Such an approach also has an adverse effect on the standing and reputation of Defence Finance officials. They enjoy little respect in the organisation as they are seen as freeloaders who have to be tolerated.

Lack of Integrated Functioning

Defence Finance functionaries never identify themselves with the organisation that they are supporting. They are neither concerned with the performance of the organisation nor the wellbeing of troops. IFA can stay proposals for months together without any answerability. One functionary made lakhs of troops in a field area go without fresh meat as he declined to accord concurrence. As the service officers are intimately concerned with mission accomplishment and welfare of their troops, it is a common sight to see them pleading with Defence Finance official to progress their cases.

An interesting aspect of CDA functioning is performance audit under which it reviews the performance of selected units. It is totally unjustified. CDA is a part of the organisation and its own working has a major influence on the overall performance of the organisation. Therefore, it is ethically incorrect for it to assume the role of an examining authority. Many consider it to be a ploy to keep units under its thumbs. An adverse performance audit report can prove to be a big irritant and the unit gets hard pressed to explain all observations, howsoever innocuous and irrelevant they may be.

Condescending Attitude

The attitude of Defence Finance functionaries towards executives is always patronizing and haughty. They come to see themselves as granters of favours and not joint partners. They get more involved in comparing pay scales to draw equations with service officers rather than on achieving organisational goals. Rank equivalency seems to have become an obsession with most of them. While attending National Defence College course, one officer made a laughing stock of himself by frequently quoting his pay scale to claim seniority over military attendees.

The Way Ahead

While discussing indifferent attitude of Defence Finance officials, a senior bureaucrat opined that IDAS officers suffer from acute inferiority complex vis-à-vis IAS officers “Whereas IAS is at the top of civil services list, IDAS appears at a much lower slot. Having failed to qualify for IAS, they have to settle for IDAS cadre and generally are a demoralised lot. It is only after joining the service that they become aware of the power they wield through the purse strings,” he added. Another bureaucrat admitted candidly, “It is IDAS that calls the shots. IAS officers may pretend to be the bosses but they know that they cannot move an inch unless allowed by IDAS.”

IFA was introduced to reduce delays in obtaining financial concurrence by positioning and co-locating Defence Finance functionaries with major defence organisations. Sadly, the concept has degenerated into an alternate power centre with concomitant problems. They wield overriding authority but are not held accountable at all. Similarly, CDA, though part of the organisation assumes the role of assessor of performance. The whole arrangement is totally unfair to executives. No wonder they view IFA and CDA as impediments rather than help.

As IFA system has failed to deliver, it should be abolished. Rather than burdening organisations unnecessarily, we should revert to the earlier system. Moreover, financial advisers at all levels must be held accountable for the advice rendered. The concept of performance audit by CDA is antithesis of collective responsibility and must be done away with. Finally, a code of ethics should be evolved to ensure that Defence Finance functions with its own resources. This single step will help them redeem their standing.