Employment of Army in Aid of Civil Authority

Employment of Army in Aid of Civil Authority

Major General Mrinal Suman, AVSM, VSM, PhD

The military is one of the most ancient, vital and hierarchy based of all human organisations. Most social scientists consider it to be the nerve centre of the state. In the ancient scripture Sukraniti, the relation of the military to the state has been compared with that of the mind of the man. It is the most potent instrument available to the state to safeguard national security and create an effective deterrence in the minds of potential adversaries. Being the last bastion of national defence, it cannot fail the nation.

Although the primary role of the military continues to be ensuring national security, a number of other roles are also emerging for the militaries of late. Quite understandably, this role-assignment is country specific as every country has to countenance a different geo-political-strategic environment. In the case of developing countries, militaries’ role appears to be extending to non-military fields and non-traditional areas. Therein military is employed as an agent of order, efficiency and social change through its active participation in socially beneficial programmes.  In many countries military is viewed as a major modernising force. Moshe Lissak goes to the extent of calling military to be irreplaceable as a nation builder in his well known book ‘Military’s Role in Modernisation’. 

This role-expansion of the militaries in developing nations has been evoking interest amongst the policy makers, political scientists, sociologists and military leaders. Further, the impact of undertaking non-military functions on regular basis has been a cause for concern for many. They fear adverse effects on military’s functional character and degradation of its ‘professionalism’.

Role Assignment to Indian Army 

As with other armies, the role assigned to Indian army can also be categorised under the following two broad heads:-

a)   Military Tasks

In addition to defending the nation against external threats, it is also called upon to counter insurgent movements that pose grave internal threat. Insurgency is an armed insurrection against a legally constituted government and covers the complete spectrum from initial subversion to final guerrilla struggle. Although military action is an essential element, an effective counter-insurgency operation has to be based on an integrated politico-military response. Indian army is tasked to bring the level of violence down to levels wherein conditions become conducive for the initiation of political process.  

b)   Non-military Tasks

These are generally of two types – designated tasks and non-designated tasks. Aid to civil authority, as mandated under India’s statutory laws, falls under the category of designated tasks. When called upon to respond, the army has to provide assistance. It can neither decline nor has any discretion in the matter. On the other hand, non-designated tasks are those which the army undertakes of its own volition in larger national interests. Thus they are voluntary in nature and are collectively referred to as military civic action programmes. 

This article deals with the employment of Indian army on non-military tasks i.e. in aid to civil authority and military civic action activities.

  

Aid to Civil Authority

It needs to be reiterated at the outset that aid to civil authority means assisting the civil authority in the performance of its functions and not replacing it. Defence Services Regulations (DSR) lays down the tasks that can be entrusted to the army in aid to civil authority and they are as follows:- 

a)   Maintenance of Law and Order

Indian society is beset with dissentions. After centuries of deprivation and exploitation, disadvantaged segments of the Indian society demand an equitable distribution of resources. Popularisation of socialistic ideals has also raised their hopes. When the dissenting groups lose faith in the fairness of the system, they resort to agitational means. Every agitation inevitably results in violence. Law and order becomes the first casualty. Furthermore, India is witnessing the new phenomenon of political terrorism, wherein a dissident group uses violence to coerce the authority into acceding to the political demands of the perpetrators. As political terrorism draws sustenance from foreign sources, it is inevitably controlled by anti-national elements. 

Although law and order is a state subject, politicisation of police forces has rendered them incapable of maintaining law and order.  Additionally, they are inadequately trained, ill-equipped and poorly led. Inability of police forces to counter the tactics employed by disruptive elements results in frequent summoning of the army to maintain order. 

b)   Maintenance of Essential Services 

There are certain services whose efficient and uninterrupted functioning is essential to the nation or the society at large. The army with its large pool of highly disciplined and trained manpower is often summoned to run these essential services in times of labour trouble. As essential services are vital to the basic infrastructure which contributes to the general well being of the society, labour strikes in them are invariably declared illegal by the government. The army is often asked to run the affected services in order to prevent striking workers from holding the society to ransom, whatever be their grievances.

During the railway strike of 1974, the army manned electrical and telecommunications services and even operated locomotive sheds. The Assam agitation of 1980 saw workers of the oil company striking work and even damaging pumping machinery. To prevent damage to the oil pipeline due to the freezing of residual oil, army soldiers undertook the task of repairing the machinery and pumping oil. In 20 days, troops reactivated the entire system and achieved the pre-strike pumping rate of 3,700 kilolitres per day. 

Although seeking assistance of the army to maintain essential services helps the society at large, many experts question the advisability of employing soldiers to break strikes. 

c)   Assistance during Natural Calamities 

A disaster is a major calamity and invariably results in widespread death, destruction and devastation. Common natural disasters are floods, cyclones, hurricanes and earthquakes. Disaster relief includes all measures and activities which help minimize the effects of a disaster and thereby prevent loss of life and property to the maximum possible extent. The army with its pool of trained manpower and equipment constitutes an important component of the governmental effort to ameliorate the sufferings of the disaster-affected people. 

The most common feature of all disasters is the loss of human life. Disaster relief entails rescue of trapped personnel and their transportation to safe areas. Restoration of damaged means of communications and broken down essential services requires considerable effort. At times, temporary bridges are required to be constructed to reach the affected areas. Provision of food supplies and medical aid assume critical importance.

Due to frequent floods and cyclonic storms in the Indian peninsula, disaster relief has become a major commitment of the Indian army. Tsunami of 2004 was one of the deadliest natural calamities in recorded history. The armed forces were employed to provide relief to the disaster-hit areas and restore damaged services. 

d)   Other Types of Assistance 

It is an open ended assignment – the civil authorities can seek assistance of the army in varied other fields as well. During the Commonwealth Games at Delhi, the army was tasked to construct a foot bridge against tight time frame as the one constructed by civil agencies had collapsed. Similarly, the army provided uniformed manpower for awards ceremonies. Construction of pontoon bridges to facilitate movement of pilgrims during Kumbh Melas is a regular task assigned to the army. 

Military Civic Action

The concept of military civic action encompasses all activities performed by the military for the socio-economic betterment of the people. In the United States, civic action has been defined as – “Use of preponderantly indigenous military forces on projects useful to the local population at all levels in such fields as education, training, public works, agriculture, transportation, communications, health, sanitation and others, contributing to economic and social development which would also improve the standing of the military forces with the population”. 

Many experts feel that through civic action, the army acts as an agent of social integration. Edward Shils is of the view that the military serves to integrate ethnic groups into a national community, widen horizons beyond villages and locality, keep young men from being infected by nationalistic demagogy and give then a greater concern for the nation as a whole. According to Morris Janowitz, military becomes a device for developing a sense of national cohesion – a social psychological element of national unity – which is especially crucial for a nation which has suffered because of colonialism.  

Thus, civic action has twin objectives of helping the population and improving the image of the military. As these tasks do not fall within the ambit of conventional charter of duties of the army, a certain degree of discretion is available to the army. Its participation is comparatively on voluntary basis, driven by a sense of concern for fellow countrymen.

Indian army considers civic action to be an important part of its duty to the nation. Since Independence, it has been making enormous contribution towards economic development of remote and under-developed areas. Through constructive participation in nation building tasks, it has been performing the role of a catalysing agent for national integration, education and modernisation. In insurgency prone areas, civic action forms an integral part of the overall politico-military initiative to win the hearts and minds of the affected people. In inaccessible areas where civil institutions are non-functional, it runs schools, provides basic medical cover, runs water supply schemes, constructs play grounds and provides vocational training to local youth. 

The Way Forward

Military is the embodiment of a nation’s conscience and will. Therefore, its role assignment deserves due deliberation. Being a part of the apparatus of the legitimate government, military owes allegiance to the people of the country. J.P. Moreigne’s describes it aptly when he says that a nation’s army constitutes, from a sociological point of view, a human collectivity which is structured into a society by the ends of which it has to serve.

Undoubtedly, internal security is as important as external security. However, it must never be forgotten that external security can be ensured only by the armed forces whereas other organisations can be trained and equipped to undertake internal security assignments. Although employment of the army on counter-insurgency duties cannot be avoided, it should be restricted to the barest minimum when nation’s survival gets threatened. As every counter insurgency operation becomes a protracted affair, the army should be replaced by para-military forces once the situation stabilises. For that purpose, necessary competence must be developed in para-military forces. The army should be used as a shock-action therapy and withdrawn at the earliest. In any case, the role of the army in controlling internal strife should never be allowed to get institutionalised.

The army’s assistance in the maintenance of law and order to prevent anarchy can never be questioned. However, it should be summoned as a last resort. Recurrent employment in law and order duties can prove taxing to a soldier psychologically. Frequent switching of roles can dilute a soldier’s focus on his primary task. Some soldiers may also acquire political leanings and even ambitions, as has been witnessed in many developing countries. Worse, state police forces fail to develop their own competence.  Everyone looks up to the army to restore order and the civil law enforcement agencies lose credibility and respect of the population. 

Army’s assistance in disaster relief brings the army and the society closer to each other. It improves army’s image. It is the best possible example of soldiers’ concern for fellow countrymen. But frequent employment on disaster relief duties may result in a loss of training time. It may also breed a certain degree of complacency in civil agencies and over-dependence on the army. It will be better for the civil agencies to develop adequate in-house capacity to be able to handle most of the emergencies themselves. 

As regards military civic action, the army should continue to participate in well-selected activities. However, two points need to be kept in mind. First, only the effort that the army can spare without affecting its operational efficiency should be diverted towards civic action tasks. As warned by Hugh Hanning, civic action must not be construed as substitution of warfare by welfare. Secondly, since most civic action functions normally fall under the charter of the civil administration, army’s entry should not be seen as a failure of the civil agencies to do their job. Therefore, selection of civic action programmes should be such that they do not undermine the civil administration – civic action should supplement the efforts of civil agencies and not attempt to replace them.

Finally, it must never be forgotten that the raison d’être for the existence of the army is to ensure national defence against external threats. Nothing should be done to dilute that focus. The army must be kept free of all avoidable non-military commitments to allow it to remain prepared for its primary task. More importantly, excessive participation in aid to civil authority commitments can have an adverse affect on the apolitical nature of the army. It may start entertaining ideas of a permanent role for itself in civilian functions. “India is notable among all the new states for the stable subordination of the military to the civil power,” remarked Edward Shils. Nothing should be done to upset this well established military-civil equation.