Earthquake....... Get Army
Floods................Get Army
Common wealth games........Get Army
Terror Attacks...................Get Army
Child stuck in pipe line.....Get Army
Pay Commission...........ForGet Army." |
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While the entire nation's attention is fixated on the Uttarakhand calamity and the stupendous job being done by The Armed Forces, let me share a few thoughts on the status of India's Armed Forces. |
1. Most of our countrymen have a very generic idea about the Armed Forces. Through this expose, I shall touch upon those aspects that are largely unknown to most people, particularly our youth.
2. A car...eer in the Armed Forces, unlike in any other profession, provides solidity at the personal level, besides providing solidity to the society and the nation. Our Armed Forces have singularly preserved the homogeneity and integrity of our nation, despite intriguing pulls and pressures to the contrary.
3. Though the main role of the Defence Services is to protect the nation against external threat and maintenance of peace and security within its borders they are being increasingly used to tackle all natural or man-made calamities such as: earthquake, tsunami, cyclone, floods, avalanches, forest fires, bomb-blasts or children falling in bore-wells.
4. While the people of the country have implicit faith in the country’s defence forces they simply do not trust the civil administration for its fair-play, competence or even its ability to act decisively.
5. It is most unfortunate that we continue to have yawning deficiencies of around 15,000 officers for decades in the ranks of Capts and Majs and their equivalents in IAF & Navy. Officers of this rank constitute the core cutting edge of our nation as well as its Armed Forces and invariably operate up-front. Such a large deficiency at the cutting edge is extremely worrisome and could seriously impact our operational capability and preparedness. For example large-scale deficiency of pilots would force our pilots to fly a minimum of three or more sorties daily over hostile territory whereas each of the missions by the enemy will be flown by fresh pilots. The cascading stress and strain after the first two to three days would be immense, particularly after some losses.
6. Similar stresses would be noticeable on land and maritime operations at sea. There are virtually no reserves available to replace casualties. Such deficiencies can be calamitous. And imagine our dilemma if we were to fight China and Pakistan concurrently.
7. The Govt of India is primarily responsible for this state. However the civil society too is equally guilty. The Govt hasn’t given to the defence services their due importance. Its outlook and attitude are highly flawed. Major decisions are taken by babus who do not understand even the basics of warfare. This could cost the nation dearly if corrective steps are not taken without further delay. As far as the civil society is concerned our youth are taking up easy-going careers preferring money and false pride over national security and national pride. This could sound the death knell of our aspirations to become a global power.
8. Our Armed Forces have no children of any minister, politician, M.P or an industrialist in the Defence Services whereas in U.K and other nations that matter, most of them including their Royals take pride in sending their offspring to the Armed Forces. In other words our leaders, politicians, industrialists and M.P.s who are the principal beneficiaries of the security and stability provided by the Services have zero contribution in making the nation secure. Their offspring shy away from the dangers and hardships of the military profession. What a travesty? This does not bode well for the nation and we could be in serious trouble. Induction of such elements would result in massive qualitative up-gradation of our Armed Forces, who have been crying for attention for decades on end.
9. It would be worth telling these pseudo-intellectuals that a career in the Armed Forces is safe, exciting and fulfilling. More people die on our roads daily vis-à-vis fatalities in the services over a period of a month or more.
10. During the Falkland war, both Royal Regents Prince Charles and his younger sibling Prince Andrew participated in the war against Argentina. Similarly, Prince Williams and Prince Harry have both seen action in Iraq as well as Afghanistan. In our case, our Princelings simply do not have the guts for similar valour.
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