Panel Discussion on Gen VK Singh's Tenure

The link for the Panel Discussion on 30 May, 2012 is under:
Is Gen VK Singh a Crusader? Click here for the Video
If you have the time and have not seen it, do see and listen.
Comment
Gen Vijay Oberoi and Brig V Mahalingham tried to put up the Military in the right perspective. Whereas Gen Raj Kadyan and Shankar Prasad tried to beat about the bush and overly tried to please the Panel Anchor and the Directors of NDTV- who are dependent on arms lobbyists to pump in a lot of money to the media by way of ads and sponsorships.
Must read articles by Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi New Chief Takes Over: Click here

Genetic Orientation of Military Officers is Autocracy as opposed to Democracy

References

Col SS Rajan- IESM AGM Report of 28 Nov 2010- click here

Response by Gp Capt VK Gandhi VSM, Gen Sec IESM- click here

Dear Col Ranjan,
I believe I owe it to you to write this mail as I can see the passion with which you have been raising these points for the improvement of the IESM. I am a new member in the organization, have never met you, and will not know the personal equation of all members with each other. But I have served under Gen Raj Kadiyan when he was my Corps Cdr and have a very high respect for the fellow senior officer. He will not know me but suffice to say that he is the most suited person to lead a fledgling organization like the IESM. Most general officers settled here in Panchkula play golf, at times give some bytes to media and retire to their homes in the evening. There are very few to stick their neck out and take on the government, agencies and the system on behalf of the veterans.

Coming on to the functioning of such bodies, I see in our AWHO meetings in Panchkula, a lone member (served in JAG) drags every other meeting and members to the court, since he feels that only his view should prevail. I have been trying to dissect the psyche of soldiers out of uniform, as to why do they believe that whatever they say must be heard by the majority and implemented or else....

The problem lies in our genetic orientation, which is highly undemocratic. We were driven in a top down structure and autocratic leadership style. Post retirement, in such forums, we suddenly find our vote being counted and every member finds a voice. While it is good to voice our concerns as you have a right to do so, we ought to learn to go with the majority views. That is something the politicians know but we are yet to learn. I appreciate your concerns but once a decision is made by a majority vote; someone of your passion should go and implement it.

The movement perhaps will fall apart not due to the MOD bureaucrats or Antony or the President not receiving our medals; but by a dissent within and made public so often. The politicians play this game all the time, getting insiders to sabotage well intentioned groups. We need to guard against any such attempts. I am sure you will not play into the hands of media or a bureaucrat or a politician to malign such a noble organisation and the only voice of the veterans.
It is my personal request and hope it is of every other member of the IESM.
with regards
Col KK Sharma (Retd)
IESM Report by Col SS Rajan
IESM General Secretary's Response to Col Rajan's Report

Selecting Military Top Brass- Readers Responses

Ref: Selecting Military Top Brass
I am dismayed to see an intellectually flawed and misinformed article from someone of Gen Suman's calibre.
His assumptions that promotions to the top echelons, viz Army Cdrs and the Chief are on 'auto pilot', non-merit based and manipulated to promote mediocrity, are not well founded.
It is natural that the System would have 'evolved' since I retired, many years ago, yet it cannot have regressed to such cynical depths. Indian Military has sound and resilient institutions. Let us not 'knock' them so lightly.
Some facts, as known( first hand, even if dated):-

Empanelment of Lt Gens and selection of Chiefs is based on a multi-level selection process involving Service HQ/MOD/ACC. The independent scrutiny for suitability and comparison of merit is rigorous and longitudnal ( bureaucracies have long institutional memories)- not at all a nominal/automatic process. Differences in perceptions/ judgments do abound and discussions are commonplace-last word has to rest with the GOI. It is definitely not with the perverse and parochial Chiefs,as implied.

Some illustrations of (eligible by DOB) Lt Gens/ Corps Cdrs who sadly got left out are Gens Sinha, M Thomas, Balaram, ML Tuli, Hanut Singh, Mike Lahiri, Guru Bakshi, Kadyan etc. Hopefully this debunks the 'auto-pilot' myth. Incidentally, all the above in my view were thoroughly deserving. But then 'systems' are introduced to moderate personal subjectivity/ halo-and they are fallible.
I am not an apologist for (the perfection of) the system nor anti-reform but to let 'injury to institutions' pass would be unworthy. By all means 'tweak' the system constructively; but to 'subvert' it thus is in no one's interest.
One of the great strengths of the Indian Military has been its faith- in itself and its Institutions- despite the inequities and perceived injustices (those are a part of the natural order). Of late, the liberating technology and culture, is lifting some of the discretion and maturity that enabled us express with dignity and also keep that 'faith'. I do hope that in this new- found and growing exuberance/ cynicism/ intemperance, we the Veterans do not hurt the nobility and grace of our Ethos.
Yogi Sharma
Lt Gen YN Sharma, Former Army Commander

An excellent, balanced and a well analysed article. I hope the three Services will look into the very significant points mentioned and rationalise the selections beyond the level of the Corps Cdrs too. Incidentally the Army follows the rule of min 2 years residual service for Corps Cdrs becoming Army Cdrs whereas the IAF and Navy follow only one year residual service. Thus what is happening is that in the large number of Inter service appts many Army offrs perforce get toserve under the IN and IAF offrs who were originally junior to them.Also the Supreme Court on many occasions have advised the Services HQs to streamline thier promotion policies for senior offrs. I am afraid some among the top hierarchy have not been fair to the Service they have the privilege to lead and thus' mediocrity with agreeability' reinforced by an unwarranted regimental loyalty becomes the major criteria for movement upwards and has brought a bad name to the Services. I pray for the best to lead the best in the service of the country. JAI HIND,
Lt Gen Kamal Davar (Retd)

Military Secretary's ACR system breeding Black Sheep?

One would hate to be in the shoes of the Chief of Army Staff these days. Having to wake up every morning dreading what bombshell the newspapers would bring can’t be a pleasant experience. Being at the helm of an organisation consisting of over 10, 00,000 bodies in this age of scandal hungry public and an ever obliging media, this is a cross that he perhaps has to bear. The sad part is that the antics of a few black sheep with unbridled libido, greed or ambition inevitably overshadow the sterling work done by the other 99.9% comprising the organisation. The latest scandal screaming at us from the headlines and ubiquitous red ticker tapes of breaking news is yet another such incident.

There is a need to drastically cut down on all non-core activities that serve not only to detract efforts from professional pursuits but also provide opportunities for career advancement to those thriving on these.

Training events must reflect this professionalism and should be shorn of attempts at showmanship, and consequent assessments must also be on professional basis. In fact, the need for a revamp of the entire assessment system has been talked about for long but there have been only cosmetic changes limited by the stifled imagination of the MS Branch. For a comprehensive reform of the appraisal system, there is a need to throw out the old rule book and take a fresh look at the entire game. The reporting officers up the chain of command must be made to exercise their moral courage by being less non-committal about their assessments. We need to change the environment where an overwhelming majority of the reports are like a ‘dining out speech’. The reporting must be less generic, and unequivocal. For instance, how can attributes like loyalty and integrity be rated on an analog scale? Logically, these are qualities that are either present or absent in the absolute, and half measures or shades of grey are not possible. Also, the reviewing officers up the chain need to make greater efforts to familiarize themselves with their indirect reports, and must also be made accountable for their assessments. To make the appraisal system truly meaningful, a 360 degrees appraisal must be put in place.
Courtesy Swordarm Blog: Click link to read more including valuable comments
Baa Baa Black Sheep

Is the VIP culture demonizing Indian Military?

Let’s stop cribbing and concentrate on ‘homework’: A wake up call
Charity begins at home they say. While we continue cribbing about the treatment meted out to us by others, what have we done to set our own house in order?. Cynicism is something I detest and the aim of this is not to be critical, I’m looking for insight on how things have come to such a pass and I’m sure many of us are on the same trip. Seniors and juniors alike, it’s our collective responsibility to restore the past glory of the forces. Especially in public, we should stop cursing the system, our seniors, our bureaucrats- all and sundry, there is so much lack of positivity around us these days. We must realise that we are in this so called 'system'. We could definitely do with a little more optimism and project our services in a better light.

How we behave with our own people becomes a benchmark for others to emulate in life outside the cantonment. While we tend to compare our status, stature and salaries with other services, isn’t there an underlying negativity in behavioural patterns being displayed with impunity by us? Are we setting the right example for others to follow or sending the right signals? Are we projecting our service as a hallmark of pride of the nation?. The answer is definitely in the negative. Our internal organisational behaviour ultimately extends to how we are treated by the outside world and we definitely need to improve on how we interact with our own. There is no dearth of examples as to how we dig our own graves. How often do we see more than one Commissioned Officers being bunched into below-status single rooms in Messes on the ground of non-availability. I, for myself have seen situations where ample accommodation is available but still officers being asked to stay in small living spaces on the pretext that the (abundant) vacant accommodation is a contingency back-up for (imaginary) ‘VIPs’. Do we see the same on the civil side ? Do we see SDMs who are equivalent to Lieutenants of the Army being asked to live and stay in rooms like we do ? Never. Often we see junior officers being asked to travel in heavy trucks despite the availability of respectable light transport, why do we do this? Do we expect people outside to be impressed by a strapping young Captain in Combats sitting in a Three Tonner ? Do we, by this action, attract youngsters to join the services ? No amount of ‘Do you have it in you ?’ campaign would work unless we bring the pride, the glamour and the respectability back into our uniform and the so called ‘baboos’ are not responsible for this, the problem lies closer to us than we think – each of us is to blame. Honour has no rank. A Subaltern is much more capable than merely looking for an apt place to put the shamiyana in the Mess lawn. That Subaltern’s civilian counterpart - an SDM or an Addl DC/DM with the same education and from the same recruitment pool, looks after the revenue, executive, administrative, law & order and quasi-judicial functions of an entire sub-division and sometimes even a district and we are not even able to trust our own guy with a Light Motor Vehicle !

How we behave and conduct ourselves outside ultimately has an indirect effect on how people in uniform are perceived and it percolates down to the last rank in the file. PB-4 or no PB-4, the Indian military officer is not badly paid but still we see senior officers in uniform driving around scooters and mobikes to save a few bucks. I’m not such an elitist to be against officers driving two-wheelers out of passion, but we should not project such a miserly picture to the outer world. Officers can absolutely afford respectable means of personal travel. And still we see Commissioned Officers using such means of public transport definitely below their status and class, why ? Irrespective of remuneration, it does not happen in the civil services so why in the defence services ?. We sitting in Headquarters try to impose restrictions on our own people, for example in travel and accommodation guidelines even when the govt does not. As you read this, someone sitting somewhere would be working on how to impose an in-house restriction on the new TA-DA regime introduced after the 6th CPC !, on how to ensure that officers are not able to draw thousands per day for hotel accommodation and to ensure that they continue staying in small rooms in messes with three other roommates clamouring for time in the single attached bath.

Excessive ‘Sirring’ outside the organisation should also cease. While ‘Sir’ may just be a substitute for ‘Shreeman’ for us, it does not have the same connotation outside. It is a symbol of servility in the civil world. Broadly speaking, in my humble opinion, constitutional appointments and senior civil officers elder in age and with an established longer length of Group-A service should only be addressed as ‘Sir’ while ‘Mr’ should be the correct form of address for others. We are so naive that we ourselves first pamper others with our servility and then curse when a Pay Commission degrades our status. When a Major calls up his counterpart in a civil department, he talks less and Sirs more and when that civil counterpart calls up a Colonel, he addresses him as ‘Colonel Sahib’. And once you sir them, they would expect all officers of similar rank to behave likewise. The problem is that to get a piece of work done, we stoop to any level, don’t we ? And in the bargain end up damaging our service for personal short-term gains. There are, on the other hand, also examples of military officers not sirring their own seniors in length of service (who are junior in rank) within the services but displaying servility towards junior civilians. I’ve also seen selection grade officers not sirring senior time-scale ones, where are we going ? Have we forgotten the age old adage that in the defence services, irrespective of rank, ‘once senior is always senior’ ?. Sirs and Ma’ams, I do not mean to talk sharp but to earn respect from outsiders we need to first respect our own juniors and seniors.

So friends the time has come to get out of the cocoon, be aware of what’s happening around us and finally WAKE UP in the interest of our dignity and the pride of our respective services. There should be prudence all around but not such silliness that we reduce all our privileges, facilities and benefits provided to us by law to a poor joke. We need to stop cribbing about ‘baboos’, they are not that bad. On the contrary, we need to take pride in our uniform and what we do, we need to put more responsibility on the shoulders of our youngsters and redeem our self-esteem, ego should be shunned but self-respect has to be granted its utmost due. Let us do our homework.
Posted by Navdeep / Maj Navdeep Singh

IESM: Military culture and ethos needs to be embellished and cherished

Dear Friends,
The main plank of our OROP demand is that we as soldiers are different from others. Our claim by itself is not sufficient; this difference has to be visibly reflected in our behaviour as well as in our actions. We should not forget for us means are as important as the ends. We are responsible to pass down a legacy that the posterity talks of with a sense of pride and not with a sense of guilt and embarrassment.
Undoubtedly, the suggestion for more reckless forms of protests has been mooted, out of impatience and frustration at the continued stone-walling of our demand for equity and justice. We need to remember that an old and intricate problem where the regime has long taken an entrenched position is not expected to lend itself to a quick solution. It is a marathon, not a sprint. We need patience and perseverance. Let us not compromise on our dignity and our core values.
The Movement is making progress and there is no cause for undue concern.
Best regards,
Lt Gen (Emeritus) Raj Kadyan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM
Chairman IESM

Readers Responses
I have always looked upon Gen Satbir as our Sardar Patel and Guru Govind Singh. But this mail has elevated Gen Kadyan to the level of Mahatma Gandhi, - the truth loving, gentle but firm, peace loving architect of IESM. May the Great Architect of the Universe long preserve him, not only for the ex-servicemen/ servicemen but for the security and safety of our motherland. When a soldier has to look back for his own safety and the safety of his family, the need for the bureaucratic set up will cease, as there will be no independent country to rule and loot.
Col Krishnamoorthy (Retd)- the young veteran 90 yrs 7 months and 12 days of age- young when compared to the 103 years old veteran who blessed our last rally in U P /Bihar Border.

Dear Gen Kadyan,
May God grant u blessings and preserve u to lead this movement. It needs ur mature advice and guidance at this stage. No doubt the core group and u have given enough thought to the next step. In my opinion, whilst Mr. Manmohan Singh, is the PM, nothing would happen. May be the Core Group would like to consider somehow persuading the three chiefs to lead a delegation of the the EMS, to the PM and the President. It may not yield any result but would be in line with our peaceful intentions. At the same time we may like to approach some Rich Ex Service Men to seek donation. For Example, K P Singh. I am sure, KP would oblige.
Lots of love and blessings.
Pran Parashar
(Cdr Pran Parashar. World War II veteran, Founder Member of Naval Aviation)

My Dear General,
The recognition of what soldiers do to serve their country is somewhat hazy in the minds of the masses. The rich and corrupt do not bother; the suffering majority have neither the time nor the patience to know more about us. The world over armed forces/ veterans are honoured by the nation and leaders by Parades, visit to memorials, wreath laying etc. There are very impressive and informative museums and memorials to familiarise the new generation about the sacrifices made and crucial role played by Armed forces. OROP is a just demand and will be met sooner or later. The veterans with their values, physical and mental fitness, professionalism should perhaps look further ahead and ponder as to what can we do to serve the Nation as a very strong viable force. A small beginning could be made; this will also helo spread the word about our glorious achievements. There are thousands of NGOs but they do not achieve much. Our selfless service by various regional ESM organisations in all the states duly guided by a vision created by the apex body will start showing results.
Warmest Regards,
Veteran Ved Ahuja

Views on ‘apolitical’ Character of the Indian Army

Character of the Indian Army By madhavibhasin Wednesday, April 7th 2010
General V.K. Singh assumed charge as India’s new Army Chief last week. Though appointment of Army Chiefs in India does not attract as much media, the trend is gradually changing. The Indian Army continues to remain apolitical but has gained greater visibility in the public domain recently. Comments by military men and issues of corruption have put the military under media glare. Rarely has the war strategy of the Indian Army received so much attention in the media as it did after former Army Chief Deepak Kapoor’s comment on the ‘cold start’ doctrine.

Several opinion pieces highlighting the challenges confronting General Singh have appeared in the mainstream media. There are two approaches for handling the task at hand. Strategic analyst C. Raja Mohan advises for the continued apolitical nature of the Indian military but argues for a pro-active role. Lt. Gen. Vijay Oberoi (Retd.), former Vice-Chief of Indian Army, calls for an activist role for the army which challenges the institution’s apolitical nature.

According to Raja Mohan, General Singh will have to check corruption in the Indian Army for the purpose of retaining public confidence and present the army as an attractive career option for young Indians. Civilian control of the Indian military has raised concerns about the role of the Army in contributing to the national security policy. Raja Mohan is insightful in suggesting that, “…resentment within the army and the other armed services is mounting at the perennial short shrift they get from the civilian bureaucracy, where the capacity to manage the nation’s military appears to be eroding rapidly. The answer to this lies in the army improving its institutional capacity to frame policy issues, to engage other governmental agencies, and to better communicate with the public — rather than the occasional public venting by the chief.” Raja Mohan is of the view that Army’s political neutrality does not imply passivity on issues of security policy debate. “Civilian primacy over the military in our democracy does not mean that the chiefs of our armed forces have to be mute in the face of persistent neglect of national defense by incompetent bureaucrats and indifferent ministers. If he can make the army’s case calmly and in a sustained fashion, within the government and to the public, the new chief can make a huge difference to the national discourse on defense policy.”

Lt General Oberoi’s suggestion on similar issues is markedly different. He raises concern over issues of military modernization and dwindling morale of the armed forces. But his revisionist views on the apolitical role of the army are alarming. Lt. General Oberoi makes a case similar to the one highlighted by Raja Mohan when he refers to the limited role of the army in shaping the country’s security policy; but he has a different suggestion take on the issue. According to Lt. Gen. Oberoi, “However, in India, the military has been deliberately kept out of the policy formulation loop and even after over six decades of loyal, patriotic and dedicated service to the nation, it is obvious that it is still not trusted!”

The apolitical nature of the army is attacked by Lt Gen Oberoi in direct terms, “The military also needs to modify the concept of being apolitical. The army’s long standing stance of keeping a distance from the leaders of political parties other than those of the party in power needs to be modified. In a parliamentary system like ours, policy is formulated by all parliamentarians despite differences of the opposition. After all, the Parliament Standing Committee on Defense and similar other committees are all-party bodies. Consequently, though remaining apolitical, the army needs to apprise and discuss its concerns with the political leadership across the board. This would not reduce the apolitical nature of the army, about which it is justifiably so proud.”
Read the full article
Views on ‘apolitical’ Character of the Indian Army

Ministry of Urban Development bowls out National War Memorial

Animals in War
The memorial is located at Brook Gate, Park Lane, on the edge of London's Hyde Park and was unveiled on November 24, 2004 by Princess Anne. The English Sculpture is David Backhouse. The sculpture depicts all the animals that have been used by troops in wartime, which have been killed in conflict while serving their country. Horses and mules to dogs, elephants, camels, canaries and glow worms are included in the memorial. The curved Portland stone wall symbolizes the arena of war, with the animals depicted on it in base. Two life-size heavily laden two bronze mules struggle up the steps towards a gap in the wall. Beyond the gap a bronze 10 foot horse and K-9 gaze into the distance. The memorial stands at 58-feet wide and some 55-feet deep.
New Delhi, August 04, 2009
Military struggles for war memorial sanction by Rahul Singh
On the edges of London's iconic Hyde Park is a monument that could inspire our netas and babus. It's a tribute to the thousands of animals that served alongside the British and Allied forces in 20th century wars. The memorial depicts horses, dogs, mules, elephants, camels and pigeons. It's a Rs 16-crore testimony to their sacrifice. But India is yet to repay a debt of honour to its fallen heroes.

The Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) has expressed reservations about a Defence Ministry proposal to construct a national war memorial to honour soldiers who fell in the Second World War and post-Independence wars. Pallam Raju, Minister of State for Defence, told Rajya Sabha that his ministry had prepared a concept paper for a war memorial at India Gate. "However, the MoUD has expressed reservations with respect to statutory clearances and availability of land."

The military has been pleading with the government to build a war memorial at India Gate, which commemorate soldiers who fought for the British in the First War. The MoUD fears the war memorial could ruin the landscape around India Gate. An assurance from the Defence Ministry hasn't worked. Will the unknown Indian soldier's sacrifice go unnoticed?
Military struggles for war memorial sanction
Related reading:
Kargil hilltops lit up as India salutes war heroes

For the Curious who wish to know about National Urban Develpment Ministry wrestling with Land Acquisition Act of 1894- just a century behind times!
Despite the Report of National Commission on Urbanisation (1988) and the two successive National Housing Policies within a span of a decade, the country is yet to evolve a National Urban Policy. States Govts. have prepared their respective State Urbanisation Strategy Reports taking into account the pattern of urban growth, resources and potentials. At the national level, the Planning Commission has constituted a National Task Force on Urban Perspective and Policy in 1995. Three Technical Groups were also constituted on the subjects of Urban Perspectives and Policy, Urban Infrastructure and Urban Planning. The Technical Group on Urban Planning System under the Chairmenship of Dr. Arcot Ramachandran has submitted its final report. The Reports of other two Technical Groups under the Chairmanship of Shri Vaghul and Prof. Y. K. Alagh are yet to be finalised. After the final reports of the Technical Groups are available the Task Force will finalise its recommendations. These will provide input for the National Urban Policy.
Ministry of Urban Development- A website poorly maintained
Have grievances: Click here

Pertinent Question
MoUD can it take a decision for the twenty first century when it is grappling with laws of the ninteenth century? The Military's quest for the National War Memorial will be addressed by a Ministry dealing with the twenty first century matters. MoD needs to redirect its focus!

The government cons the military, again

Reflections of a Fighter PilotRediff News December 30, 2008
First it was the unflattering and detrimental report of the sixth pay commission. Then followed the malicious manoeuvring to downgrade the military further, on the sly, through the committee of secretaries tasked to reconcile the contentious proposals advanced by the same pay commission. Now it is the turn of an unfeeling government to drive the military and its veterans into despondency.

In a written reply, Defence Minister A K Antony informed the Rajya Sabha on December 11 that the government has not found acceptable the demand for 'one rank one pension' (OROP) by the ex-servicemen.

Our politicians may have no qualms about showering promises and reneging on them at will, but the military veterans today feel cheated, no less. The whole military structure rests on the bedrock of ranks. Unfortunately, the stuffed shirts inhabiting the corridors of power are uninterested in understanding military ethos. Make no mistake, OROP is an emotive issue for the men in uniform, and there is deep hurt and resentment at being taken for another ride.

Worse, the denial of OROP comes at a time when the three services are acutely enfeebled by shortage of young officers, at a time when the services are labouring to curb the exodus of middle-level officers, at a time when eligible lads are giving a career in the forces a miss. Could there be a worse illustration of governmental apathy?

MP Anil Kumar
Former Fighter Pilot
Read more:

A brief history of 'one rank one pension'

The mystery of OROP negation- it beats me

Cold-shoulder, procrastinate, turn down -- the time-tested trick

What now? Limited options, time to rally round

The larger issues
Click: The government cons the military, again