Civil Military Relations: There is urgent need to bridge the gap

It is acknowledged that India’s military has historically been apolitical. Unlike other militaries in developing countries early in the post colonial period, there has never been an instance of the Indian military transgressing its bounds. This has consistently been among the indicators of India’s democratic good health. However, it is averred that this has resulted in the military’s marginalisation in core security decision making structures and processes. This refrain in security studies commentary testifies to the continuing distance between the apex military leadership from political decision makers on policy issues. Details of the critique are well known. These include: the strategic grasp of the generalist bureaucratic cadre dominating the ministry is suspect; in modern defence systems elsewhere officials in uniform share desk space with civilians having appropriate background in national security; the current system results in manipulation of service differences by bureaucrats playing arbiters, thereby precluding efficiencies, jointness, etc. But the fact that the system persists begs the question: Why?
Extracted from:
The central debate in India’s civil military relations
Ali Ahmed: IDSA

The probable reasons for the widening gap
Military service changes one's way of thinking and gives one a sense of patriotism, a sense of working for something bigger than one's self. It helps to provide a more realistic view of what the Indian Armed Forces can and cannot do. Most of the Politicians and Bureaucrats lack that military experience and do not know what Military Service means. Sadly their children too are averse to the Armed Forces.

The average Indian knows very little about the military anymore... and even more troubling, the average middle- and upper middle-class family doesn't tend to look on the Defence Forces as a career they want their kids to follow... only about 0.02 percent of the total population of our nation are directly or indirectly connected as either serving, retired or family members of the Armed Forces.

UPA Ministry quick facts

NDTV Correspondent, Thursday May 28, 2009, New Delhi

Of the 33 Cabinet ministers, 15 hold a degree in law.

11 Cabinet ministers are postgraduates while 16 have completed their graduation.
Four cabinet ministers including the PM hold a Ph.D., one has an M.Phil. degree and one is a doctor.

Six Cabinet ministers of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's new team are 'non-believers'. These ministers "solemnly affirmed" that they would bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution while taking oath.

The 'atheist' ministers are A K Antony, P Chidambaram, Sushil Kumar Shinde, M Veerappa Moily, S Jaipal Reddy and C P Joshi, a first-timer in the cabinet.

The Prime Minister and 13 of his ministers took the oath in the name of God. The other ministers took oath in the name of God include Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Vayalar Ravi, S M Krishna, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kamal Nath, Meira Kumar, Murli Deora, Kapil Sibal, Ambika Soni, B K Handique and Anand Sharma.

As many as three MPs from the national capital, which is nearly half of the total MPs of Delhi, are in the PM's council of ministers.

Agatha Sangma is the youngest minister at 28, SM Krishna the oldest at 77.

The average age of the council of ministers is now a little over 62 years.

One out of every four UPA MPs is a minister.

The southern states have a higher MP:Minister ratio than the North.

Karnataka, with four ministers with 11 UPA MPs.

Kerala is close with six out of 19.

Of 35 UPA MPs, Tamil Nadu has nine ministers - most of them from the DMK.

But DMK chief Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi is not a minister, but son MK Azhagiri is.

Andhra Pradesh has the least of the southern states with four ministers.

Vilasrao Deshmukh and SM Krishna are not members of any House.

Among dropped ministers from last time: Arjun Singh, Shivraj Patil (who had already been dropped post 26/11), Sis Ram Ola, Saifudin Soz, Mahavir Prasad, TR Baalu, Oscar Fernandes, Ashwini Kumar, Santosh Bagrodia.

Despite the Congress bounty in Haryana, only Kumari Selja makes it to a ministerial post.

UP, which gave the Congress 21 seats under Rahul Gandhi's party revival plan, has only five ministers, but not a single Cabinet post.

There are five Muslim ministers.

There are 10 Dalit ministers.

There are nine women ministers.

There are nine former chief ministers in the Cabinet.

Ally tally: Trinamool Congress seven (one Cabinet, six MoS), DMK even (three Cabinet, four MoS), NCP three (One Cabinet, one MoS Independent Charge and one MoS), Muslim League and NCP one each.

Four former Indian Youth Congress presidents become ministers - Anand Sharma, Mukul Wasnik, Gurudas Kamat and Selja.
Most of the younger bunch of ministers are sons and daughters of politicians.
UPA Ministry quick facts

Veterans express discontent with political system

Date: Saturday, 16 May, 2009, 6:34 PM
Dear All,
For information.
This report was released by the United News of India on May 14. The same has been translated into Hindi and released by UNIVarta also.
Vijay Oberoi
(Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi, Former VCOAS)

Veterans express discontent with political system
Bhopal | Wednesday, May 13 2009 IST
Even as the nation awaits with bated breath the outcome of the 15th general elections, veterans have struck a strident note of discontent with regard to the present political system and the leadership's non-comprehension of the requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.

"Perhaps a presidential system will suit us better. It need not be exactly like that of the United States, but we can evolve our own system," former Vice-Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-General (Retd) Vijay Oberoi, PVSM, AVSM, VSM told UNI.

The veteran, who is also President of the War Wounded Foundation, pointed out that the greatest benefit of a presidential system would be that the elected president would be able to choose the best brains in the country to assist him in governance while elected representatives would still be there.

"We have a large number of illiterate people who do not understand the nuances of elections. We are an emotional people, easily swayed by cosmetics and pay little attention to substance. We are a federal country, but have not given adequate autonomy to the states," Lt Gen Oberoi felt.

The ex-director of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies alleged that the political leadership neither understood nor made any effort to comprehend the requirements of the military.

"At present, there is no formalised system of having the military in the policy formulation loop. Unless this comes about we will continue to treat security with indifference and the military would continue to get marginalised. The effect on the security of the nation would be catastrophic," Lt Gen Oberoi warned.
-- (UNI) --
Veterans express discontent with political system
Related reading
Force divider by Gen VP Malik

2009 General Elections: Are You A Good Citizen?

Date: Thursday, 5 March, 2009, 2:55 PM
Friends,
As educated citizens of this great country of ours, this is our best chance to take India to its rightful place in the world, as the bell for elections 2009 has tolled. History will not forgive us if we fail. Election day is not a holiday to enjoy but a day to do your solemn duty which is to vote for the right candidate. Here is what we earnestly implore you to do.
DON'T Vote for a party but for an individual who:

has no criminal record past or present even where the judicial system has kept an appeal pending

is neither a fundamentalist nor a communalist. Anyone playing vote bank politics should be shunned

declares in public domain his/her assets including those of immediate family as also IT returns for the past 3 years

signs an affidavit that should he/ she, if elected, fail to fulfill the poll promises then voters can recall him

has the minimum basic education- a graduate. Protagonists of the Aam Aadmi will say that their problems are not understood by the well-off. Sorry, they have got it wrong. The constitution had enshrined that reservations etc would be done away after 25 years but the interested have seen that poverty and uneducated masses remain as they are their best vote bank.

pledges not to interfere with independent bodies like Police force, judiciary, election commission and appoint people to these bodies in a transparent manner based purely on merit.

implement affirmative action rather than caste and creed politics

If an ex serviceman is standing, give him/ her preference above all other candidates and all things being equal- vote the ex serviceman in!!

If an ex-MP, should have atleast 75% attendance, participated in 50% of debates and usefully spent atleast 90% of development fund in his/ her constituency
Come May 16th we should sing Jai Ho! for a job well done!!
Warm Regards!
CK Sharma
Wg Cdr CK Sharma, Member IESM Steering Committee,New Delhi

Counter Terrorism for the common man

Dear Friends,

I have been writing for the Garhwal Post, a local daily. This is my third on the subject of Counter Terrorism for the Common Man. This was published last Sunday, 08 Feb 2009. You may like to glance through it. Kindly click here

Thought I will share it with you.

With regards.
Lt Gen KK Khanna
Former Commandant IMA and Former MGGS and COS Northern Command

Window on Pakistan Press: 'Pak is reviewing dossiers'

Window on Pakistan
“The world is a dangerous place. Not because of the people who are evil; but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” Albert Einstein
As United States Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher landed in Pakistan a short while ago on Monday, to discuss terrorism issues in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks, the Pakistan foreign office announced it was "reviewing a dossier India handed over regarding the deadly Mumbai attacks".

The announcement by Pakistan foreign office came quickly after India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said in New Delhi that evidence regarding Pakistan's unpardonable crime has been handed over to the Pakistan High Commission. Urdu daily Jang and The News said quoting official spokesperson the material has been received in Pakistan now and is being examined by concerned authorities.

The papers said Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon told reporters in New Delhi that India has handed over evidence on the Mumbai attacks to Pakistan on Monday, and it expected a prompt investigation.

On the other hand quoting diplomats The Nation said 'US is pressing upon Pakistan to act in the light of "evidences provided to Islamabad by the Indian authorities regarding the Mumbai attacks and involvement of Pakistan-based militant groups".
Read more: Window on Pakistan Press: 'Pak is reviewing dossiers'