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The govt has failed in all fronts and they wish to salvage what little they can . This is one way they can . With the date of 8th Aug as a dead line it is apparent that something is in the offing , in spite of the committee being packed with only IAS cadre officers. I am optimistic that good sense will prevail.

Dear General Oberoi and Nitin,My compliments for giving such a wonderful overview of the Army' ecosystem w/o falling in the trap of a particular section of media.Nitin, in your own humble way, you have done it again.Kudos Brother. I still remember your simplistic attitude and great reporting from Dras.Lt Col (Retd) Vijay Batra, SM, Ex-PRO, Srinagar

Good start and hope will be taken to logical completion!

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I like your stand and agree with this. India's national interest are prime, not to be compared with what other countries are doing or trying to achieve.

Hi Nitin. Nice post.While this is a great dev, I think this proces is not complete until naval/SSN version of this are developed, and the Arihant is fully operationalized, as only then is the strategic triad complete. I also feel that we need at least 3 Arihants (one as a stand-by and one on each seaboard), as well as 3 aircraft carriers (same logic), before we can actually say we are secure.We do not covet any other country's lands, but have to recover our lands from China (Aksai Chin) and Pak (POK), sometime in the future. We need a strong deterrence, as the next war, if ever it happens (god forbid), will be a two-front war with Pak and China.

Thanks Anish. Yes, the test on Thursday is but a first step. A credible N-triad is still not on the horizon.

Very good admin useful to us. direct mail postcards . I update to my friend. By and brochure printing services

Reacting to this blog entry, a friend in the Army–a serving officer–who has had three long stints in JK sent this reaction. For obvious reasons his identity will remain concealed.Proposed Amendments to AFSPA1.Responding to UN Rapporteur Christof Heyns' suggestion to repeal the Armed Forces Special PowersAct (AFSPA), the Home Minister Mr Chidambaram said that the ministry had taken note of this view and addedthat his ministry had proposed three changes to this law. .2.While Chidambaram did not spell the amendments, sources in the Ministry said the amendments includetaking arrests warrants in advance, taking away the power of the armed forces to open fire causing death andsetting up of a grievance redress cell.The following issues related to the proposed amendments to AFSPA merit consideration:-Advance Warrant for Arrest.(i)Circumstances of arrest are entirely different in law and order situations dealt with bypolice and counter terrorist operations or public order situations for which Army is employed.(ii)Secrecy and speed of operation is paramount if arrest of dreaded terrorists and antinational elements is to be successfully executed. Seeking arrest warrant imposes time delay andmay compromise security.(iii) Armed Forces operate 24×7. Magistrates are generally not available on Sundays / publicholidays or during off duty hours.(iv)Arrests may need to be affected on LC/uninhabited jungles. Availability of magistrate insuch areas is questionable.(v)In any case under section 6 of AFSPA, arrested person are required to be handed over topolice at the earliest by not later than 24 hrs(vi) Adequate safeguards exist in the form of COAS Ten Commandments and Do’s andDon’ts to ensure no misuse of powers of arrest and detention.Taking Away Powers to use Force even to the extent of causing death(i)Powers given by Act of Parliament are keeping in view the nature of threat likely to befaced by Armed Forces in disturbed areas.(ii)Use of maximum force Not mandatory to meet all situations. Training and leadership ofArmed forces ensure moderation and use of minimum force.Such powers available to all armed forces employed in insurgency/terrorist environment.(iv)Removal of power to open fire causing death will make armed forces impotent andineffective,No instance of excess use of force by Army in last five yrs.Civilian causalities will occur due to error of judgment. Collateral damage is a cost thenation has to accept.Grievance Redressal Mechanism.Redressal Mechanism already exists in the form of Army and civil Courts and NHRC.Persons found guilty of excesses have been punished by the Army.(iii)Procedures laid down with respect to jurisdiction of Courts and for obtaining sanction forprosecution needs to be followed.(iv)Conflict of jurisdiction with Courts and NHRC likely if new statutory Body establishedfor grievance redressal.

great and sane thoughts in these trying times…..well written sir

It is one sane piece on the subject read in the last three months. The rot in journalistic ethos at the top echelons is more disturbing. You don't need to fight cases in PCI to kill the nation's last institution standing – the damage is done.Your story needs wider circulation and be carried in the MSM. Sure you can swing that so that the common people don't lose faith in the military.

Superb thoughts. Hope Karan Thapars, Shekhar Guptas, the Mishievous Babus and others of their ilk read and comprehend.Nation building is driven through synergy in thought and actions of 'visionary leader' and 'intellectual strategist'. Chandragupta Maurya and Kautilya together made such a team. Where is that team now? Can anyone from the current political class claim to be donning the mantle of Chandragupta? Or for that matter, anyone from bureaucratic class compare Kautilya? These, the politico-bureaucratic class have all tended to become 'mercenaries' who treat India as a 'bottomless gold mine' to be plundered, and even competitively scrape at the pillars which prevent the mine from caving in. They are not 'philosophers' nor 'visionaries' nor 'leaders' nor 'intellectuals' nor 'strategists' though frequently they do attempt to don either of these mantles, not to act the role but simply to hide behind the most convenient one to seek 'respectability' and evade accountability. They are a bunch of 'gold diggers' and their 'paid employees – mercenaries' perpetually seeking 'return on investment' in form of power and pelf. The media, which frequently displayed a propensity to challenge the status quo and periodically made feeble attempts to pull the nation out of the morass and hold the institutions of leadership & governance accountable, have finally exposed its soft underbelly too – that it, either out of ineptitude, gullibility, unprofessional competitiveness or sheer lure of commercial viability through govt doles, is more than ready to sell its soul and its core purpose.The military is not a 'pillar of democracy'. It is an 'instrument of democratic state'. The 'pillars of democracy' seem to be working on most convoluted assumption that while the 'pillars' chip at their own steel and mortar, it is the onus of the military to uphold and promote democratic values, national integration and national interests. A surely disgusting state of affairs which calls for major awakening and overhaul.

Thanks very much Jagmohan

Thanks Kamal. You have already circulated it and put up on your website.I will not be true to myself, if I can't be critical of myself and my profession

Hi Ajay,To be honest your angry and passionate arguments and missives to some of my esteemed colleagues in the profession inspired me to look within and come up with this. Unfortunately, as Adm Vishnu Bhagwat said in the reply to my piece: “Kautilya’s Senapati met the Mauryan King morning and evening ….now all those who are running us down sup with him and fill his ears…”

As always – superbly written Sir !

Dear Nitin…well written…I think this time Indian Express has gone just too far…I have completely lost respect for Shekhar Gupta and his cronies who are responsible for the mischief…the IE coverage only goes to show that these people belong to the category of journalists who will sensationalise at any cost…what a shame to have senior editors of our national media doing such damage to the country…there are many others as well…wolves in sheeps' clothing…you know the people I am alluding to…Anyway, continue the good work…we need patriotism everywhere…not just in the Armed Forces…Best… Biswajit..

Dear Zahl and Zubin,Thanks very much.

Brilliantly put forth! And your pain comes through stark and clear. Thanks.Best regards.Ashutosh

Well, no space to go down any further, I guess. It has to be only up here after

Thank you! Here is the link http://speakingupforunsungheroes.blogspot.in/2012/04/soldier-state-and-media-nitin-gokhale.html

Dear Nitin,Your quote from Kautilya is incomplete. Trust an Army Veteran to add on the IMPORTANT parts……….Regards Brig (Retd) Ajit Nair”To this man, O Rajadhiraja, you owe a debt for that very guarantee which is the vital key-stone of our nationhood arch. Please, therefore, see to it, suo motu, that you are constantly alive and sensitive to the soldier’s legitimate dues in every form and respect, be those his needs or his wants, including his place in the social order. Do thereafter (‘tadanantara’) ensure that he receives these in time or preferably ahead of time, in full measure, for he is NOT likely to ask for them himself. This is so because before getting so completely wrapped up in his onerous, harsh and exalted charge, the soldier has assumed with good reason that the State, in return for his extraordinary burden and services, has freed him from all responsibility towards his own present and future welfare as also that of his family back home in the hinterland. He is thus very clear in his mind when deployed at a distant border outpost, fighting lumpen groups within Magadha or when campaigning in far away lands that he need only look out in FRONT for the enemy of the State and concentrate only on his MILITARY ONUS and aim (‘shatrunjaya’), completely free of all temporal worries. This assumption is a holy sacrament and an unwritten covenant that exists between him and the State. And rightly so! If ever things come to a sordid pass, O King, when, on a given day, the Mauryan soldier has to LOOK BACK over his shoulder (‘Simhawalokana’) prompted by even a single nagging worry about his and his family’s material, physical and social well being, it should cause you and your Council the greatest concern and distress! I beseech you to take instant note and act with uncommon dispatch to address the soldier’s anxiety. It could be on account of harsh living conditions, inequitable material compensation or asymmetric Court or societal dispensations affecting either his self respect or his family’s material welfare, or both. If any in your household, in your Council or among your courtiers is/ are responsible for allowing matters to come to such a pass, punish him/ them exemplarily without loss of time and send him/ them to serve for four cycles of seasons (‘Chaturrutuchakre’) alongside the soldiers, on the border outposts. If they perish, those would be their just desserts. If they survive, they will return wiser and wizened, more responsive to and with greater empathy for the soldier’s cause. If you first learn of your soldiers’ problems and needs from your own trusted informers (‘gupt doota’) and NOT from the Commander-in-Chief (‘Senapati’) himself, relieve him of his charge and retain him not for another day. No matter how good a horseman (‘Ashwarohi’), a swordsman (‘Khadgaveera’), a wrestler (‘Malla’), an archer (Dhanurdhara) or a tactician (‘Rana neetigya’) he is, dismiss him (‘ardha chandra prayoga’) for failing to keep his ear close to the military ground. Dismiss him also for not having the gumption and courage to be the first to tell you of the soldiers’ anxiety and needs before the others do. The Senapati owes a downward loyalty and sensitivity to his troops in much the same way and measure as he owes these upwards to you, for this is a unique and age-old essential feature of sound military leadership and an article of faith between the troops and the General! It is my bounden duty to caution you, My Lord, that the day when the Mauryan soldier has to demand his dues or, worse, plead for them, will neither have arrived suddenly, overnight nor in vain. It will also bode ill for Magadha. For then, on that day, you, My Lord, will have lost all moral sanction to be Rajadhiraja ! It will also mark the beginning of the end of the Mauryan Empire!!”

The alarming part of this is the way Govt reacted which depicts the total trust deficit between Govt and Army. This indeed is a dangerous trend. For Armed forces it is izzat and Iqbal which motivates them to lay their lives in battle, but alas the successive Govts in order to project the supremacy of civilan over the army has played havoc with this resulting in trust deficit. Both serving and retired defense forces personnel feel neglected and let down. Urgent measures are needed to restore their dignity and solving of their outstanding problems .

Late, but welcome step. Transparency in lying down the qualitative requirements, and streamlining the trial procedures also very essential.

In depth analysis, Interesting story

Hi,It is quite interesting you brought up the story about Prakram. Personally I agree that there is nothing called “winnable nuke war” and nuke weapons are useless battlefield weapons.Howevere the is one major differences in terms of tactical weapons usuage by Pakistan compared to say between US & USSR. Between US and USSR if they use tact. weapons they would be open about it.However in case of Pakistan, they can actually get away with it by not disclosing that they have used tact nukes. Say for example Pak use tact weapon on one the Indian formation. India announces to the world that Pak has used nuke, Pak denies it. Will India be then able to convince the world? No one will believe it until countries like US confirms it.However will US agree with India? thereby indirectly giving a green light for Indian strategic strike? US will never want any one use stragetic nukes , thereby shaking the “nuclear apple cart” .India by itself will never resort to full fledge response, until it has convinced the world. We are “whiter than white”! Despite this loop hole, there is a silver lining. As I said tact nukes are useless. You would need quite a number of tact nukes to seriously degrade a Indian invasion force. 1/2 kt wil probably kill off 3-4 tanks at once. Nothing more. They just don't have the bang. Plus there is also the question of when Pakistan can use it. Will Pakistan use tact nukes if India is on the doors of Lahore? Can Pakistan take the risk of flying it' s tact nuke missiles over Lahore to reach IA divisions?Not a easy choice.

Thank you for the sensible critique. Me & my neighbor were just preparing to do some research on this. We got a grab a book from our local library but I think I learned more clear from this post. I'm very glad to see such magnificent information being shared freely out there.Timberland Women's Earthkeepers Mount Holly Tall Lace Duck Boot

Agree. Personal prejudices and bias often comes into play when former armed forces officers start expressing opinions about sensitive matters.

This article is really good, I like it so much, there are some nice things you share in your blog.russian marriage

Oh yes, I did. Well, with tend to become wiser with age isn't it? And yes I did write on Kishore Kumar. Will put up some time.

Nitin, if you replaced Pune with Bangalore of the 80s, my story and those of my friends would just be the same. Dev Anand will always be a hero in our hearts, and for ever…Tarun Singha

Dev Anand's portrayal in Guide's angst in love and life is immortalized not only by the songs but also the way they were inextricably woven in teh very fabric of the movie. Sheer Brilliance.

Though my movie watching life started when the B&W movies were literally being forced on us by the life-saver “Doordarshan” and its sunday evening slot for a weekly movie bonanza, but Dev Anand movies always made sure that it never got bored…either on sunday “movie” time or Wednesday's “chitrahaar”….He was everywhere…everlasting…evergreen…

Dear Nitin,Great to read about this wonderful reunion. Would've been truly memorable and a real privilege for you! I know Gen Batoo and Brig RE Williams personally (the latter from the same regt as mine) and was good to catch up in the third person…How goes life with you?Col PK Mishra

Thanks very much Col. Kurup

A true picture of a fauji and the trouble the children undertake to complete their education with frequent transfers of faujis as per the operational requiremets is unimaginable during those difficult times when communication facilities were limited. But yes the values you imbibed or emulated will certainly hold you at high esteem at this time when the present day enviorn has no values in their actof commission and omissions.Any way good luck my dear.Keep on doing the good work and of course remember fuaujis and do whatever little good you can do towardss them.ThanksVelayudhan

A very inspiring and motivating brief .Strongly recommended to be read by all donning uniform as well as dependents of all Soldiers.Your parents have given you good values for excelling in life

I am overawed by your simplicity. And, yet so true rings each word that I am compelled to compliment you Sir – had you joined u'd have been senior to me ! and you not joining does'nt relegate the seniority ! Profound regards

After a long,long time it was great to read such a true account of faujis life, which can be only understood by the people who have lived such a life. Please keep doing the great job so that the country and the government realise the importance of our defence forces. God forbid if the prsent state of affairs regarding the promotions, pay and parity continues, the day is not far when the country have to outsource for the defence of the country.

Inspirational article written with a rare sense of honesty.

It was a pleasure to read about you. It would be great to know of the Bombay Sapper influence in your experiences. Regards Email1970@yahoo.co.in

a true and great article on defense forces after many years……no wonder…..only someone who has experienced it can write…..congratulations……tapan

Great write up.I want to congratulate and thank you for covering life of a fauji and its family through this write up. Since you are part of the big fauji family please do write on the changing environments and why todays youth is not so keen in coming to forces… Maj Narendra Tripathi

Nitin Gokhale….u will always remain a true fauji…so what if you have'nt donned the uniform….keep up the good workwith best wishes from an ex faujiKaran sampathHyderabadMob 8297968687

Nitin,May God bless you and familyWg Cdr J Thomas (Retd)

Dear Nitin,One is so proud of maitaining the values generated by your parents.Service before self in not only the army's motto but the same is mentioned in chapter 11 and 12 of the Bhagwad Geeta.Lord Krishna says ….if you want me then think of me and do service to me…..ie others as I'm in everyone.I retired as a Maj Gen and you had cocktails in my house.Rest whenever we meet.Unfortunately, my father who was a second world war vetern and was in the same unit as Gen SK Sinha passed away a few months back.I woould love to meet you and inter-act on many issues.RegardsANIL LAL/DR/Maj Gen(retd)

From one army kid to another. It's an explicable bond that transcends caste, community, profession and much else. Having been born, brought up and married into the army, I know no other life. My profession as a journalist gives me a window to other worlds and brings home to me each day, the blessing that I have to be born in this one. It's a life like no other.Where old world values still survive, where people still teach their children the virtues of honesty and hardwork, where the rough life is not something to whine but to celebrate. I, like many others identify with many things said in your blog post. The army brat can survive and flourish almost anywhere. May the tribe live long and hard !Chander Suta DograBureau Chief -NorthOutlook newsmagazine

Gen Lal,Yes of course I remember having met you in Leh. Thank You for your remarks

Thanks for an excellent write up for this has not only made me proud of my service in Indian Air Force but also I could show you as an example to my son, Prashanth, who is a software engineer and does not respect my service. I wish all the servicemen should have a child like you so that we feel proud of our service in the past. We are disrespected by the society after leaving the service and are considered fit for only security jobs even though we can do better than anybody else. May God bless you and your family members.

Hari! Om! Wonderful anecdote Nitin Ji. I must say you have kept up to your fauji spirits in your present profession & life. I happen to getyour link from an ex-serviceman relative.The narration is something of an out of the world experience for me & my siblings too. I am totally moved and am horipilating.I see signs of nostalgia, of my good olden days that we experienced in the Air Force Camps, all across, India.I suggest & hope everyone should read your Salutation to the Warrior Clan.To conclude my comment, Hats' Off to your narrative capabilities & journalistic professionalism. JAI! HIND! Vedam ChandrasekharIndependent Engineering Professional

Dear Anand Gune, Vedam Chandrashekhar, Sgt. Achutan, Thanks for your compliments. I write from the heart and that has perhaps touched a chord in all of you somewhere.God Bless.

salute to you sir for pouring your heart out on this piece ,it can only be done by the journalist of your caliber hats off to you sir and proud to be born in to this family..

Nostalgic for any army brat. We have huge hopes on you, as much as on ourselves!

Thanks a lot Rishesh

Well, I hope I will be able to live upto those hopes. The attempt will always be there.

You are an inspiration to ordinary people like us.It's great that you have given here such a true and open picture of how Fauj is such an integral part of your life.

Dear Prashant,Sorry for the late reply. Was away in Assam.You are very kind. Your words embarrass me no end! One has learnt to try and do the job at hand to the best of one's ability. The results would come.I really haven't done anything extraordinary, just remained true to my calling.I will be frank. I remember our meeting in Kargil only vaguely. But now that I see your picture, I do recall it a bit.Good to know you have made a successful transition to a second career. Whenever I come to Mumbai will get in touch. My email is nitinagokhale@gmail.com.Please do get in touch whenever possible.Warm RegardsNitin

Yes Gen Manmohan,I do remember our meetings.Thank you very much for your kind words.

I wanted but unfortunately could not join Army.But the circular world made my son to become a Fouji and thus fulfilling my hidden desire in some form. You are right when you said that the SANSKAR of Fouj are great and mould the children to be in similar culture of discipline & meticulousness. I am of the opinion that if the NATION has to become worthy of proud,at least one person from each family should be in FOUJ. This venture will make every citizen like you and our country as we desire.

Nitin,Please send in your email ID. I want your feedback on starting an all India magazine for ex-servicemen. I am already publishing two newspapers in Mumbai. I am an ex-army officer. Please reply at prasoon1960@gmail.com

Nitin,I can so much relate to what you say, being a fauji child. For whatever I have in life today, I thank my fauji upbringing more than anything else. Its a way to live!Thanks for putting it in words so well. I can now very well explain to people what I exactly mean by adaptability being my strength..:)-Prerana

Well Nitin your article proves that you r a winner for life with the values,principles and scruples (sanskaras as we know them) that have been programmed into your DNA. You do not need to be in uniform to be a soldier, every body is one in the battle of life unfortunately only very few live upto it. We r proud of you.

Nitin, Thanks for putting into words all that most of us believe in……that it all starts at home…..an Army Brat and now raising two of my own this gypsy life is now in my blood.I thank you for all that you do, to make it all seem Real.Most people I know cannot connect to the job that my husband and his brothers -in -arms do. For them…Army life is nothing more than one big party. Not many understand the tough times the children and the wives face….. they are the Silent Ranks.But your words do give us Hope…..that whatever may happen there are people who believe stillin this beautiful organization

It's so very interesting to read. Almost a decade after your episode with AF, I faced a similar situation, albeit , I succeeded in joining the IMA instead of my dream to be in the AFA. Very much explains your love for the NE and those many journalist accounts you shared I'm various talks.

Good one, Nitin! I also remember 1971 war with a different context but most of us from our generation have exciting memories of those days filled with passion and nationalistic fervor! And then you came to Jalgaon where we spent next three years together – I also have fond memories of that time and so do you…!Write on, man…!!!

Nicely woven experiences of a young mind. Our generation has similar experiences with variations depending on the proximity to the two fronts or distance from either.

A well researched article and content, tone & tenor befitting the performance of R R . Felt proud of the management expertise of our Generals and leadership of officers and the above all the Bravery,courage commitiment and a zillion other encomiums of our son of soil soldiers.

Nitin, Let me be the second to comment. We have now worked together for some years. I continue to admire your steadfastness and sense of balance. Also your passion for doing what you feel strongly about. I see myself in that mould albeit still quite stilted. Great to see you on your own Blog. I for one will be a regular commentator, so you have to tolerate me. Ata Hasnain

India is not impressed by truth, logic, integrity or competence. It is a slave of bollywood and the Neta-Babu Quota-Corruption Raj culture. It needs a palatable, sugar coated placebo. Or, did you, after 66 years, still hope otherwise?

One of the best summations of the Poonch Ambush. Reckoning must not victimise or result in blamestorming. Sub-area commanders dont live in a vacuum. Overall top class work!

1. Very well written post, feeling the pulse of the matter.2. Question No 5 of Amruta K is very pertinent. It is well known that Terrorist infrastructure and training camps are intact across the LOC and no talks can dismantle it. Unless there is major upheaval of change in the Army and ISI of Pak,terrorism against India will continue.In my opinion, talk to Pak whenever they want but continue with our proactive counter terrorism and cross border terrorism operations, ten Pak heads for one Indian Head. This is the only way to deal with Pak. Please learn good lessons from Israel, USA and so many other countries who hold their National Interest at all cost. We need to be “strong and good neighbor” not “weak and good neighbor”.

Additionally, there may well be a need to dispel any perception of antagonism or lack of trust between the political, bureaucratic and uniform'd components of our defence structure as all external hostile entities need to be disabused of any notions to the contrary.

War is already on the door step.This is do or die now. Defense sector is already open for FDI but we should make it at least 51%. This will enable us to have local supplies and R&D. Nation should put together highly skilled broad based procurement teams to cut the red tape.

Well written (as always!). But I wonder if articles such as these actually reach the people who need to read it the most!Other than the points you have covered, i think that reorganisation of the Higher Defence Organisation is the one thing that can get the security consciousness of this nation on track. As of now, the CCS has bureaucrats and politicians. I am not really sure that either have a clear idea on the application of military power as a tool of national power and so, the policies regarding military power are mere expressions of intent as opposed to actual manifestation of national power.

When does this air? And when will it be on the net?

Hearing of this remarkable feat of the IAF. I am very proud of being an Ex- IAF veteran aviator. I wish I could have participated in these relief operations today in rescuing so many of our countrymen and foreign tourists.

Nice write up…Nitin. The An-32s…way back during Op Pawan…. also did something similar by carrying fuel in flexible tanks positioned in the cargo compt for replenishing the stock at either Jaffna or Trinco…. I forget where. We took of from the main land…..this is also a regularly done by the IL76 at Leh during winters when the road are closed and fuel stocks touch red levels.

Salute to indian army! This is the time when even Gods have left this Devbhumi!

Civil administration? They are the best brains of India, they sustain and run the Country. They have made themselves indispensible in the art and craft of keeping Political masters happy and comfortable. Poverty, indignity, hardships, suffering at the mercy of nature's fury,,,,et all is beyond the ambit of Civil administration. These administrators and the political class know that this is only a passing phase, and will be forgotten. They are never affected, their heart and mind is else where!Sreedhar Chandan

While I tend to agree with all that has been said, the moot question is whether these ideas will ever get executed. A case in point is the border management along the line of actual control with China. The ITBP continues to be deployed along certain very sensitive areas, but has not been placed under the overall Operational control of the army. The reactions and operating procedures of both the Army and the ITBP are different. This is leading to tremendous ambiguity and confusion due to the differing chains of command and control. It may lead to many more incursions and such like incidents in the future as the one that we witnessed at Depsang La recently. Its high time that the 'Turf Wars' that are being played out in the corridors of power are curtailed and a National Security Perspective is given primacy.

Why were the men and women of Azad Hind Fauj or Indian National Army not absorbed in the post-independence Indian Army? Were they any less patriotic than the British Indian Army?Why did the Indian Army stop at present LOC and not proceed to get back the entire POK in 1947 or 1965 or 1971?What would you do to a corrupt Chief like Kapoor who has all the powers?

The problem lies in ability to match the evolving threats. The basic question of governance and accountability is lacking as there are fiefdoms in the political and bureaucratic arena. This is of course manifested by vote bank politics. Unless these basic issues are addressed no amount of restructuring is likely to help.

Not fair and correct understanding of facts and warfare. In case the than Chief of Air Force disagree with act of Civilian Government in running of war, he must had resigned atonce. Such act would had caused no loss to his pension but only loss of bribes in defence procurement. Corruption induced + HR Abuser defence forces are no guarantee for any safety + protection. This is fact of present day India life.

Be clear about one thing–in times of war it Is the military and the political hierarchy which takes decisions as to the conduct of all defensive and offensive operations .No outsiders are involved unless the Nation is either on the brink of defeat ,or is not sure of its own military and diplomatic strength against an enemy who has proved itself to be stronger. Whether use of offensive air power would have tilted the balance in favour of India , at a time when the Army and the Nation were not giving a very good account of of itself , is a moot point and we can make all sorts of conjectures now. May be if we had used the Indian Navy to seal the SLOC's Westwards from the Malacca Straits onwards , the Chinese may have sued for peace!! But we did not use the Navy aggressively!Viewed pragmatically , the Country was not only militarily unprepared to fight a war but frankly speaking the National will and resolve was also lacking. As Indians , it was definitely not our finest hour–we were ready to buckle to soon. England,under the leadership of Churchill fought for more than a year against vastly superior forces –all alone. Sorry , but I disagree if now it is being said that the 'Government/Nehru' did not approve the ' use of the IAF '.http://papyrustony.blogspot.in/2013/11/much-ado-about-nothing-1962-and-beyond.html

Dear Sir,I liked the piece. Just want to ask three questions..1. Is it possible to institutionalize some arrangement where National Media's responsible players will send their journalists for regular interaction with armed forces? 2. Is it possible for Military to have orientation programmes-not just for journos but also for bureacracy (something like NDC courses)? Where stakeholders including politicians can come and discuss freely. 3. Do you see any role for Indian National Defence University in bridging the gap between armed forces and civilian expertise (researchers, scientists, journalists)? Sankalp Gurjar. Mob-88266 29034sankalp.gurjar@gmail.com

Perhaps the best summarization of the Dispute and the way to cut the Gordian knot.It requires:A balanced understanding between the Civil and Military leadership so that effective measures can be taken; andEducating the Indian public not to get hysterical in its reaction to the ups and downs in India-China negotiations.Lastly, understand that it may take time to come to a mutually satisfactory agreement.

Restores my faith in journalism. Power to you! May your tribe grow and prosper.

Dear Nitin,We need more people like you in the tribe. I am an opposite of you. Wanted to be a journalist, but ended up being an Army Officer. But thoroughly enjoyed my career(left prematurely). Wishing you all the best for the future.Col(Retd) K R Sivaraman

It was lovely going through those three decades. There is a book in this, Nitin. Write it soon.

After 50 years of the incident, it is really very interesting to navigate into the issue again. Wonderful story

May wish to see another article on similar themehttp://www.usiofindia.org/Article/?pub=Journal&pubno=579&ano=702

How true. Despite St Antony attempting to maintain his lily white image by now recusing himself from approving deviations from defence purchase procedures , there is no going back on the facts that stare one in the face – St Antony has been Defence Minister since 2006 -long enough for him to have galvanized the domestic defence production industry and long enough for the blame for the lack of it today to be laid squarely at his door.

Nice read. However, how I wish that the process could be made faster! One must however realise the complexities of a deal such as this, and this article is a move in that direction. However, I wonder why is it that the government is insisting on HAL being the lead contractor. If we want to make the defence manufacturing sector competitive, the only way is to allow private players to join the fray. And if indigenisation is our final goal, I don't think that HAL will get us there going by their past and present track record!

RIP buddies

Loved the piece NG. Great story.

nice article!!!! from a different perspective..

Perhaps you could do a story on the many such “Kennedy”s that are there in the various stations. They are a treasure house of the history of our forces. Unfortunately, we don't look after them as we should.Nandi(Angry Goswami)

Many Thanks Avatar

Good suggestion, Angry Goswami!

Hello Sir, I am a Parsi. And I love anything to do with our dear “Sam Bahadur”. I would love to share this article on my blog – http://4ms.in.I seek your permission to do so. Please let me know if it is ok with you.Thanks & Regards,Porus D. Tavadia

Wonderful article. Please could you included your contact details in your profile, as I wish to write to you.Thanks and regards,Lakshmi Nair

Excellent article sir. Some good reminisence of a repectable and honourable soldier.

the article was a wonderful read Nitin…Howsoever hard I had tried to meet Gen Sam while I was undergoing the Staff Course in 2005-06, I was never lucky, since he was sick for a long time. A grear soldier and a great Hero…wish the country had treated him well, at least in his death!!Nischal Sood

a fascinating story…..loved a lot Sir

What a analysis sir.. thanks for sharing such a wonderful thing…Indian defense equipment market

I may have missed due to Age but I distinctly remember during Jaguar Deal,name of Top Politician who was sr min in the Cabinet (of Nehru era) was doing Rounds that Precious Gifts/Stones were deposited in Paris Bank Lockers

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in this case it was felt that indian media went ballistic, more than pak media.

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Wow…it was a wonderful read. The way you have put it, makes the reader look forward to next paragraph. I was hoping to read the interview too.

A nation that loses its military values threatens its very existence and our people unfortunately can't see beyond votes and green-bucks.

This should have been done long ago. Its indeed sad that army has been pleading since 1960. If we cannot respect our soldiers how do we expect them to be loyal to the nation?

Wonderful review. But the part which reads, “..there was not a single official or citizen to receive or welcome the disembarking men at Madras when they returned home..” needs a bit of an amendment.A posse of customs officials were specially deputed to greet the returning soldiers, to inspect their baggage and to confiscate or tax items such as video cassette players that the troops had picked up to take home to their families after a prolonged, dangerous and far from pleasant tour of duty.There was a legend about a JCO who, in his frustration and dismay, picked up the VCR he had purchased as a gift for his daughter's wedding and smashed it on the desk of a customs inspector with a gruff request to forward the pieces as a gift to the General the JCO had served.

Judge : DON'T HANG R Gandhi's killers: R Gandhi WAS EXECUTED-NOT ASSASINATED-FOR MASS DEATHS CAUSED IN SRI LANKA, THANKS to the “”super”” babu's duper advise !INDIRA another “victim” of babu's advise. . .Lessons from the infamous Nuremberg Trials, IPKF FIASCO & OPS BLUE STAR : CARING OUT “ILLEGAL ORERS” EVEN DURING WAR,IS A HANGING OFFENSE !

Your blog reminded me of my trip to S 21. Could not gather myself to click even one photo at S21 or any other such site. How can some one do this to another human being. A good report.

I hope media takes up the issue on behalf of defence fraternity. It is really very insulting to defence services the way the issue has been handled even after directions of PMO. Or was it to be this way only? I hope not.

does govt is actually aware of the hard core anamolies to be removed for implementation of orop ????? or is it a another political gimmick????????

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Sir, its brought back a rush of memories. I made a log hut at the bend short of Jung as you approach it from Sela . On the way back from Tawang it'll be on the left . Pristine waterfalls and immensely cheerful people …. Thank You ever so much

Just excellent.

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As I said in the morning, this sparked off the memory of your grandpa sitting in the arm-chair in the enclosed veranda and making sure that you did your 'surya-namaskar' before you were allowed to play tennis-ball cricket in that by-lane with the rest of us. I, unfortunately, have not had the benefit of having a real grandpa around as my grandpops (both maternal & paternal) had passed away much before my parents got married. But all the same, never felt deprived of the grandfatherly guidance/support (as you have rightly put) because there were other grandfathers, like yours, around who staked a collective parental claim to all of us kids and ensured that we got the right inputs. Those days certainly moulded our minds/psyche (so to say) and gave us sound footing to lead our lives on. I, for sure, firmly believe that grandparents have a more lasting impact on children's lives than the parents themselves!

A touching heartfelt memoir.

Raja,How I hated that ritual at that point! You guys waiting for me to join for a game of cricket, and here I was told to do Surya namaskars! But all for the good, one realises now isn't it. Also that collective affection no longer exists, or does it?

If only there was a 'Like' button here… 🙂

Thought provoking. It's of relevance to all who have been grand-children themselves and are grandparents, or will be some day.

“Paying up at Gunpoint' – Its all in plain sight all the issues you've highlighted above but the inertia is incredible to get up & make a change. Today I cant voice my opinion publicly for fear of the repercussion it can have on my family back home but i totally agree about the situation in Manipur where politicians are filling their pockets & breeding the insurgents who have now lost their original cause(if there was any) & have become extortionists. Not a single family apart from the politicians perhaps have been spared from it. Too much time is wasted on the blame games & while those are on, nothing develops in these regions. Funny part is though everyone from the region will agree to all you pointed out, none of them will speak out. Short term money making is all that these groups can think about. no one wants to work & they expect 6 figured salaries without the effort. im sure if one works hard in the near future that will become a possibility. Its such a waste of a region. i dont live there anymore & even though i want to help in some way or other, the thought of the 'demanding' people puts me off completely. WHat the politicians dont see is that if they quit filling their pockets & start working towards the betterment & development of the region, there will be plenty to not only fill their pockets but everybody else's too with hard earned money. Thank you for putting this article back on your post. I for one will share it with all i know. Cheers

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The current DGMO has been viewed very much as a VK man and though nothing has been proved in the public domain, there is a cloud of suspicion regarding his role in the troop movements of 16/17th Jan.Every COAS likes to have his own men in key positions and more so in the DGMO position. So in moving Lt Gen Chowdhary, I dont think Gen BS is doing anything his predecessors havnt done. However the DGMO is a PSO -a quasi official level in between corps commanders in the field/DG's at AHQ and the Army Commanders. I could well understand him moving to another not so prominent a PSO position like QMG/MGO. But as your report says he's most likely heading East to take over an area- what are the options …101 Com Zone , Goc Bengal Area – the rest of the Army will see it as a demotion and a slap in the face of the General Officer.Maybe Gen BS knows more than us about Gen Choudhary and has got him by the short and curlies. Maybe he doesnt want to rake up the whole VK issue again and is putting Lt Gen Choudhary out to pasture. Otherwise any self respecting General Officer in this situation would resign.Look at the case of Lt Gen RK Kochhar who was a PSO as QMG in the late sixties and put in his papers when he was being posted as Corps Commander.There is definitely more than what meets the eye and we ,the public, look to investigative journalists like you to get us the answers.

Sunder,Since you know the military better than me, please tell me an instance where a senior officer in important posts such as DGMO, DGMI, Vice Chief or even QMG, or MGO been moved out barely eight months into their job?I can recall Lt. Gen DH Summanwar, then DGMI, being unceremoniously being packed off to Pune after then then Chief Gen JJ Singh refused to hold his hand over a trivial incident that had a verbal sanction from him. That time, the media had gone to town. Now, one factual report by me (without any garnishing) has got many veterans and serving officers upset. But I urge you to read the complete blog, particularly this portion:”While eyebrows may be raised over the downgrading of the current DGMO–if that happens–the Army Chief is well within his rights to choose his own team.Past Chiefs have brought in their own choices in crucial appointments.”Nowhere have I questioned the new chief's right to appoint his own men. So why this angst?I have said this earlier: I will fight the injustice meted out to the armed forces to the best of my ability but don't take away my right to question or comment on the armed forces.

Dear Nitin, I am a student from North East, passout of Sainik School and only recently gave up on my dreams and aspirations of joining Army, after not making the cut in NDA & IMA. I am dissapointed on not being able to join Army, however, my love for uniformed services has however not diminshed. I am part of modern youth, who are in touch with the world through news and analysis, available through many sites and blogs on net. I am now based in Delhi. What has hurt me based on the content of your blog is invocation of “Trivia” into the administration and postings of senior army officers. After going through your blog, it makes me wonder, if the reportage is a result of lack of juicy and spicy news. Well, what then is the “investigative journalist” left to report on, other than come out on stories trivialising the institution of army chief. Is the chief an interior designer, who is left with no other job but “re arrange the furniture” and interiors of his office after becoming chief? I am exasperated by such reports. I have always followed your blogs and articles. I also admired your reports on NDTV as balanced. You did a gr8 job during the General V K Singh's tenure. But now I am left to wonder, if it is “nostalgia” or the affliction of “stockholme syndrome” vis-a-vis your balanced reportage during general singh's period? A journalist should never be seen as part of any particular “camp”. This sort of below the belt reporting, suggests very much the same. It is difficult to comment on general Bikram's actions as he seems more focussed on running the army rather than addressing his army through media. The contrast of his tenure vis-a-vis his predecessor, in terms of media srutiny is quite distinct. Why not give the present chief a chance to function in the way he seems appropriate rather than functiong the way you deem fit, with the officers you think are right. Leprom Arobindo

Dear Arobindo,I am glad some one as young as you is keeping track of the goings on in the armed forces. That having said, I am afraid you haven't fully understood the function of the media. I am, by no stretch of imagination, an “investigative journalist,” as you seem to think. By nature, journalism is all about digging out facts and interpreting them and therefore has an in-built element of investigation.I want to ask: Why do you think this is “below the belt” reporting.” A DGMO is not an ordinary position. How many times have you heard DGMOs or for that matter PSOs being changed? There have been objections from Army HQ too to my report. But when I ask them to refute factual points in my blog, there is none forthcoming. If the Chief has the right to reshuffle his pack–as I have acknowledged in the blog itself–than don't take away my right to interpret the moves at the highest level.As for Stockholm syndrome vis-a-vis VK Singh, you will have to go back a little and realise that I have interviewed, written about and commented upon at least seven Chiefs across three services since 2006. If I was seen as part of one camp alone, as you seem to suggest, then as diverse personalities as Gens JJ Singh Deepak Kapoor and VK Singh, Adm Nirmal Verma, ACM SP Tyagi, FH Major and PV Naik would not have granted me interviews, not once but at least twice. Also when Gen VK Singh showed undue favours to his Rajput Regiment officers, I was the first one to point that out, for your information.The problem is: Armed Forces are too thin skinned and want only positive coverage ALL the time, which is not possible.That having said I can cite at least half a dozen detailed analyses/news items when Pulok Chatterjee took over as Principal Secy to PM. Or when Chidambaram took over as finance minister and changed the entire team of bureaucrats. Or more recently when Arup Patnaik was kicked upstairs as DGP in Maharashtra.The problem with members of armed forces is that most want write ups about themselves all right but only if they are flattering.So when we write about changes made by Chief XYZ in policy matters, nobody seems to mind since it shows the particular chief in good light. None of you commented when I took up the issue of OROP and NFU not even a month ago?But the moment a write up like this appears, people close to the powers that be are up in arms!Please learn to accept praise and criticism in equal measure.At the end of the day, postings of DGs in Army or the other two services is “not a matter of rearranging furniture,” as you seem to suggest. I will be happy to hear from you.Best

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Received immediate reaction on email from a friend who knows Army intimately. Here it is: Dear NitinApropos your article.The major reason for suicides in army is the detachment of offrs and JCOs from the affairs of the men in a steep hierarchy. Firstly there is acute shortage of offrs at the bottom of the pyramid. Next the lowering of age of COs has resulted in fewer offrs available in the unit. The steep chart to promotion to Colonels has resulted in stiff competition at the junior levels where people are more interested in ensuring safety of their careers based on getting good ACRs. The combined result makes them risk averse sycophants who put career interests above organisational goals thus marginalising the leadership module – something the army prided itself in.The AVSC report has done great injustice by lowering age of COs thereby putting immature and career oriented offrs at the helm. This is accentuated by acute shortages in unit. Together the two have vitiated the leadership environment in the units – the cutting edge. There are many more mutinies waiting to happen as the leadership paradigms are heavily stacked in favour of careerism rather than genuine leadership. This will adversely affect the warfighting potential of the army – when needed.

bulls eye

Another point out of view by my elder cousin retired Brigadier Sunil Gokhale who spent more than 35 years in the Army. His father too retired as a brigadier.Here is his response:Suicides in the Armed ForcesThe above mentioned problem has got considerable media attention, recently a newspaper gave out an agregate figure of suicides exceeding over one thousand in the last decade. An incident of a Jawan's suicide in one of the oldest and most decorated armoured regiment is also in the news. Suicides are a universal phenonmenon, . Suicides are caused by psychological stress, officers undergo a psychological test at the point of selection at the SSB, even then some officers have commited suicide (your mother's cousin brother late Maj Mukund Kanhere a paratrooper also commited suicide sometime around 1964 in Agra). As for jawans, they do not undergo psychological tests like officer candidates, thus the possibility of persons who may not be able to sustain psychological rigours of military life getting recruited is a certainity. Such persons may be more prone to be driven to this extyreme step.Suicides are generally attributable to failure of command and leadership, I feel this is not entirely correct, I have seen a jawan who came from a farmer family commit suicide after he came to know he had inherited a burden of agrarian debt exceeding Rs 6 lakh from his father who died of over consumption of alcohol. The jawan got himself insured from an unscrupolous insurance agent in his home town, reported back to unit and pulled the plug on his life, probably thinking his mother could claim insurance and clear the debt, this cannot be attributed to command failure. What I am trying to say is that suicides should be not hastily reported by the media for the sake of sensational news. Also the lack of psychological screening of jawans need to be addressed by the armed forces.

NFU status is affecting within the uniformed community itself. Coast Guard offrs who are part of Armed Forces are getting NFU status already.How can we have such a disparity within the uniformed class???

The training period of Army officers should be counted for NFFU, as it is counted in case of Group A officers, at least to begin with for parity.

Wonderful article and Eye Opener. Thanks

It really pains at this callousness. The comparison is also with Central Govt civilian employees. So argument of Col Kurup on comparison with para is not correct

@yogesh, The last HPC stated and it has been quoted by the UoI/MoD that it cannot agree with the Supreme Court judgment of 8/3/2010 because it will mean a payment of Rs 1623 crores as arrears to the Armed Forces officers. But the Govt paid Rs 50, 000 crores as loan waivers for farmers; Rs 600 to 5000 crores to Kalmadi and his cohorts; Rs 1,76, 000 crores of thereabouts to Karunanidhi and family; Rs 8000 crores to Kingfisher as equity from PSU banks.This HPC has only bureaucrats (people like Expenditure Secy who will not give a penny to the Armed Forces and will be supported by the Def secy) whereas they will gibe NFU just because one IAS officer is promoted as Jt Secy etc. There isn't a single Armed Forces officer on the Committee. So what justice does one expect?

I agree that the committee does not have a military rep but the service chiefs have pushed for one and hopefully when they meet next (most probably on 24th July) the chiefs will be more forceful.

May be we are missing bigger picture. Refer as under1. The Indian freedom in 1947 was a harbinger for a much bigger change. We saw three very big developmentsa) First time in the history of the last more than a thousand years, India got a predominantly Hindu Armed Force, as almost all Muslim soldiers of British Indian Armed Forces opted for Pakistan and the British soldiers went back to Britain. b) India became one big country, big enough to be pushed around. c) India embraced democracy2. Was it a just coincidence, or a Divine Intervention for a new beginning? The enemy sensed the trouble. The Islamic and Christian world could not accept the freedom to Hindus. They knew the predominantly Hindu “Indian Armed Forces” will be their biggest hurdle. 3. The marginalization of Indian Armed Forces since then can be easily concluded to be a part of some global conspiracy. Following may be relevanta) Indian Military Industrial Complex was never allowed to grow. We were only allowed to import weapons and not allowed to export.b) Indian military requirement was conveniently equated to Pakistan, so that we never prepare to counter bigger threats like China and remain small.c) What ever meager military strength we had, we were stretched to the limits in the name of “Aid to Civil Administration”d) Our Defence budget was kept well below even the minimum of 3% of GDP, especially when our immediate adversaries were spending more than 6% of their GDPs.e) Till date we do not have a proper “National Security Policy” document in place. f) Following figures reflect ratio of soldiers to the population for a few of the major countries. We need to augment our military strength at least three times. Shall we assume some powers want to keep it that way for their strange reasonsCountry No. of persons per soldierUSA 100Pakistan 200Russia 150China 300Sri Lanka 250India 1000g) The serving soldiers have been denied their fundamental right to vote since independence by creating bureaucratic hurdles.4. But bad luck to our enemies. The 9/11 attack on USA was the final game changer in favour of India. Before 9/11, Islamic terrorism was only targeted against India and Israel and rest of the world was not much concerned. The 9/11 attacks have brought in the specter of civilisational Conflict. Two most powerful religions, Islam and Christianity have come face to face, but should we breathe easy?

I agree with Mr Gokhale that we have deep grouse against these discrepancies and its TIME it is addressed as my own experience is the uniformed forces are the ultimate glue to keep the indian social fabric together against all odds otherwise coupled with Maoist menace disgruntlement in the Armed forces can put India to rupture. But want to assure everyone that there will be soldiers as in India it is better to be a soldier than to be a Beggar.

I agree with you absolutely.I hope corrective steps are taken

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Thanks for this post. However, you have missed the biggest disparity between the defence and armed police forces. The latter are allowed to resign at any time they choose. Not so the defence forces.Secondly, prior to 1939, two thirds of the foreign service officers were taken from the military and one third from the ICS. The world war created a shortage of military officers and this practice was stopped. It is time such a system is reintroduced.

commonwealth games….. get army. earthquakes…. get army. floods ….get army. PAY COMMISSION…… FORGET ARMY.

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I do not know Lt Col S Purohit, but i have a fair idea on how an intelligence organisation should function. The testimony of various senior officers on Col Purohit accessed by NDTV goes on to clearly bring out the fact that the officer indeed had the capability and inclination to undertake covert intelligence operation. Two disturbing issues emerge; firstly, how is it that a sensitive intelligence operation like penetrating hostile organisation can be undertaken without sufficient documentation so that when the cover is blown up by national level investigations there is no record with the MI hierarchy to establish the fact that the involvement emerging is indeed a deliberate one. secondly, if this is not true then how distanced the appraisal system is from ground realities where what is recorded in the appraisal process has no relevance toi the actual traits possessed by the officer??

But what was Lt Col Purohit upto by infiltrating home grown terrorist organisations? Is it a part of Army's role to attempt to thwart terrorists attempts by organisations like SIMI or Abhinav bharat? isn't that the RAW's job?

CG may have followed the SOP but what is intriguing is that there is no sign or talk of any debris. Can a boat with 4 men disappear without any trace? Nothing in/on the boat was buoyant? Not easy to digest.

Just out of curiosity, the Navy vessel took 8 hours to reach the spot. I understand the vessel was in a different sea/mission…but is this usual? wouldn't there be any other vessel closer? 8 hours appear long but I am may be wrong…

Completely agree

Well analysed

A CASE FOR AFSPAAFSPA is at the centre of a lot of debate with politicians (wanting to get votes from where ever they can ) and the bleeding heart liberals demanding it be amended / repealed . I served in the army from 1972 to 1992 . I was never posted in any of the areas which had a high level of insurgency so I cannot claim to have any knowledge of counter insurgency operations first hand. However I did get to see what a jawan has to go through as a member of the public. During the insurgency days in Punjab I had gone on leave and one day was travelling by bus from Barnala to Chandigarh with my father (a retired Lt Col) in the winter. The bus was halted just when it was about to enter Chandigarh and two armed CRPF jawans came into the bus looking for suspected terrorists, from their accent one could make out that they were South Indian boys . Now please put yourself in the shoes of those boys , you are entering a bus loaded with people who have covered themselves with blankets or quilts to protect themselves (jackets those days were not so common ), you do not know anyone in the bus and you do not understand their language . Any normal human in their position would be scared yet they searched everyone and most of the bags / suitcases, I too was searched so was my suitcase (I did not want to throw my rank so I did not reveal my identity to get exemption from the search). Now any of the passengers in the bus could have been a terrorist with a pistol concealed inside his blanket he could have shot both of them before either of them could have reacted as they were carrying SLRs, we all know how slow ones reaction can be with an SLR inside a crowded bus . Even if one of them had reacted the chances of someone other than the terrorists getting injured were quite bright. We send our jawans into areas where they know no one, do not understand the language with mostly obsolete weapons expect them to restore peace where the politicians have messed up but remove AFSPA and tie their hands behind their backs. I know collateral damage is a word that has been used so often that it sounds cruel and impersonal but in counterinsurgency it is a REALITY. The army and para military forces can only provide a semblance of peace for which they need the cover of AFSPA lasting peace is only possible when the politicians pull up their socks .If the politicians want the forces to clean up the mess they created stop this AFSPA debate else pull us out of the area and clear the mess yourself . We joined the army to fight the enemy not our own countrymen who have become misguided/disgruntled due to the acts of omission/ commission of the politicians . This Abdullah family has been power for most of the time in J&K and now at the time of elections the only issue that Omar can think of is AFSPA what about issues that are in his domain like communal harmony , education, corruption & development .

India dare not repeal AFSPA until it has a fit for purpose Police, Administration, Constitution and laws. i.e. never.

If the civilian bureaucracy has indeed started calling for files from service officers, it is a welcome change from our times when we were constrained to chase them down to desk officers. But true empowerment will only come if authority and accountability come together with the services and separate 'silos' vanish once for all. But the big question is, will the affected bureaucracy really permit such changes? A case in point is OROP. After months of approval by the government, it still awaits implementation and the notification is nowhere on the horizon.Maj Gen SS Chohan (Retd)

PROXIMTY OF CHINESE ROADS NEAR OUR BORDERS INDICATES THEIR INTENTION. THEIR BONHOMIE WITH PAKISTAN, PERHAPS INDICATES THEIR INTENTION TO HAND OVER KASHMIR TO THEM AFTER INVASION. BUREAUCRATS DURING THE YEARS FRO 1971 TILL DATE WHO HAVE BLOCKED EQUIPPING THE SERVICES SHOULD BE HANGED IN CASE of this EVENTUALITY, AS WELL AS THE NETAs

I only hope Mr Rajat understands the meaning of “lean and mean”. It implies a far bigger defence budget in respect of arms, ammunition and equipment for at least a decade before the country can even contemplate reduction in man power. And who is there to answer for making India eternally import dependent if not the cosy club of politicians and bureaucrats who have allowed the DRDO to continue digesting big budgets without showing any results? China started far behind but is now an emerging leader in defence equipment as well.Armed forces are the instruments of last resort for this country. They have been consistently used to plug the crises created through policy mis-handling and non accountability that defines all spheres of functionality in this country. So please think twice before you blame the brass for demanding ever bigger budgets without restructuring to cut down on man power that is employed in every corner of India to bridge the gaping non-functionality gaps of other organs of the state.

Very well summarised article with Pakistan having been 'spoiled' by the last Indian governments since 1989 Kashmir insurgency, especially after the UPA regimes where MMS has little or no idea on the historical or political backgrounds between India-Pakistan, as rightly pointed out, Pakistan had taken India, not only for granted but humiliatingly infringing regular set of moral and physical injuries with impunity. Narendra Modi has certainly reversed it without fail. MMS caused the maximum damage with a last knell and it made the task of Modi more difficult. But Modi has still done his best master stroke and has silenced even his worst critics with few exceptions to the rule. Unfortunately, Pakistan is totally converted into a fully mini-ISIS State that has many Islamists backing her. Hence it's going to take a bit of time before Pak comes to terms wioth the changing scenario. Last word, monster is a monster and its treachery can only be expected to end with it. Long term prospects of Pakistan and with no malice but with a calculated prediction, the next WW III is going to usher in soon. It will or may be fought on the coffin of aggressive religion button.

Indeed a great man. RIP.

Nitin…appreciate your correct spelling and thereby pronunciation of Chumur. Incorrect spelling doesn’t just make reporters look sloppy, it also raises doubts about the accuracy of the other information in the report. I know there are bigger issues of concern right now in Chumur and Demchok but at least its a breath of fresh air knowing that a major Indian news media has got it right compared to others.

leh and laddak has long been neglected by the state and central govt. its high time both the govt give what is due to the docile and honest people of this region.

Mr Bhatia there are memorials of many politicians who have looted the country first ask for their demolition . Too scared, so easy to go after the soldier who can not harm you .

Well articulated. Many including civilians have called me to say Bhatia's piece was resentful, blasphemous and anti-national. You would be able to say why TOI should have published it without a counter view. If you permit we will publish yours in IMR.

This is an unfortunate fallout of a Nation engaged in making money, secure in its security. We are three generation soldiers and have been content that the children who gambol on Rajpath swards do so because of the soldier's steadfastness

This Mr Bhatia should be made Home Guard for couple of dys and made to stand at Chauraha to realise the value of Uniformed people. And if he is detailed to spend couple of days along the borders of country, he will keep leaking in his pants for life time and collapse due to dehydration.

Mr Bhatia, take a walk & in case you have some courage spend a week (not more) in any field location and share some “quality” time with the men. Unfortunate that so called “educated” people, arm chair journos pen crap and get media bytes.Mr Bhatia I pity you!Nitin you did a wonderful job of penning the angst and issues that plague the men in uniform today. Well written and articulate.Having donned the uniform for over 25 years I proudly proclaim “privileged to have served the nation”. As for Mr Bhatia – he forgets “the nation that does not respect its men in uniform; soon ceases to be a nation”

If there is wrong thinking intellectual but there are right thinking intellectual too is distinctly visible form the above review article-Thanks to Mr Nitin for his in-depth clear review of the article of senseless written by Mr Bhatia who should not withdraw his article but tender a public apology to the hurt soldiers.

Well written. Hope BJP govt gives Indian army its due

Wonderful write up, sir. Looking forward to the programme on TV.

Nice, evocative blog posting..it's coincidental that you posted this on the exact anniversary of Rezang La (5th Aug)

Awesome. Nitin, last night Sony ran a feature on the genius of RD.. it was a great tribute.Also, we got some of the most memorable numbers from the combination of RD and Gulzar..

India's INS vikramaditya is really a powerful gem for Indian Navy, was really felt happy when it was included into the navy in Jan'14, Indians must be proud of INS Vikramaditya. I read here that it is equipped with 234 new hull sections constructed using 2,500t of steel. It has an overall length of 284m, a maximum beam of 60m, height of about 60m and a displacement of 44,500t. Go Indian Navy Go … I hope Indian Navy will get more these kind of Aircraft carriers in coming Future ….

ultimate pics…

Enjoyed every moment of the function and meeting old friends. Met you too. Am on the first chapter but will really plough through when on a flight to Bangalore on Tuesday.

Thanks. NG. I can't wait to relive a bit of my past there through your words! Eagerly waiting for the release.

Ditto that. Also, will this not set a precedence for the other and future Chiefs while the babus remain unaccountable.

In complete agreement with Vikram Karve.

What Admiral Joshi has displayed is actual courage of conviction expected out of true leader. Though, not directly involved the Naval Chief has taken upon himself the responsibility of mishaps as head of Indian Navy. I salute such leaders and wish our Armed forces are able to groom, nurture and promote such officers to higher ranks. In sharp contrast, Kargil happened a Brigadier was fixed, and very recently the beheading of soldiers on the LC did not draw similar response from military leadership. This only raises questions on the ability of senior hierarchy to share responsibility rather than making junior commanders the scapegoat. In the instant incident, why is the Western naval Command head continues to watch the show, hoping like hell that his seniority will automatically push him up? Politicians and bureaucrats are the way they are because of inadequacies in higher defence management and the meekness with which the military hierarchy deals with them. Till the time the military hierarchy learns to stand up and confront politicians and bureaucrats the situation albeit will remain the same. The kid glove handling of bureaucrats by military hierarchy under the garb of civilian control has got stretched to far. What stops a Chief to seek regular meetings and attention from the so called Political Masters for the sake of forces and go down fighting, if needed? The problem lies within. Its fine to cry out loud after demitting office, but not do so, while in office is the biggest dis-service senior defence hierarchy can also be accused of? Indian Defence hierarchy probably needs many Admiral DK Joshi's to clean up the mess our politician + bureaucrat's and successive Govts have created in the management of Defence Forces.

As brought out by Nitin, the Defence Secretary is responsible for the defence of India. He has “outsourced” that responsibility to the three Chief's. So if anything goes wrong blame it on the Service Chief's, 'cause the Def Secy is only distributing responsibility – not taking on any responsibility. So convenient.

NFFU is the essence of things if OROP is to be implemented in totality.there are other issues that should crop up: (a) inclusion of training period as service (b) enhancement of retiring ageIn fact Armed Forces community should be treated at par with Minority Community & given due benefits

Very true sir… very nuanced.

Looking forward to this book!

I hope the feedback and inputs have been obtained from the people who scaled the glacier through heavy fire of enemies. Some of those brave soldiers and the officers are still around though not known by anyone

What a mad time it was. The Nation in frenzy against the most loyal and patriotic community. Mine is a divided family which saw the madness of Partition; yet both my father and me have had the greatest friends from the Sikh community and I continue to value their friendship to the day. There cannot be more loyal and loving friends. Yet, what madness befell that they of all people had to be victimized. Army officers every where made valiant efforts to save their Sikh friends. Our regrets and misfortune that so many of them suffered. What satisfaction rioters get from targeting innocent people not remotely connected with any act of violence is something no psychologist appears to be able to explain.

Anti Sikh Riots were worse than Godhra

That year was one of the darkest in our history. In Oct-Nov 1984 I was attending the Senior Command course at College of Combat in Mhow. After Indira Gandhi's assassination we were quarantined within the premises and Mhow town was placed out of bounds. On 31Oct-01Nov, in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, we all could sense a distinct chasm within the Officers Mess. While most of us somberly watched Doordarshan, which was ceaselessly beaming visuals of the late PM's funeral arrangements, her role in creation of Bangladesh etc, there was a smaller group at the Bar, seemingly unconcerned and even boisterous that is so typical at any Fauji Bar. Around 02 Nov onwards when news started trickling in through BBC and other channels, the mood turned gloomy all around. Lack of any authentic news was exacerbating our anguish and helplessness. There was a sullen silence all around, with everyone keeping one's thoughts to oneself in that hyper-sensitive situation. Many of us actually wept that night with a mixed feeling of pain, anger, and disgust at the turn of events and their far-reaching consequences for the country. That night I penned the following few lines, which reflected my anguish, confusion, and despair. I must be too naïve, Not to understand,Why a mother must die, For reproaching an errant child.I must be too naïve, Not to realize,Each era leads its Christ to the Cross, Or a Socrates to the hemlock,Always they have paid the price, In trying to reform the misguided, By shedding their very lifeblood. I must be too naïve,Not to appreciate,Adorning of a mother’s bier, With many an innocent’s severed head.Offerings of their tears and blood, Like incense on the funeral fire.Tribute of her zealous sons, To her cherished ideals. I must be too naïve, Not to know,That religions get sustenance, Through narrow beliefs and hatred.How else can they flourish? Save by turning the sane into fanatic zealots. How many more, How much longer,Must we endure these Holy wars?If religion itself has turned a curse,Then into the Heaven of atheism, Father,Let our country awake.

Tragic reckless and inhumane reaction .

I think a lot has been written about the awards. But hardly anyone talked about the honorary ranks given to JCOs and NCOs. That is also a reward for distinguished service and these are also awarded on Republic Day and Independence Day. I think given a chance to choose, JCOs and NCOs will choose honorary commissions in place of distinguished medals because of monetary benefits. Hence it is wrong to say that only officers are awarded. As for as distinguished medals for senior officers are concerned, in my opinion they should not be given to army commanders and PSOs at Army HQ.

There are two issues here1. Awards being related to rank – Why should PBOR be limited to commendation cards and hony commissions. Also why should an act of exceptional service in peace time by say a Maj not be considered for an AVSM? The 3 examples quoted by Col Prakash are the exceptions rather than the rule. If wartime decorations are open to all ranks then shouldnt also peace time decorations ?2. If 63% of serving Lt Gens were awarded the PVSM/AVSM/UYSM, that means they delivered service of a “most exceptional/exceptional order”. Either the qualifying criteria for these awards is too low if over 60% were the exceptions (sic) or these awards are just being distributed as “retirement gongs” -the latter being the most likely. In fact today if by the time you retire as a Lt Gen and you don’t have a PVSM behind your name ,you in all probability would have rubbed up the COAS /Army Commander the wrong way somewhere down the line.We need a review of the whole system of peacetime decorations for all ranks.

I think a very legitimate point has been made by the gentleman concerned and Nitin. It is extremely funny that every CinC and Chief gets a distinguished service award and there are no cribs and murmurs since every senior officer knows that his turn will come! And MoD and hierarchy uses these to keep the tongues hanging out for those in the queue. The same thing applies for Senior guys taking diplomatic assignments after retirement-those are nothing but sinecures for questions not asked and for being compliant with various schemes of MoD! Navy seems to specialise in these.And the shame of it all is these gentlemen are most vocal in Services get together about bureaucrats cornering post retirement assignment without looking inward.I THINK THAT TIME HAS COME TO STOP THESE AWARDS TO THREE STARS AND ABOVE. THAT WILL ACT TO STOP THIS SHAM.

Dear Nitin,First let me complement you on picking up yet another cause that is inflicting heavy penalty on our defence forces. I am equally anguished at the trend that has crept into our Armed Forces, which seem to have been borrowed straight from our inept politicians. Though I tend to agree with the views of XXXX, a retired senior officer, but am little perplexed at his reasons to remain anonymous. The retired senior officer precisely reflects the problem of Indian Defence Forces.. While in service the senior officers never oppose, resist or give a counterview, but once out of the service they are the first one's to red flag all the ills. Why this malice is not seen or experienced by them while in service? The issue seem to be bigger. Maybe, the right potential based on merit is not being allowed to grow within the defence forces? The weakest link in the defence forces today is lack of right and competent generalship. If the leadership is strong/competent such incidents can never happen after all every senior officer was once the junior most also.

Dear Nitin,A point to be highlighted here is that of the Five Soldiers who died in South SUdan in Ambush but were not awarded with anything at All…

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Dear Nitin,Dear Nitin,Super piece and dialogue – it does seem so meaningless now! Don't they get retirement benefits because of some of these awards? Col (retd) Gopal Karunakaran

ANOTHER ONE FROM RECENTLY RETIRED TWO-STAR OFFICERIs Army being served by only senior officers, from air conditioned rooms or by all ranks of units deployed for various tasks. Names in the list of Honours and Awards every year, give a total different perspective on this issue. Are the senior officers awarding each other for covering each other or make internal environment to eliminate resistance?No doubt it is not so at the rank of Colonel and below. In fact very many deserving cases are left out at each level of command. Why PVSM, AVSM are only meant for General Officer's? Army needs to examine these issues and correct itself. But Will it do it?

Every Commander should ensure that his subordinate is rewarded for their exceptional work.That should be his ultimate award.

There are two issues here1. Awards being related to rank – Why should PBOR be limited to commendation cards and hony commissions. Also why should an act of exceptional service in peace time by say a Maj not be considered for an AVSM? The 3 examples quoted by Col Prakash are the exceptions rather than the rule. If wartime decorations are open to all ranks then shouldnt also peace time decorations ?2. If 63% of serving Lt Gens were awarded the PVSM/AVSM/UYSM, that means they delivered service of a “most exceptional/exceptional order”. Either the qualifying criteria for these awards is too low if over 60% were the exceptions (sic) or these awards are just being distributed as “retirement gongs” -the latter being the most likely. In fact today if by the time you retire as a Lt Gen and you don’t have a PVSM behind your name ,you in all probability would have rubbed up the COAS /Army Commander the wrong way somewhere down the line.We need a review of the whole system of peacetime decorations for all ranks.

Nice to see a detailed article on nffu from someone who understands defence services. I wish that people like yourself do this timely snd more often to force those who matter to take a realistic view. It is surprising that there is no transparency even in the matters of pay as regards defence services.

The Day is coming Pak Army have no choice but to go on Offensive against US NATO thugs Killers Terrorist as they are Financing Pakistani Tehreik -e- Taliban and BLA Baluchistan Liberation ArmyWhite KKK Imperialist Crusaders are on Rampage against Muslims of Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and soon IranMuslims must realize that American KKK Nazi Imperialist Crusaders and their Black House Niggers Liars e.g. Obama Liar have only one solution…….Hard Ball Pak fauj with them as If they Live with Sword so they Die with Sword, today saying will be if you finance Terrorism then you die with Terrorist Bombs!

India's relationship with US is More of a Buyer-Seller than of a Strategic One..What I perceived is over last 10 years all the energy of New Delhi was to Chase an not so sure Relationship with US..than to strengthen & develop its Foreign policy . In hurry to Pacify US led western Community india had done many strategic blunders that is costing & will cost India Dearer in near future…a Country craving for Regional Power status should first of all Bring Clarity it's Foreign policy..but India's foreign policy is more on Whims & Charms of Politicians and Political parties than on Facts & ground Realities..India virtually gave up its firm hold on SriLanka,Maldives,Bhutan,Nepal,Bangladesh & Myanmar……..Coming years it will be very difficult to sense the direction of Moves made by these Countries …For or against India..One thing is for Sure…China was Millitarily out of Sight of in Indian Ocean region ..but with the sell of Submarines to Bangladesh & further high tech weapons to IOR countries & Significantly funding vital Projects there..never expect any strong Anti China Move from these states…They rather prefer to stay neutral anyway…US will not confront China because majority of US market depends on China for its cheap delivery of Products……any off with China will create substantial loss to US economically…So Pivot Asia was only to keep track on China’s Military Move. .While using India as a Pawn…..

indian political class has been reluctant to give indian armed forces its due share,sometimes making a dent in its prestige.NEED of the hour is better co-ordination among political executive,civilian officers and military staff.excellent piece,hope to see many more

The Indian government has never understood the importance of a strong defence force. We have lost precious years in making up our minds to equip our forces. It has not only cost the nation dearly but we have lagged behind. Any two penny student of Military History will tell you that with one strike corps you stand No chance of posing a threat, given the length of the IB with China or LC with PAK,How does this give us more than one option? How does this help us to tackle both Pak & China? We must feel proud that a new corps is being raised, but we must unerstand , since it is too late it is too little!

TOO GOOD , WE NEED TO LET ARMY DO ITS JOB , THEY CANNOT GIVE RUNNING COMMENTARY . MEDIA CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS ARMYS WORK ON GROUND AND THERE DAY TO DAY ISSUES AND CHHALLENGES

I agree 100%. Let us not forget that during 26/11 more damage was caused by media with their live telecast. It seems that the media has not yet learnt.

Could not agree more, Nitin. A badly needed counter point to the half baked analysis by pseudo defence know alls and the more sinister – deliberately inserted – canards floating around. Nicely put.

Dear Nitin,If I am not wrong, your father too has served in the forces. As far my family is concerned, we have 4th generation serving Indian Army. Greatest regret my father carried of 1962 war was that he could not die with his men. That war & reports later jolted his conscience. In Indian army's greatest moment of glory at Haji Peer, he felt the same disgust towards peaceniks & chatteratti who ignore the sacrifices made to secure Indians.Same journos never have questioned the logic of returning Haji peer or not altering the LOC to suit ourselves at the bare minimum in 1971.Thank you for humane coverage. My two brothers and a nephew guards the borders of this country.

The solution here too is to to make a Military Confrontation in this sector Internationally and Domestically untenable…….Unfortunately Indian National Policy makers need to understand it and act in Sync with the Def Est in the area. The mil equation is skewed in favour of the stronger mil – in this case China. So the answer lies in answering the question ` How do we make an Offensive in this sector (which is devoid of Insurgency and Terrorist activity) Internationally ad Domestically Untenable? There are a number of alternatives…….again it is not Rocket Science…….the real test is whether we can think them through, act them quick and execute them well. the answer to `Hide your Strength, Bide your Time' lies in another saying `Show your strength, Time your Tide'…!

I will be honoured Zahl! Look Forward!

LOOK FORWARD FOR THE BOOK. PLEASE CHOOSE PUNE FOR THE BOOK RELEASE.

well in d case of navy or d AF offr men interaction is very limited.. u meet over work n dats it.. whereas in d army u r wid your boys 24*7.. u live wid them, eat wid them b out on ambushes n patrols wid dem.. wen u spend so much time together sometimes difference of opinion is bound 2 b there… but overall d offr n men relation is great.. in fact this is something wich AF and navy offrs r even jealous of 🙂

After independence Army has not changed ,it is following old British customs and traditions we need to transform our Army to a national army imbibing our culture and our values.With the explosion of human consciousness ,Jawans are more aware and enlightened. Thr calibre of officers is steadily going down,they are career oriented, materialistic and nurse a feeling that they are shoddily treated by government as compared to bureaucrats .Yes, the family problems of officers and Jawans are the same now, Jaeans by virtue of being posted away are handicapped in protecting their rights back at home . Life styles have undergone a change too, all these factors create a feeling of inadequacy among Jwans which result in such behavior . Plight of veterans too is disheartening factor for the serving soldiers.

Media in consultation with Army can play a big role in restoring respect for the soldier in the society as they have to pick the blame for spoiling it due to their “breaking news” hungry attitude which has damaged both the social and emotional aspects of a soldiers life.This must be controlled even if it means taming the media under the rule of law.

Thanks Gokhale saheb,Have taken liberty of not only Tweeting the total passage but have tweeted your selected portions also.A very good article & army/Min of dense can Learn some Imp lessons from here. samarjeet narayan

An old soldier once quipped “I am comfortable with Fore-Sight and Backsight of my gun………so do not bother me with Insight and Hindsight….!”The genesis of these turn of events lie in three issues – none of which are being given more than lip service . The first is following laid down and traditional Unit Routine & Trg. The sys as a whole has got so used to attempting to impress everyone by doing Abnormal Things (…and rewarding those who do everything other than their job!) that it has forgotten that True Professionalism is “Doing Normal Things…. Abnormally Well”. What is probably more worrying is that the trend continues………The second issue is the shortage of `Good' Officers. We are so engrossed with the issue of shortage of Officers that we have chosen to side-step the core issue – the shortage of `Good' Officers. So systemic changes and actions which would ensure that atleast the existing officers get groomed & trained to be `Good' has been consistently been overlooked. What we have instead done is outsourced the task to the CO – who w/o adequate offrs of the requisite seniority and capability (remember all the competent, qualified offrs of worthwhile seniority are sitting in fmns pushing files) can actually do little. Imagine our plight where we feel a competent offr is by Qr more essential in the fmn then in the unit. What is surprising is that systemically it has been covered up by stating that it is for optimum career growth of offrs. Can one think of another org that places indl growth above Org well being? …..and would it not be right if this message that indl growth is more imp that Org well being is absorbed & Digested by all offrs in the sys! …..Then why blame them if the thirst after coveted appts and promotions…..that is what you taught them is'nt it!The third is the inability to select and train Junior Leaders – and then to instill responsibility and accountability in them – to make up for the shortfall of Offrs. It would not require rocket science to understand that QR and Seniority (the present mode of selecting Junior leaders) only leads to re-inforcing mediocrity. The failure to change to Merit-cum-seniority at least at the point of selection to JCO rank is most intriguing. How could you have a bulk of your Jr Ldrs selected on such mediocre criterea and expect them to suddenly become responsible and accountable – once again leaving the CO to do the grooming?Unfortunately these things require 'real work' to get done – who has the time or the inclination when i am only interested in my tenure…..?

Dear Nitin,Great article which puts things in perspective.Just my two cents – (a) Depsang Plains extend to both side of LAC. And PLA infrastructure is on Depsang Plains on their side of LAC. (b) There is a larger threat at play here – position of PLA 'incursion' not only threatens Indian access to Depsang Plains, they also threatens the surface link to DBO via Depsang La. PLA incursion is like a wedge which has the potential to interdicts the surface link from Burtse to DBO. This point needs to be highlighted. The inputs from IB officer in your article touch on this aspect. PLA managing to reach Shyok means DBO gone as well threat to Siachen from eastern flank via Saser La pass.Regards,

There is no explanation for arriving at this particular number. It could have been top 50 or even 100 but that's theadvantage of coming up with issues like this. Completely subjective. Beat.pk – Free Mp3 Download

There is also a need for the top echelons of the brass to introspect whether internal processes and mindsets have unintentionally aided and abetted the insincere and inimical machinations of outsiders in diluting the status of those in uniform.

Sad we have lost an honest, sincere and upright man in the prime of his life. He tried his best to get a good deal for the armed forces as regards OROP but was short changed by AJ. Nitin you are doing a great job by representing the Services view point in various fora. God bless Manohar Parrikar.

After reading ur article I feel even more sad that India has lost such a leader who had so much more to offer. Tragedy for our country. Om Shanti Parrikarji

Great captivating TRIBUTE I would say.

Great humble human.

Beautifully written, Nitin. I had just one chance to meet Parrikar ji in South Block and i have detailed that out on my FB last night. Few men make their impressions that stand the test of time. Manohar ji was one.

What a heart-warming write-up. Just the kind of shraddhanjali such a great, yet humble, soul deserves!

Huge fan of Mr Parrikar and I always read Nitin's columns and books and never miss his comments. Excellent tribute to a great man above all else the humility part.

One of the most heartfelt condolences one has read. You made me cry.

Sir envy the fact that you had an opportunity to interact and work with Parrikarji so closely. If a commoner like me who has never met him can feel remorse and void,can only imagine how you may feel.

A most befitting and worthy tribute to a unique personality whose outstanding intellectual and professional qualities were augmented by his amazing humility, humanity and patriotism.

Beautifully written… Can really salute enough the humility of Mr. Parrikar.

Manohar's sad demise is indeed a great loss for all of us. He was in touch with people from all walks of life. And this piece gives a good understanding and insight about a gentleman whom we seemed to known for years. Very well written!!!

Well said. Manohar Ji was very conscious of his responsibilities to the nation that he always wanted to deliver efficiently. He grew up in RSS and his nationalism was very deep. An honest RSS worker always keeps people's or nation's interest about all other interests.

Exceedingly well written article. Gives a glimpse of what India as a nation will miss out on going forward. IndiaI is so terribly infested by indiscipline at every level, Parrikar should have been active for at least a decade longer to try and straighten things. Now that he is gone, I worry about my country.

Beautifully expressed. India really needs Leaders like him. Thank you for the insight.

Sounds like my kind of man. Both of you. Much good can be achieved in this land of immeasurable talent if the right voices are allowed to speak, to write, to work their magic.Unfortunately, corridors of power in Delhi/MoD has a culture totally contrary to that. Here's hoping that will change. More power to you, Nitin. Parrikar is gone. Lot of work remains to be done.Please visit me @ https://kaypius.com. we can work out the rest.

To the point

Absolutely agree… I say this after having served in the military & now in an MNC. Even as I write this I have just concluded an audit of my team by an external team of auditors who do this for a living. Audits are a very effective method to review systems & the military needs one YESTERDAY

Nitin,I think the issue is being appreciated incorrectly by you and the youngster, in its entirety . Are you really holding the military heirarchy responsible for these terrorist strikes? What makes you think that their neutralization could have been done without any casualties. And, I am aghast that you mention some sort of an Audit? By whom–a mil court? the NSA ? a board of officers?? a parliamentary committee? an analytics Company? Is there a fault of military leadership that terrorist attacks take place or is it a national failure of our policies? Is the military having a free hand to retaliate across the border with the quantum of force to deter further such future misadventures?? Do you really think that there is a lack of good leadership in the military as compared to the 'good old days'?? I find it amazing that you say, “We knew that this Will happen” – – – of course we knew, the entire nation knew. So what do we do: have battalions, divisions and brigades lined up along a porous border line abreast?? A small band of determined suicide fiyadeen cannot be stopped. What can be done, is to ensure that they don't escape. Own casualties will be there and remember that the element of surprise is always with them.

well said. in today's scenario of ppl savy for social media can pick up his mobile and type anything. the guerilla warfare needs guerilla tac for success.

Timely and Apt. Read and Introspect. Particularly us veterans. There is a lot we don't always know.

Great push towards reason and wisdom, Nitin. I am myself fed up repudiating the rumour mongers. My c0mpliments. Gautam Banerjee

This clear understanding and command over operations both at strategic and tactical level can come only to people like Nitin who take pains to be in ground zero understanding the soldier,nuances of terrain,the enemy and the soldier.

one question that begs an answer this agitation is it really justified. when a genuine serious attempt at addressing their legitimate denmand is being made, shud they have not displayed more maturity &waited say 30 or60days? this demeans them & gives a feel of politicking.

Great & hats off to you.Hope some one from PMO reads this & put it up to the PM 🙂

we have been told this for 40 years

Eyeopening article. Plse send it to IESM which will provide them ammuntion to fight the Babus on MoD

You have studied the issue in depth. And those who have been examining it for all these years could not be too oblivious. After all, as you quote, CGDA ( which should know what it is talking about) has estimated only 0.85 increase annually. But CGDA has only limited role in implementation. The Babus in Finance ministry are smart, Why did Mr Jaitley, earmark such a small amount in previous budget ( was he sleep or did he prefer to be sleep) ?. It was all a game plan to engineer an argument of financial difficulty. And remember, this incremental Jaitley is there to stay – at least till Mr Modi had enough of him. So wait.

Thanks for writing the article with factual details. Why Modi government in centre or state government in Maharashtra is silent? Both belong to the same party. Why Shiv Sena, who otherwise vociferous in most of the matters is also silent? Their silence is intriguing.

A Win – Win solution to a knotty problem. IAF gets quality aircrafts in quicker time frame. Government gets to save money and block probability of corruption and MoD bureaucracy and HAL stymied. Great

Agree absolutely. In the meantime go for upgraded Sukhois Su -35

Do you know that Air Ch Mshl I H Latif started an insidious reservation policy in the IAF in 1978? Only Air Ch Mshl Fali Major has breached that reservation policy which states that to be appointed CAS you need to be AOC-in-C of WAC or SWAC or VCAS. No transport pilot or helicopter pilot is EVER appointed AOC-in-C WAC or SWAC. Today one Navigator air marshal has approached the AFT for justice as he has been denied promotion as AOC-in-C because he is well, a Navigator. Never mind his service record.Would you do an expose on this?

Totally disagree with your opinion. You have given wrong example of IAS/IPS/IRS. Tell me can you differentiate between IAS cadre of different state based on their nature of job or risk factor one posted in J&K and NE state with respect to other. Answer will be NO because both have same entry, same training. similarly all army officers have gone through same exam, same training in IMA/OTA. So they get equal opportunity. If you feel so strongly about so called fighting arms, then make separate entry and separate training for them. Then give whatever advantages you want to give. We all deviated from core issue that it should be given on pro rata basis without fighting who is more important than others. Else implement NFFU to all officers like IAS so that at least monetary all will be benefited if not given command or promotion. Its all about narrow mindset of selected arms.

Agree with Yogi. Inf and Arty should ask for additional allowances in name of risk involves. You will be surprise that every unit of Inf have 3-4 Offr from services in fd area as attachment.

The Price of Inequality ! Those who frame policies must read !If you sweep everything under the carpet, how long will it take for the carpet to be consumed by the girth ? Those who choose to make a portion of their family out of place shud not feel offended if it's no more referred to as HOME. The Inf has no qualms in handing over its men to a Services Officer in Battle Scenarios who has not even qualifies at the basic YOs course, today, it's crying over vacancies it usurped.You can't have it both ways.The Army Ord Corps tody has more number of Ashok Chakras than any Inf Regt.The essence of the anger and frustration of officers manning logistics and others lies in this 'Inequality'. Has our own Generals been mature enough, they wud have read the last 4 lines of Judgement which indicated that case should not have gone to SC. It's misplaced trust if u still trust these guys who have no qualms in treating their own creed differently.Why not simply ask for a Cadre-Restructure and make the services units like CMP, maint core-competence at the level of men, and 'spirit of inf' at the level of officers.Mark those words, if not for enough pressure, these guys will start going in for 'Regt-Wise' parchi.Much many than ordinary Rajput Bns were moved to a particular Comd just to ensure HC to their COs, not to mention small favors like Demo-Bn at AWC where they improve course-Gradings. In SiaChen, the Inf only provides 10 offrs, rest 17,14,12 (Northern,Central and Southern Glacier) comes from OAS.50% of the officers in Northern Comd carrying out duties of Inf Offrs in Inf Units/ RR Bns and fmns are OAS offrs.Kengurese, Kalia and Saurabh were all ASC Officers, who laid down their life in Op Vijay.Ata Hasnain has made a few noises, he has a habit of toying the middle-path est his credence as a man with solutions, he ain't bad but better than most other inf-lot who feel they are the first and last of Mohicans to fight on behalf of Countrymen 24*7.Since he has spoken of Tral, let's go by data. Tral is with 42 RR which lost a CO, the prev 2 Offr-casualities were Capt Sharma (Fatal-Signals), Maj Anil Gulia (Non-Fatal; Head Shot GSW).Now is that Inf officer's 'singular' contribution !The disparity doesn't end here !Why shud a section of officers wait for 3 yrs ?Why shud a section usurp 80% of UN Vacancies ? Why shudnt 'logistics cadre officers' get 'logistics' vacancies in UN ?Why shudnt you take an MTO to UN just like in RR, both are peace-keeping operations.Why is inf using OAS Offrs in inf ops then ?That too to the extent of 50% in Northern Comd where the entire action is, and then eat-away their vacancies in promotions, UN and Staff ?The attachment of officers, which began as a method to sensitise the Services Offrs about the needs of frontline, is now a mechanism to park vacancies for inf.If you need more in Inf, put them in Inf, why recall an Offr from Mid-Career when you made him undergo his YOs at 3.5 yrs of service, then you recall him for an RR tenure again at 7-9 yrs o service.As of now, an ASC officer is the most 'Fired-Upon' officer of 98 batch, ranging from bullets experienced on LC and RR, then you tell him that he will have to wait for 3 yrs and with 21% chances for next rank ? The Original Favouritism was obviously promulgated by The Armd Corps, whereby a GOC declared that all YOs will be graded 'Outstandig'. it's now paying all price with most of them fearing their own men.'The Price of InEquality' is too huge !Will the Paidal Sainiks please understand ?

Agree with the author. Inf Offr and OAS offrs cannot ask for equal perks and privileges. Inf offr fights ahead and rest others are to support Inf. Hence Inf should get more perks and privileges and hence OAS officers should not do inf attachment, should not do RR/AR and should always support Inf and not fight from front. In a media house a technician is never asked to do makeup and stand in front of the camera. If that is the Army we want then I fully agree with the author.

how true

A very pertinent analysis

Hi Nitin.
Congratulations on starting – BharatShakti.in. The issues you have raised with Hon’ble RM are of priority concern. We are happy to note that he has addressed them with vision, clarity, time bound priority and achievable action plan. Now all the stake holders have to operate with transparency and accountability. We sincerely hope they do! RM certainly needs periodical feed back on performers and bottlenecks.
May I suggest the following for consideration by your portal in your future interactions;
1. Restructuring MoD with Serving Officers from three services integral for policy and decision making!
2. Permanent inclusion of Security experts and NSA representatives in the Niti Ayog Planning cell.
3. Revisit Arms & Ammo production policies to include – Exporting of combat and non combat equipment to other countries .
Lt Gen V M Patil( Retired)

Congratulations Nitin. Your interview with the RM has focused on all relevant issues and I am very impressed by his clarity and understanding of the complex acquisition process. Lets hope he is successful in streamlining the Defense acquisition procedure and manages to fill existing voids at the earliest. My best wishes to you and your team at BharatShakti.in.

Firstly, congratulations to Mr. Gokhale on his exclusive interview with our Raksha Mantri, Mr. Parrikar. The interview indeed made for fascinating reading and it is heartening to note that we finally have a Defence Minister who has got his priorities right .

As a concerned citizen, one was alarmed by the almost unending reports in the media on the gaping holes in India’s defence preparedness during the UPA government’s (and Mr. Antony’s!) infamous tenure.

In contrast, Mr. Parrikar’s well-articulated plans to plug these gaps are very reassuring.

Notwithstanding his plans for big ticket acquisitions like the Rafale, submarines etc. I’d be very interested to know why the Indian Army has cancelled trials for assault rifles and gone back to testing the DRDO’s Excalibur. According to the information available in the public domain, some of the biggest gun manufacturers like Beretta, SIG Sauer, Ceska were in the race. The DRDO hasn’t exactly covered itself with glory with the INSAS series. So, this cancellation appears to be a very retrograde step. The most affected will be the infantry soldier, who is the country’s first line of defence, and the most neglected. Planes and submarines come much later in the event of a conflict!

Greetings to Bharatshakti! Kudos for the RM interview.
I have been reading for long that the acquisition process is too complex for layperson to understand etc.
The RM instead has been able to set an outline of how the whole system operates within the MoD without resorting to cover of “secrecy” that was used earlier to serve petty interests. Thank you!

Thanks

A Very good beginning.This interview with the RM should be a periodic exercise, may be once a year so that we can learn what progress has been made on the issues taken up for implementation by the Defence Ministry. Well done Mr. Nitin Gokhale.

As it appears, the CDS will be just a little more than the present CISC. AS the Chairman of the COSC, he may wield some authority, but if he primus inter pares, that too will be marginal. Creating a CDS to just look at what the HQ IDS does presently, would devalue that designation – if the CDS is to be what he should be, he has to be the single-point operational authority which means that the Int and Ops functions of all there services should be placed under him. I don’t see any of the Chiefs allowing that to happen – one way of getting that done is through legislation but that in our case seems highly unlikely. It would also require a thorough re-structuring of th MoD which the bureaucrats wont let happen. Hence creating a CDS will yield little usefulness other than one more 4-star vacancy getting created. If he is designated the permanent Chairman COSC with no authority over operations or readiness or intelligence, how would that change the current structure in any way ?

Excellent piece Nitin!

Hi Nitin

I can see that you mentioned missiles package of Meteor and Scalp and also mention in one of your tweets that the tital weapons package is 750 million Euro. Can you add any details on the number of these missiles and apart from these two missiles is there any thing else that comes in weapons package?

all these logics are nothing but garbage.lt general bakshi was the senior most and should have been made the army chief.

Seniority was one of the cardinal principles followed till Mrs. Gandhi hijacked it in 1983 and the price the country had to pay everybody knows i.e. the Punjab problem. Once the contenders for the top post comes to know that seniority is not the criteria, then they will also lobby with the powers to be and our Army which till is apolitical will see a sea change which will have a direct impact on the fighting spirit. At least from our past mistakes we should learn. Had Lt. Gen. Sinha been appointed the COAS he had advocated a political solution to the Punjab issue.

Nitin nothing can be more nearer to the truth as brought out clearly in ur article. The article is very thorough and dispassionately brings out all that has been done by Mr Parrikar in his short but qualitative tenure.

I’m sure Nitin, you are doing great justice to all your new avataar as an author and a trainer, both are impossible without being a good researcher. Looking forward to many such articles from you. Congratulations and good luck

Dignity for veterans – forget it!

In the shrill debates of the TV the reality is the casualty. This article has brought out the reality of the ground situation into public domain by the brilliance of its analysis and the depth of coverage

Excellent analysis, thanks

Agree that govt wants to be among top five defence n space manufacturers and the policy (draft) is a leap of faith. How will govt turnaround the mindset well entrenched in OFBs, DPS Us and mainly HAL (Who is defaulting on a simple Tejas delivery despite best efforts fm govt) will be the key.

Also there are committed people in DRDO but not all are that way. If defence R & D is going to be purely DRDO baby and that R & Dis the feeder for Defence production, except few labs who can deliver, govt should forget its target date.

Overall, with new policy, new strategy and a brand new set up for production, may be with private sector, seem to be a way out is 2025 is sacrosanct.

However, one should be always optimistic despite overall pessimism around you. Let’s hope we meet the ambitious target.

The government of Seychelles is a minority government and the agreement was voted against by the majority opposition party in Parliament. The people of Seychelles is demanding a referendum on this issue of Assumption Indian Military Base under the guise of a Seychelles Coast Guard Base. The people of Seychelles is well aware of this guise. The government is playing deaf because they know it will lose in a vote by the people on the issue.

Govt down to jco rank in India army only one rank sepoy , nk , Hav, chm,,bhm not rank require jco

Mahoba

Any foreign military sales policy will have to contend with the notorious NEGATIVE LIST of countries barred from Indian defence equipment sales

Have no comments for weird, hare-brained schemes, which work against the high-values & traditions of the hallowed institution of the Army; built over centuries and eventually against the defence & security of our nation!
Better abolish rank of General & Post of Army Chief!

Dear Author,
The info provided by you is classified and not supposed to be put on open media. You can be charged under official secret act for putting detail orbat of Indian army. I am sure eyohr source must be some irresponsible, corrupt army man who gave you these classified info in return of few bucks. Your source should be tried for TREASON and you for abetting it.

A very crisp and insightful write up on CDS. It was a long time requirement of the armed forces and for a militarily strong nation which hopefully will be met now. Kudos to Nitin A Gokhale for well analysed article

The post of CDS is unlikely to have a major strategic paradigm shift in the functioning of three services. The foundations of tri services cooperation &synergy are laid at the NDA during training & the Services Chiefs are all ex NDA officers who as it is enjoy a comraedire resulting in full tri service cooperation during an external or internal conflict as was evident in Kargil War & recent Balakote strike.
The creation of CDS will bring in its wake only an increased inter service rivalry & respective Chiefs are not likely to brook any interference in their functioning. Besides the all pervading mistrust &rivalry between the Services & the bureaucracy is likely to further increase giving rise to functional & administrative difficulties. The Govt seems to be taking hasty decisions with an eye on political dividends rather on the efficacy & desirability of its actions in a true & logical manner.

Nitin ji , would wish you do some more research on the subject . Would invite you to detailed discussions as I have dealt this very closely to bring defence Production in India to a global player while persuing MPhil at NDC

Monopoly Supply:- Normal products available in market should not be compared to defence products. OFB is special establishment for exclusively manufacturing defence products. So, Monopoly word should never be used.

High cost:- There is one more establishment called CFA( finance and accounts division). If cost is more this establsiment should be closed first before Ordnance factories as they are not properly auditing and not implementing cost cutting measures.

Quality Issues: CQA is the establishment responsible for Quality. Make them responsible for low quality and close it first.

Lack of Innovation: what CVRDE and DRDO are doing? OFB is a manufacturing unit asper proved design and model. Whether OFB is responsible for Innovation? how? It is to be noted that scientists are not recruited in OFB.

Low productivity : Delay in placing of Indents on OFB by MoD. MoD should be blamed for this. With out production plan what one can do?

My suggestions:
1. For increase in productivity Indents for production should be placed by MOD in advance. Revision of all labour estimates with external agency is required so that machinery and manpower can be used to the optimum.
2. For high cost. If production increases cost on individual item reduces. Supervisory and managerial cadres should be pruned to the optimum. Indirect labour should be outsourced. Overtime to supervisors including MCM should be stopped.
3. For quality instead of procuring from cheap L1, some products like rubbers, gaskets, hoses should be procured from high quality source only. It should not be used after shelf-life. CQA should’ve very strict and should not give I note without complying to quality.

Monopoly Supply:- Normal products available in market should not be compared to defence products. OFB is special establishment for exclusively manufacturing defence products. So, Monopoly word should never be used.

High cost:- There is one more establishment called CFA( finance and accounts division). If cost is more this establsiment should be closed first before Ordnance factories as they are not properly auditing and not implementing cost cutting measures.

Quality Issues: CQA is the establishment responsible for Quality. Make them responsible for low quality and close it first.

Lack of Innovation: what CVRDE and DRDO are doing? OFB is a manufacturing unit asper proved design and model. Whether OFB is responsible for Innovation? how? It is to be noted that scientists are not recruited in OFB.

Low productivity : Delay in placing of Indents on OFB by MoD. MoD should be blamed for this. With out production plan what one can do?

My suggestions:
1. For increase in productivity Indents for production should be placed by MOD in advance. Revision of all labour estimates with external agency is required so that machinery and manpower can be used to the optimum.
2. For high cost. If production increases cost on individual item reduces. Supervisory and managerial cadres should be pruned to the optimum. Indirect labour should be outsourced. Overtime to supervisors including MCM should be stopped.
3. For quality instead of procuring from cheap L1, some products like rubbers, gaskets, hoses should be procured from high quality source only. It should not be used after shelf-life. CQA should’ve very strict and should not give I note without complying to quality.

If goverment of India wants to make any changes on ordnance factory why should not change in under goverment there is no need to change into corporation because in war time ofb is reserved force behind war support so don’t see loss or profit if goverment make it accountable or modernisation do it in under ofb recruit best engineers in factory bring new technology which make it better

unqualified people like this guy making claims senselessly

Foreign defense agent

Our bureaucracy must be impressed upon to understand their responsibility in matters of defence.

Nitin gokhale (ndtv) you are bound to make such noise if hal can make lca whats the big deal making copters if ever the have any technical issues they can always have technology partners or consultant…think they should use IITs for that

This article looks totally biased.When India has the capability to manufacture helicopters then why import and make other nations grow. HAL has ALH, LCH and LUH fully operational over years.. making small changes for naval varient is not a major task compared to manufacturing a new helicopter from scratch. It’s time to think about our nation as a whole.. Remember, the grass on the other side always looks greener!

Sir mai army join karna chahta hu

Do you really think an IITian will join TOD ? A person who knows he is only for short stint, will he not like to prepare himself for next challenge rather that concentrating on present?

Sir mai army join karna chanta hu, please

Hii

Hlo I am coming..