THE HIGHLY SKILLED ARMED FORCES WITHOUT LEADERS = PACKS OF UNLEASHED HOUNDS

My esteemed friend and senior, Lt Gen Satish Bahri, wrote a mail, reproduced below, lamenting the tendency of the PBOR veterans of passing desparaging remarks on their seniors of yore :

"I see that a number of NCOs & JCOs, and equivalents, have 

  started questioning the privileges of officers vis-a-vis their 

  own.

  Firstly, they do not realise that no country has uniform pay   

  scales and allowances for officers and ranks - NOT even in 

  communist countries. The advantage given to officers is due   to the leadership provided by them in a crisis situation. These 

  frustrated rabble rousers must realise that there can be only 

  one leader for a group of men and the reward system works 

  on performance. There are any number of cases of OR who 

  show potential and are inducted into the officer cadre. 

  If everyone who wears similar uniform thinks that all of them 

  should get equal emoluments then they are mistaken and 

  should think of leaving the service immediately. 

  Those who are already drawing pension should stop 

  poisoning the minds of others as they are frustrated 

  individuals who did not have wherewithal to make it beyond 

  their level of competence."

My response to Gen Bahri, after another depsaraging retort from an AF veteran, is reproduced below :

"You have stirred a hornest's nest. This issue is not one of 

  public debate for there are many soldiers who are disgruntled 

  with their past and present service conditions in all the three 

  Services.

  We officers are supposed to provide leadership to our men of 

  all ranks, placed under our command. It's an old saying, 

  'Respect is earned, not demanded'. That's the by-word I learnt 

   and followed all the nearly 26 years of my active service.

  We need to take stock of the disgruntlement, pin point the 

  causes and devise methods to tackle them in an organised and 

  systematic manner. If a soldier misbehaves, I would first fault 

  his leader, for not providing the right leadership. Even in my 

  personal life, if ever my son does some thing morally wrong, I 

  always take responsibility, at least partially to this day, when 

  he is nearing his 49th birthday and is a MD of Accenture 

  Canada, for the simple reason that there must have been 

  something deficient in the values I gave him as a parent.

  We need to improve our leadership. My late brother-in-law 

  joined the AF as an airman but not long thereafter, was 

  selected for permanent commission. Even today I and my 

  men take pride in our old comaradeship, which saw even my 

  shayaks, (presnt day 'buddies'), retire as SMs and Hony 

  Capts. 

  It's true that most great leaders were born leaders, like 

  Napolean, but it can also be imbibed through intensive 

  training. This trait should be one of the first ones to be tested 

  in the candidates who appear before SSBs. 

  We need an overhaul of the entire system of developing 

  leadership. What's the point of blaming the 

  disgruntled men for writing caustic letters, if their leaders   

  were self serving. We are tugging at the tail of the elephant, 

  which has gone through.

  I have BCCed this letter to the Service Chiefs and the RM but I 

  am not sure if they will even read this, but you can raise the 

  issue at the higher levels and demand a thorough overhaul of 

  the whole system of developing leadership in all the three 

  Services, before all of it explodes in our face."

Well, notwithstanding my request to Gen Bahri, I am putting it up here for the Nation to read and understand, where our County is headed, if such disgruntlement is allowed to fester amongst soldiers. Veterans can write openly. Those still in service, can only approach their next senior in a muted manner/language, lest offence is taken.

I will recount an incident in my regiment, where once, past midnight, in the middle of an execrcise, a company commander came to me and informed that his boys had struck work, refused dinner and were sitting down. I went with him to where his boys were. the moment the boys saw me coming, they all got up, went to eat their dinner and resumed work thereafter. I did not have to utter a word, except to talk to some of them individually, while they ate their dinner, telling them that they were a great lot and the Regt was proud of them.

Why did they react in the manner to my presence, as they did? It was their implicit faith that I would sort out whatever was wrong, in the best manner possible. That young company commander has just retired as a Lt Gen! That one incident taught him a lesson of his life time - 'provide the right leadership to those under your command'.

Just last month I was at our Regtl Centre for a BRCC, where I met many an old friend and comarade after 27 yrs, (Since my PMR), to 52 years, (Since my YO days). It was specially gratifying to meet some of my old boys after nearly 35 yrs, (Since my last Retl days). It was embarrassing too, when a few of them tried to praise me in front of all ranks present, as the best offr they had ever served under, but deep within I felt fulfilled of my life in uniform. 

I ask the leaders of today, "Are we providing that kind of leadership which will make men follow their leader blindly?"

It has to be that kind of fellowship for the men to unfauletringly charge the enemy through a battle field, in the face of a barrage of Arty, mortar and intense MMG fire, not knowing which bullet/sharpnel had their name. 

Reminds me of an incident, when on a extremely difficult engineering task, at an altitude of 17,000 ft, near border with Pakistan, a young officer had been sent to replace a Capt, under whom the work had stalled. The work entailed every day climbing 1500 ft from the Camp to the work area and back after a full 12 hrs of work. As per normal practice in the Army, at the end of the day, once back in the Camp, the JCO, (The 2IC), would fall-in the working group and report all OK. One day, a Spr complained, "Rambo Cushtom Sir", (Conditions are very difficult Sir). In reply the Spr received a stinging slap from the Hav of the Squad, chastising him with the words, "Poya mangane, Saheb is also suffering the same with us". They worked together, ate together and sufferred together. That is how the Forces excell under the most difficult conditions, in the most inhospitable areas.

Are we providing that kind of leadership? Are we fighting for the welfare of our men? 

I am reminded of a case when a spr was unwillingly sent on discharge drill but his leader ensured that he came back with promotion, (Which was due). He ultimately retired as a Hav!

In another case two superceded competent senior NCOs ultimately got their chance to do IA1, complete 'J' course and finally rertire as Hony Lts, thanks to their leader, who ensured that their lives in service did not end as disgruntled NCOs.

It is for the leader to ensure that 'shayak/buddy' did not become a trade but that his/her buddy got all the training at the appropriate stages and progressed professionally.

Reminds me of one more case in Leh/Laddakh, when in the good old independent company days, the Fd Pk Company received an entire platoon of the long bodied New Shaktiman vehicles, sans drivers, in lieu of the old APBVs, meant to carry engineering equipment. The Div ordered a whole platoon of ASC drivers attached from the ASC companies. All the worst kinds were sent, none of whom new how to drive a truck, leave alone the new Shaktimans. The MT JCO suggested that the men be sent back and the matter reported to the Div, but the MT offr disagreed and organised a three weeks long driving training course at the end of which all of them were driving in the convey to the forward areas over the 'Saser-la'! A year later, the offr was proceeding on posting and at the end of a farewell parade, as the Sub sahab was about to dismiss it, Hav of the ASC platoon called out that they too wanted to say some thing. And ... well you can imagine the rest.

Are we providing that kind of leadership? If we were, their would not be disgruntlement amongst the men under command. Instead, they would often embarass their erstwhile leaders by touching their feet in public. 

Can we brain-storm at the top, to ensure that all training programmes contained a 'leadership' content, where the practicals of leadership would be imbibed in every leader, at every stage.

Successive govts and CPCs, over the last seven decades, have ensured a systematic degradation of the soldier's status, to a stage, where a highly trained sepoy is a placed below a Central Govt chaprasi and the Chiefs have nothing to say as they enjoy the NFU benefits!

Prior to CPC 3, a Lt Col, (Bulk of the middle rank offrs), was placed above a Director. He has, since been down graded to well below the Director. 

Today, a police offr commands the NSG, whose operational component consists entirely of serving soldiers. The Police have associations. Just suppose their association orders mass leave to be taken by all. Can you imagine the fate of NSG in such a situation! The Chiefs just look on!!

The control of a military operation within a Mil base is handed over to the NSG, while two div commanders idle on the side lines; and the Mil Chiefs look on undismayed, quietly acquiescing! 'Maunam sammati lakshanam' is a very old saying!!!

OROP agitation has been allowed to drag on, at the JM as also all around the Country, for nearly seven months. All the reaction that it has evoked from the Govt is  utter disdain of the political leadership of the country; the three Service Chiefs have quietly looked on! Do they think that the morale of the serving soldier is not affected with the goings-on with their peers and seniors amongst the veterans ?

The Defence Forces need the finest leadership at every level from the top to the bottom. 

As I wrote in the Title of this piece, 'Soldiers, highly trained to kill, without leaders  worth their salt, are like a pack of unleashed hounds'. This our Country can ill afford and shall be disasterous for our Nation called 'Bharat'.

Time water flowed by gravity!