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I, recently read this rather interesting blog on DAWN by Sami Shah, which calls for a mandatory military conscription to be introduced in Pakistan. On its surface it seems like a good idea with some solid arguments, though there are following issues, i think which must be added into this debate.
1: Pakistan already has the 6th largest 'standing Army' in the world. All of our Soldiers are career soldiers, who are highly trained, disciplined, battle hardened and forward looking. Our Army is fully capable of defending Pakistan from 'multi axis' invasions. The new Pakistani doctrine (name of which is still classified) has been theorised, tested, counter tested and adopted as a result of Azm-e-Nau exercises which were started under General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
2: No nuclear power in the world has conscription, simply because after the introduction of a nuclear triad into the security paradigm, the numerical disadvantage against a larger foe becomes almost irrelevant. Nuclear weapons are an ultimate guarantee of national sovereignty. They are not a weapon of last resort but a weapon of diplomacy. We saw this dynamic playing its role when Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had to postpone, Indira Gandhi's ambition to 'undo Pakistan' through Operation Brasstacks in 1988, after realizing that Pakistan had a nuclear deterrent. Half a million Indian soldiers and support staff were unilaterally withdrawn after a meeting between General Zia and Rajiv.
3: Countries like Turkey, South Korea, Singapore have mandatory conscription for their own reasons. They are not nuclear powers themselves but are surrounded by nuclear powers which also have large armies i.e Russia, North Korea, China and India. It means their threat calculus is different from Pakistan which calls for a different solution.
4: The argument presented in regards to a cataclysmic scenario involving multi axis invasions by regional states, on top of fifth columns starting multiple coordinated insurrections sounds a solid argument, however, what must be noted is that neither Afghanistan nor Iran has the 'military capability' to mount an invasion into Pakistan, due to mountainous terrain which is a natural deterrent to such invasions as none of those nations would be able to mobilize assets in enough quantities to outwit and defeat Pakistani defenses, especially in the presence of Pakistan Air Force, which remains dominant in that region. As far as the insurgents are concerned, they are being tracked down and eliminated by Pakistan's security agencies. They don't pose a bigger threat than they already do.
5: I must disappoint the feminists here. Women are simply not suited for 'combat'. All armed services have increased the intake of women professionals in roles in which they are most effective. Adding women into conscription doesn't equal gender equality. We should perhaps start with reforming the draconian laws which we have legislated for our women citizenry.
6: Arguments about national cohesion and bridging the class divide through conscription are valid arguments.
7: In the end, i personally don't believe that the need for conscription has enough utility for national defense when compared to the amount of resources we need to carry out this mammoth task. Unless our citizens start paying their taxes.
8: There however can be an ALTERNATIVE. Pakistan can certainly have a 'Military Training Program for Youth'. It won't be mandatory. It would be for adult males only. Candidates must volunteer for the program. Age limit should from 17-35. Program length from 6-10 weeks. Curriculum should include, support roles, ambush tactics, military communication, drill, PT, firearms training and hand to hand combat. This program should be the ONLY way to attain a firearm's license in Pakistan.
Consequently, over a long period of time, we would have a properly trained firearm owning citizenry, rather than trigger happy rural cowboys with zero trigger or firearm discipline, simply because no one has ever trained them in firearms safety. Pakistan Army's retired soldiers and officers can be paid and tasked with carrying out a nationwide training program, which will solve a big veterans problem too, since some of them retire in their mid or late 40s while their kids are still undergoing transition i.e careers or marriages, which puts a fiscal strain on them. Candidates should be brought from all corners of the state, so they have interaction with fellow citizens from different ethnolinguistic backgrounds. Females would be included in support roles training.
I believe such a volunteer only model would be a more pragmatic solution which would boost discipline and national cohesion amongst the youth as well as would add utility to Pakistan's security apparatus by creating a 4th line of defense for the country or a highly trained civil defense force, which can be called into action in case of a war, natural calamities, vaccination campaigns and IDP crises we face so often. It would certainly relieve much burden from Army's shoulders when citizens start taking some share of responsibility.
Written by Horus - Pakistan Defence Administrator.
Thank You.
Pakistan Defence | #Horus | SHARE
In response to > Mandatory military service — anyone? - Blogs - DAWN.COM
1: Pakistan already has the 6th largest 'standing Army' in the world. All of our Soldiers are career soldiers, who are highly trained, disciplined, battle hardened and forward looking. Our Army is fully capable of defending Pakistan from 'multi axis' invasions. The new Pakistani doctrine (name of which is still classified) has been theorised, tested, counter tested and adopted as a result of Azm-e-Nau exercises which were started under General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
2: No nuclear power in the world has conscription, simply because after the introduction of a nuclear triad into the security paradigm, the numerical disadvantage against a larger foe becomes almost irrelevant. Nuclear weapons are an ultimate guarantee of national sovereignty. They are not a weapon of last resort but a weapon of diplomacy. We saw this dynamic playing its role when Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had to postpone, Indira Gandhi's ambition to 'undo Pakistan' through Operation Brasstacks in 1988, after realizing that Pakistan had a nuclear deterrent. Half a million Indian soldiers and support staff were unilaterally withdrawn after a meeting between General Zia and Rajiv.
3: Countries like Turkey, South Korea, Singapore have mandatory conscription for their own reasons. They are not nuclear powers themselves but are surrounded by nuclear powers which also have large armies i.e Russia, North Korea, China and India. It means their threat calculus is different from Pakistan which calls for a different solution.
4: The argument presented in regards to a cataclysmic scenario involving multi axis invasions by regional states, on top of fifth columns starting multiple coordinated insurrections sounds a solid argument, however, what must be noted is that neither Afghanistan nor Iran has the 'military capability' to mount an invasion into Pakistan, due to mountainous terrain which is a natural deterrent to such invasions as none of those nations would be able to mobilize assets in enough quantities to outwit and defeat Pakistani defenses, especially in the presence of Pakistan Air Force, which remains dominant in that region. As far as the insurgents are concerned, they are being tracked down and eliminated by Pakistan's security agencies. They don't pose a bigger threat than they already do.
5: I must disappoint the feminists here. Women are simply not suited for 'combat'. All armed services have increased the intake of women professionals in roles in which they are most effective. Adding women into conscription doesn't equal gender equality. We should perhaps start with reforming the draconian laws which we have legislated for our women citizenry.
6: Arguments about national cohesion and bridging the class divide through conscription are valid arguments.
7: In the end, i personally don't believe that the need for conscription has enough utility for national defense when compared to the amount of resources we need to carry out this mammoth task. Unless our citizens start paying their taxes.
8: There however can be an ALTERNATIVE. Pakistan can certainly have a 'Military Training Program for Youth'. It won't be mandatory. It would be for adult males only. Candidates must volunteer for the program. Age limit should from 17-35. Program length from 6-10 weeks. Curriculum should include, support roles, ambush tactics, military communication, drill, PT, firearms training and hand to hand combat. This program should be the ONLY way to attain a firearm's license in Pakistan.
Consequently, over a long period of time, we would have a properly trained firearm owning citizenry, rather than trigger happy rural cowboys with zero trigger or firearm discipline, simply because no one has ever trained them in firearms safety. Pakistan Army's retired soldiers and officers can be paid and tasked with carrying out a nationwide training program, which will solve a big veterans problem too, since some of them retire in their mid or late 40s while their kids are still undergoing transition i.e careers or marriages, which puts a fiscal strain on them. Candidates should be brought from all corners of the state, so they have interaction with fellow citizens from different ethnolinguistic backgrounds. Females would be included in support roles training.
I believe such a volunteer only model would be a more pragmatic solution which would boost discipline and national cohesion amongst the youth as well as would add utility to Pakistan's security apparatus by creating a 4th line of defense for the country or a highly trained civil defense force, which can be called into action in case of a war, natural calamities, vaccination campaigns and IDP crises we face so often. It would certainly relieve much burden from Army's shoulders when citizens start taking some share of responsibility.
Written by Horus - Pakistan Defence Administrator.
Thank You.
Pakistan Defence | #Horus | SHARE
In response to > Mandatory military service — anyone? - Blogs - DAWN.COM
