Ignorance of military matters in modern India

[third eye]

We have become a nation of square pegs in round holes.

 

[Abingdonboy]

VK Singh was not appointed DM despite not lacking competence and qualification. A point to ponder on?

Actually that was a separate matter sir, he had created far too many waves and needless controversies during his last few months as COAS and then when out of service. He would not have been particularly welcomed by the present day top brass of the three services and would have been a live grenade in office. Modi actually pulled off a masterstroke making him MoS in the MEA with independent charge of NE development- this is an area he has extensive experience in and knows what needs to be done. We saw how suited to this role he was during the Yeman evacuation.

How good or bad is Parrikar?

As has been stated it is too early to properly judge but from what I have seen I can say he looks very much out of his depth, has little (to no) military/technical knowledge or inclination. And to make matters worse has very poor communication skills specifically with the media, which has lead to needless controversies and an inability to properly articulate India's present day defence policy.

 

[PARIKRAMA]

How good or bad is Parrikar?

A very interesting question.. What should be the yardstick?
IMHO a decade later when we look back and see how the decisions, vision, discussion and execution of his portfolio (def) and what legacy he leaves behind will perhaps decide how good he is or was as a DM/RM

Today when we look at AKA, he is sure to be remembered as honest but honesty at the cost of a full stop is at times unjustifiable.. Thus he goes down as not a very good DM/RM

Parrikar perhaps is now having an opportunity of the lifetime to make two major changes
1. Make In India program via Defense procurement more domestically
2. Decrease the redtape and increase the efficiency of whole processes related to MOD (in every field)

I am sure many DM before would have thought and tried but non could succeed convincingly. perhaps if MP could do more with clarity and convince big spendings to come via MII route , he may leave an everlasting impact in military industry complex of India. The guy being a technocrat is expected that he behaves a bit differently to erstwhile DMs who were more of a member of parliament with very limited tech skills. (totally saying DM MP has no def skills but rather engg skills from IIT). I see Dm MP to do some easing in the entire red tape and complex cumbersome and at times repetitive processes in his ministry. But its too early to see substantial result.

One thing i do want is not to give too many interviews on the same subject.. Its better he speaks limited but then his words carry more weightage and less chances of misunderstandings (gaffes i mean)

 

[Perpendicular]

The level of our appalling ignorance can be gauged by simply having a look at our infantry regular soldier. Failed future soldier program, who's to blame.

 

[SrNair]

Our bureaucrats are reputed in corruption even in the coffin deals for brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives for this nations.We cant expect anything better than that.
We have had a PM who clipped the wings of our intel agencies in the name of some misplaced notion of non violence propogated by Gandhi.
I am glad because there is some changes in the thought process in our leadership It was our first NDA govt that gave go nods for Airbases in Tajikistan.

 

[Levina]

With repect to India, no arguments but Coups can happen anywhere provided right conditions exist. Very interesting topic for another thread.

The child is the father of the man...Indian army has been apolitical since the beginning and will remain so forever. I do not think our generals believe in the power game. And then again, airforce and navy might not cooperate on such coups. So it is almost impossible to have a coup in India.
The only man who could try his hand at it was Sam Manekshaw. Lol

Modi is controversial; controversy is a sound reason to reject appointment as President but not DM; Competence not controversy should be the criteria.

A controversial man like VK Singh at the helm of affairs could have caused delays to a lot of projects and policies due to his ego clashes. I'm sure you know Gen VK Singh was against the promotion of Gen Dalbir Singh as COAS. Our DM and COAS locking horns would have been very embarrassing for us as a country.,

 

[PARIKRAMA]

i can tell u even if something like OROP is not done or anyother issue where IA and political parties confront each other, still the probability of a coup in india is 0%. There is not a single General who can be so widely accepted by all three arms of indian Defece Forces (IAF/IA/IN).. Coups in neighbouring countries or small nations happens when one of the arms is so strong that others dont have an voice.. In India the triservices themselves are competing neck to neck for supremacy and control over the budget, the modernisation and real power dominion.. Its an inherent advantage that we have built in our ssystem over last 69 years that coup probability is zero. Even if some one does that attempt and moves a battalion or 2 to take control perhaps the other services and other IA command chain would dispose of such attempts..
Why its simple.. do check the promotion system in IA for example.. Theman who reaches the top and top echleon supports each others surely but the cut throat competition, the lobby's, the political contacts and the real support of the battle commanders makes it so tough for a single General to have all the support for any such "coup" activity

I second what @levina says.. 5 star General Sam Manekshaw was one man whom all services may have accepted.. But he was a man of honor and who would never betray and lead a coup not even in his dreams..

VKSingh now needs to show much more maturity as he is now on the other side of the table.. Very few Ex Army folks ever become engrossed in poltics unlike USA where a decorated General who may have served in vietnam and done heroic deeds or even in gulf war or in another decade serving in afganistan and some achievements surely makes him a prime candidate as secretary of defence or even running for presidency... In India, post retirement, Army folks likes to stay away from "muddy" politics which they feel can "dirty" them and bring dishonor to their "clean" career.. His work is cut out as giving VK Singh a portfolio for NE is a responsibility cut out for a soldier who knows the real importance of that territory. He should concentrate on that rather than remembering Dalbit Singh incident.. Its good he is not DM.. i don feel its correct for a General to become DM immediately after retirement.. Seems a bit of clash of personal choices and ethics.. perhaps clash / conflict of interests too..

 

[Genesis]

There is a certain paranoia of military coup if bureaucrats align with defense personnel, not altogether unjustified if we look at our neighbours but at the same time insult to the dedication, unflinching loyalty to civilian masters and patriotism of our Military.

I doubt that's a reason anymore, it maybe used, but nobody would ever worry about it.

The point to consider is it has always been like this, which means someone in the civilian side wants the post, it has its benefits obviously to anyone who holds the post. They can use any number of reasons to do get it.

The army plays minimal role in Indian politics which means they have little contribution to a man/woman's rise to power. When it's time to reward the loyal, who's the leader going to choose. Anyone with enough sway to even be considered, cannot be brushed away.

A lot of Indian members here may see China as a "threat," but they don't see China's force as overwhelming, this may be right or wrong, but the point is this view is there. Other than China, I don't think India thinks much about other nations who are far away, and most thinks right now is good enough to contest Pakistan There is no immediate demand from anyone to change if there is no immediate danger.

It took essentially complete US encirclement to change the Chinese military establishment and a strong leader, while it took the US the Vietnam war to make such changes.

I'm not saying right or wrong, but is there any reason for the Indian political elite to consider such a move? I mean politically, rather than just a need for it.