Success on the 21st century battlefield: Ensuring Pak Army's readiness

[CriticalThought]

well that need a major overhaul from top to bottom in armed forces. i understand that it wont happen in a day or two, it ll take years, perhaps decades.
starting from recruitment process, selection of both, the officer cadets and soldier recruits of higher IQ. In prevailing systems in indo Pak and middle eastern armies soldiers are not supposed to think, that responsibility is squarely put on officers shoulders which has adverse implication for armies as a whole on battlefield on all three tactical, operational and strategic levels. that need to change, better educated and aware soldiers have more chance of standing firm and exercising initiative in difficult situations. in short the whole mentality has to be changed.
Same applies to officer. In 1999 in Yoguslavia/Serbia somebody was aware of the vulnerability of dreaded night hawk and they used that knowledge to their advantage. That knowledge of enemy capabilities, his shortcomings vis a vis own resources and capabilities is vital for warfighting skills of officers of every rank at their respective level. perhaps this element is lacking in the officers of armies in this part of the world. One of the reason for this is their young age and inexperience. By the time they gain enough tactical knowledge sufficient for their early services on tactical or sub tactical level they are promoted and the level of their command raised and again faced by tasks for which they are not ready. this process goes on till top....as a result a job for which in a modern army a lieut should be enough is being carried out by a major or even senior officer. This is the reason why performance of officers and formations as a whole above regiment level remained doleful and pathetic in all indo Pak wars from both sides.
priorities are required to be shifted towards conventional operations now. After capacity building of Paramilitaries like FC/ rangers and new raisings they should be enough to tackle insurgencies in balochistan and earstwhile fata. Focus of regular army has to be shifted completely towards eastern border to effectively and timely counter the ever evolving indian warfighting strategy. Next war will have a time and space relation, time will be cruicial for the aggresor to achieve his objectives and for the defender to thwart them at just the right time and throw the enemy off balance by its own counter offensive.
procurement and careful allocation of funds for just the right things is of utmost importance aswell.

Very well put. I also want us to contrast ourselves with a country like America. Starting from childbirth, there is an effort to provide best nourishment to the mother. Dietary supplements are available to ensure best possible nutrients reach the baby. Then, the school system concentrates on a carefree upbringing based on social interactions with other kids through games. As the child grows, games and gym and part and parcel of the school system. And, schools provide food to the growing children as well. So, children are getting education, nutrition, and exercise as they grow up. And the sports are absolutely cut-throat competitive. This is the base pool from which American armed forces have the luxury to select.

Given the constraints in Pakistan, the best option for us is to provide career growth paths to the rank and file soldier. Currently, the sepoy has no way to ascent to the level of COAS. I would like to change this. If I understand correctly, sepoys are selected after 8th grade. Opportunities must be provided so that if someone is willing to work hard, they can acquire education along with service and rise in the ranks until he is allowed to enter PMA Kakool. This will immediately create a motivating factor for the rank and file. If they don't have anything to look forward to, if the only career path is to accumulate years of service, then necessarily their mental abilities are going to atrophy.

Now, the American forces also hire at the undergrad level. Not only that, they have scholarship programs that pay for expensive undergrad education. This naturally means they induct personnel from a wide range of undergrad degrees. For our war fighting personnel, there should be a requirement to complete undergrad coursework for physics, maths, chemistry, biology, computer science, engineering, and statistics. Of course, no one officer can encompass everything, so a healthy mix needs to be created. Someone at the Brigadier or Col. level should understand things like electromagnetics, quantum physics, relativity, tensors, atomic structure, microbiology. These fields of knowledge give them a unique perspective on what they face on the battlefield.

Next, logistics and supporting branches need specialized education in economics, accounting, social sciences, psychology, languages.

At the very topmost level of corps commanders, basically the personnel involved in the monthly corps commanders meetings, it MUST be ensured that people from a full range of backgrounds are given representation. There need to be specialists from physics, maths, economics, politics, psychology, languages.

Also, career growth need not mean advancing to corps commanders. There need to be career paths towards a DARPA like umbrella organization that actively generates new knowledge, and new technologies that change the very meaning of warfare. The wide range of skills will mean they can find more suitable people for organizations such as PAC, HIT, POF etc. It MUST be ensured that army officers heading these organizations also have the relevant educational and research background.

Finally, a culture of accountability and promotion based on merit and achievements needs to be in place. People shouldn't be able to proceed up the chain of command simply by spending number of years. They need to show educational achievements, along with achievements relevant to the branch. Success in the battlefield, completing projects in supporting branches, introducing new techniques and ideas, these are the factors that should guarantee career progress.

@PanzerKiel

 

[PanzerKiel]

Very well put. I also want us to contrast ourselves with a country like America. Starting from childbirth, there is an effort to provide best nourishment to the mother. Dietary supplements are available to ensure best possible nutrients reach the baby. Then, the school system concentrates on a carefree upbringing based on social interactions with other kids through games. As the child grows, games and gym and part and parcel of the school system. And, schools provide food to the growing children as well. So, children are getting education, nutrition, and exercise as they grow up. And the sports are absolutely cut-throat competitive. This is the base pool from which American armed forces have the luxury to select.

Given the constraints in Pakistan, the best option for us is to provide career growth paths to the rank and file soldier. Currently, the sepoy has no way to ascent to the level of COAS. I would like to change this. If I understand correctly, sepoys are selected after 8th grade. Opportunities must be provided so that if someone is willing to work hard, they can acquire education along with service and rise in the ranks until he is allowed to enter PMA Kakool. This will immediately create a motivating factor for the rank and file. If they don't have anything to look forward to, if the only career path is to accumulate years of service, then necessarily their mental abilities are going to atrophy.

Now, the American forces also hire at the undergrad level. Not only that, they have scholarship programs that pay for expensive undergrad education. This naturally means they induct personnel from a wide range of undergrad degrees. For our war fighting personnel, there should be a requirement to complete undergrad coursework for physics, maths, chemistry, biology, computer science, engineering, and statistics. Of course, no one officer can encompass everything, so a healthy mix needs to be created. Someone at the Brigadier or Col. level should understand things like electromagnetics, quantum physics, relativity, tensors, atomic structure, microbiology. These fields of knowledge give them a unique perspective on what they face on the battlefield.

Next, logistics and supporting branches need specialized education in economics, accounting, social sciences, psychology, languages.

At the very topmost level of corps commanders, basically the personnel involved in the monthly corps commanders meetings, it MUST be ensured that people from a full range of backgrounds are given representation. There need to be specialists from physics, maths, economics, politics, psychology, languages.

Also, career growth need not mean advancing to corps commanders. There need to be career paths towards a DARPA like umbrella organization that actively generates new knowledge, and new technologies that change the very meaning of warfare. The wide range of skills will mean they can find more suitable people for organizations such as PAC, HIT, POF etc. It MUST be ensured that army officers heading these organizations also have the relevant educational and research background.

Finally, a culture of accountability and promotion based on merit and achievements needs to be in place. People shouldn't be able to proceed up the chain of command simply by spending number of years. They need to show educational achievements, along with achievements relevant to the branch. Success in the battlefield, completing projects in supporting branches, introducing new techniques and ideas, these are the factors that should guarantee career progress.

@PanzerKiel

Just want to add a bit....

Minimum standard for sepoys is 10th grade now.

Sepoys are given all opportunities and assistance to help them go to PMA... and they do go in no smaller quantity....moreover,they are also facilitated to go for Bachelors and Masters degrees as well.

 

[Joe Shearer]

...the astute reader will appreciate how a narrow focus on COIN can lead to a strategic imbalance in the army's capability for modern warfare. Successes in one could impair one's judgment of his ability to excel in the other.

And this has happened in a much larger Army than the Pakistan Army. The warning is writ large on the wall.It is for you to pay heed or not.