By Colonel Awadhesh Kumar, Veteran Special Forces
(an old article published last year in Sachikhabar, still relevant)
Sometime in October 1993 the COAS General Bipin Joshi had called the first Commander designate HQ Special Forces, Brigadier S S Mann to see him in his office. Brigadier Mann at that time was under going the Course at National Defence College. As the GSO2 of HQ SF, the Principal Staff Officer, I a Major,too had the privilege of accompanying the Commander designate. Among other things which were directed at Sukhi Mann, the Chief suddenly turned and looking straight at me said “ Young man, you will not hesitate to ask for even the moon, we will try and give you the best possible”. This statement of the Chief was with respect to funding and equipping of the Special Forces.
It would be so wonderful, if Shri Narendra Modi tells the present Bipin ( the COAS who incidentally happens to be my NDA Course mate of 52 NDA) the same thing with respect to the Defence Budget. Instead the defence budget for 2018-19 is a total mismatch between the visible responsibility thrust upon the Defence Services and the limited funding allocated to procure the wherewithal to execute the responsibility. Defence allocations which includes the military pensions, will rise by just 8.1 per cent from the revised estimates of Rs 3.74 trillion for year 2017-2018 to Rs 4.04 trillion for year 2018-2019.
No wonder the VCOAS who happens to be the Top Budget holder of the Army had to CRY FOUL as the budget barely covers even the rate of inflation. It also does not cover the new WEAPON unleashed by Jetly Ji called the GST, which covers even the defence purchases. Though the usual suspects gleefully have been writing everywhere that the budget is in line with what the past Governments have been spending over more than a decade or so.
So first Saint Antony decimates the Forces by spending nothing and now some people justify his actions by spending nothing……how wonderful. But such is the logic being presented by the so called experts and soon they will be willing to back all kinds of economic offenders also ( who are getting caught one by one) by saying “ why Government is catching them. They have been doing thus kind of thing since last so many decades.” In five budgets from 2009 to 2014, the United Progressive Alliance government consistently and deliberately allocated to defence just 16-17 per cent of its total annual spending. So these people are cheering the fact that the National Democratic Alliance government has only continued that trend.
Yes, we need to cut the coat according to the available cloth. However the Indian Defence Planners ( and we seem to have NONE at least in the NITI AYOG) must frame our defence objectives by aiming for the forward defences if required even on the moon. Our military must be prepared to fight and win a total war, against all possible adversaries.
How to go about will require total synergy between all the wings of the government. So the war will have to be fought on the diplomatic front, economic front, military front, political front, social front and whatsoever you name. Defeating Pakistan while simultaneously holding off China or vice versa or fighting both simultaneously along with may be even hidden Jaichands, mentally and physically we need to be prepared to take care of the worst case scenario.
However no one is advocating that expenditure has to be recklessly met for building an edifice for the Worst case scenario because if we do so blindly then it will collapse under its own weight.we must plan, integrate and then execute, though in no case should there be any scaling down of the main objectives.
The defence budget has to be raised, savings have to be done in defence ministry itself and hosts of other ministries where there is whole sale wastage and unnecessary expenditure. The growth rate of our economy is being projected at 7% or more by all and sundry, experts or not so experts alike. So what is wrong in raising the defence spending from the present 2.18 per cent of Gross Domestic Product to at least 3 per cent. The elected political leadership of the day has to take this decision based on the advice of the present military leadership. Yes they may take help of the Government Accountants but the decision has to be that of the Political Leadership alone. Also this decision cannot be taken by others in the political spectrum who are constitutionally not charged with it.
First we need to revamp the System. There has to a Chief of Defence Staff who will be the sole military advisor to the Cabinet Committee on Security as a non voting member. He will also be responsible for Defence of India and not some bureaucrat who may not be knowing the difference between a gun and a rifle or as Sam Manekshaw had put it….between a guerrilla and a gorilla.The Blue, red or white irrespective of its colour of the Rule Book, the Govt Business Rules must Change. Secondly the overall planning frame work has to be the Worst Case Scenario with all the Sub Sets built within. Thirdly detail planning will be required for all the Sub Sets including the timeframe in which it is required to be achieved. This spread over a long time, the Cost will not be prohibit. Just remember that the “Insurance premium “ paid now will ensure better and better secured growth environment and then there will be money back with bonus available. Finally all have to work with total synergy to achieve the aim.
So manpower problems vanishes by ensuring seamless integration of Military, Paramilitary, Central Police Forces and State Police Forces. Problems of One Rank One Pension vanishes with invoking of Article 51 D of the Constitution for all those who want to join Central Govt, State Govt and the PSUs…..that is mandatory military service for 5 years and then seamless lateral move. This to be invoked also for those also who in future wish to get elected for Public Offices. This will ensure that every one knows what is a rifle and what is a gun ( both are for fighting and not for fun !!).After vanishing of OROP whatever Defence Pension is to be paid to the remaining permanent military cadre to become part of Social Security payment system. For a change border areas infrastructure development should not form part of defence budget.
We need to have a robust nuclear deterrence for all to see. With it should be displayed the WILL TO USE IT IF REQUIRED. This in itself will resolve most of our would be conflicts giving us time to fill in the gaps in our defence capabilities. The army chief, General Bipin Rawat, has rightly exhorted the military to be ready for war on multiple fronts. How to avoid this two front war is the job of the Politicians and Diplomats, that’s what they get paid for. After all war is continuation of politics by other means. Then the army theatre commanders – with their feet closer to the ground – need to ask for overall resources to meet their requirements. Recently,Western Army Commander, Lieutenant General Surinder Singh, warned that “It is never a good idea, never a smart idea, to fight a two-front war”, pointing out that skillfully managing relations with China would also improve our leverage with Pakistan. He never meant any where that his army will not fight with whatever is provided if the Chinese do attack. What he said was clear that best strategy is Winning a war without firing a single shot but to do that you need to carry a very very BIG STICK and also use your grey cells. SWEAT SAVES BLOOD, BRAIN SAVES BOTH. Even Lieutenant General MM Naravane, of ARTRAC stated that calming the Line of Control (LoC) with Pakistan required “statesmanship, not brinkmanship”, and that a lasting peace needed a return to the negotiating table. These things will be done by Politicians and the diplomats. The military will compel the adversary to the negotiating table by super intense retaliation and not by sending Diwali mithai.
However only some one dense enough not knowing matters military will take these statements to claim that Indian army should not ask for resources to be ready for a war on multiple fronts. In case that someone has a few years military background then we can only say “ Et tu Brutus.“
