by Bharat Karnad
Reorganizing, restructuring in addition to to a greater extent than frequently than non getting the fighting forces fit for time to come wars is a goodness thing in addition to the practice undertaken past times the basis forces principal General Bipin Rawat to do precisely this needs to last commended. Some iv sets of studies are underway, amongst some of them inwards a to a greater extent than advanced nation wending their way upwards the basis forces in addition to MOD bureaucracy. A startling proposal (commented on inwards an before post) inwards 1 such study — if the balloons existence floated for some fourth dimension straightaway inwards the press in addition to electronic media to approximate populace reaction are whatever guide — relates to doing away amongst the posts of Second Lieutenant in addition to Lieutenant Colonel, in addition to eliminating altogether the procedure to select officers for the Major General rank from amid the puddle of eligible Brigadier-rank officers. Any somebody making it past times Colonel-rank, inwards other words, automatically becomes General! Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lot incorrect here.
Before discussing the problems that volition last spawned past times such a move, let’s last direct nearly the intent behind this automatic, double-promotion measure, because there’s cipher real clandestine nearly it. Military officers, locomote on to bottom, receive got resented the fact that officers inwards the Indian Administrative Service in addition to Indian Police Service pace on a career escalator that takes them to the locomote on most levels without a hitch. The army’s peeve is that 80% of IAS officers locomote far to Joint Secretary inwards the authorities of Republic of Republic of India (or Additional Secretary inwards nation governments) where every bit solely 6% of armed services officers locomote Major General — the Joint Secretary equivalent inwards the Warrant of Precedence.
The Army HQrs (representing the senior in addition to largest armed Service) receive got tried long in addition to difficult in addition to past times all agency at their disposal over decades to fifty-fifty things out some for its officeholder cadre inwards damage of salaries, perks in addition to other career benefits past times improving the odds of mid-level officeholder attaining two-star flag-rank. The problem is the babus in addition to the law receive got steadily created to a greater extent than posts at the higher levels (Inspector General rank in addition to above) allowing to a greater extent than policemen to occupy them resulting inwards basis forces officers of the same historic current in addition to commissioning twelvemonth existence shortly superceded inwards rank in addition to salaries past times their counterpart law officers. This rankles in addition to the basis forces has sought to gibe past times inflating the strength pf officers at higher ranks in addition to conjuring upwards novel posts for them to fill.
In 2007, inwards the wake of recommendations past times an in-house study, COAS Gen. Deepak Kapoor pushed for Brigadier rank to last re-designated ‘Brigadier General’ (as inwards the USA military) amongst the accompanying uptick inwards salaries, perks, in addition to allowed officers inwards this rank to, for the showtime time, wing their flag on staff cars, etc, a privilege hitherto reserved for Major General rank officers in addition to above, which privilege they retain. Defence Minister AK Antony did not, however, approve the nomenclatural-cum-substantive upgrade to Brigadier General. There the thing festered in addition to is something the Rawat programme for restructuring the basis forces hopes to address. Except, the system equating or merging Brigadier in addition to Major General ranks in addition to the related displace to fill upwards the Staff roles at Army HQrs amongst Lt. Colonels in addition to Colonels in addition to reverting Captains, Majors et al to the field, may non last the right tack.
It is a truism that non every officeholder who excels inwards leading men inwards battle or inwards the champaign necessarily makes a goodness General. Indeed, the colonel-rank terminus for most basis forces officers is the criterion for most armies, in addition to the Indian basis forces also has hewed to it since 1947. To human being the army’s fourteen corps, 49 divisions, in addition to 240 brigades, the authorities has authorized 49,933 officers. The shortfall is of some 7,000 officers per tidings reports. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 recent, credible, approximate breakdown (available on Quora) of the strength of officers is lx Lieutenant Generals, 270 Major Generals, 850 Brigadiers, 4,500 Colonels, in addition to 41,000 Lieutenant Colonels in addition to lower, for an basis forces cadre of 46,681 officers inwards all inwards a 1.3 1000000 potent army. These are credible figures because 6% of 4,500 (colonels) — which is presumably the personnel base of operations inwards the army’s calculation for advertisement to higher ranks — making Major General is 270 (Refer tertiary para above.)
How does this compare amongst the province of affairs inwards other major armies/militaries? While inwards the Indian context, the Major General to Brigadier ratio is 1:3, the Brigadier to colonel ratio 1:5, in addition to the Major General to colonel ratio 1: 16, the respective ratios for the USA basis forces are 1: 0.96, 1:33, in addition to 1:33. For the Russian armed forces every bit a whole (after the reforms initiated inwards 2007 past times Defence Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov in addition to the slicing of the higher ranked officeholder strength past times half), the ratio of higher ranked officers to colonels is roughly 1:6; in addition to inwards the Chinese People’s Liberation Army the advertisement climb is steeper soundless (no figures are hazarded past times experts re: the breakdown of PLA officeholder cadre past times rank). In this comparison, the USA basis forces boasts of the brightest advertisement possibilities for colonel rank officers, in addition to the absolute certainty that those who locomote far to Brigadier-General volition proceed to sport 2 stars.
There is an conception the PLA has introduced inwards its construction inwards damage of designating higher ranked officers — particularly amongst 2 grades inwards the crucial Brigadier category, 1 current sent on “combat zone” postings, the other on Staff duties, because all higher formations inwards Chinese dry soil forces are existence reformed to brigade size every bit the optimum in addition to highest formation inwards state of war in addition to peace. There is some slight similarity hither to what the Rawat reforms are envisaging amongst the contemplated merging of the Brigadier in addition to Major General ranks, amongst the quondam designation reserved for champaign postings in addition to the latter — seemingly higher rank for those pulling Staff duties. It would brand to a greater extent than sense if the designations were reversed, in addition to the Major General rank given to officers inwards the field, unless this is past times blueprint because desk jockeying is considered a higher calling. Though the immediate model may receive got been the navy where Brigadier-level officers afloat are called Captains in addition to those ashore Commodores.
But whether this correction is made or not, such a mensurate would embed unresolvable tensions in addition to friction betwixt Brigadiers in addition to Major Generals in addition to generate perpetual bureaucratic feuding at the expense of operational efficiency. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 straightaway apparently top-heavy construction — all Chiefs in addition to no Indians! — volition farther dysfunctionality. If, on the other hand, the system sugars upwards the Brigadier category of officers inwards the champaign amongst hope of career incentives to compensate for the perceived designation edge, in addition to so the Major Generals volition ascent inwards revolt. In whatever case, what dissimilar metrics would last used for posting an officeholder every bit Brigadier or, alternately, Major General? How does the basis forces programme to bargain amongst the ensuing disaffection?
A to a greater extent than problematic facial expression of this slate of reforms is the proposed zeroing out of the numbers of Captains in addition to Majors at the Army HQrs supposedly to salvage money. The Indian Army, owing to its colonial past times when Indian officers were denied posting in addition to thence sense inwards General Staff work, i.e. inwards state of war planning, forcefulness structuring, strategy, higher logistics management, etc. has e'er been handicapped past times a weak General Staff. The failure to come upwards up amongst imaginative offensive in addition to defensive state of war plans is a stark evidence of that. (No, the success of the “blitzkrieg” inwards East Islamic Republic of Pakistan inwards 1971 doesn’t count, because the master copy operational programme nether COAS, Manekshaw, in addition to home commander Jagjit Singh Aurora, was for Indian forces to only capture a sparse sliver of East Pakistani territory in addition to for the provisional authorities of a costless People's Republic of Bangladesh inwards exile based inwards the Salt Lake expanse of Kolkatta to last installed at that spot in addition to to receive got it negotiate separation in addition to liberty from Islamic Republic of Pakistan amongst General Yahya Khan’s regime. But for the Chief of Staff, Eastern Command, in addition to so Major General JFR Jacob’s inspired programme fashioned on the displace of the forces deployed closed to East Islamic Republic of Pakistan to avoid Islamic Republic of Pakistan basis forces potent points in addition to to rush pell-mell towards Dhaka, the results would receive got been cipher every bit decisive every bit what transpired.)
The ultimate illustration of a brilliant General Staff tradition was the Prussian General Staff, founded inwards 1807 past times General Gerhard von Schornhost who intended this trunk to “support incompetent Generals, providing the talents that powerfulness otherwise last wanting amid leaders in addition to commanders”. This General Staff reached its summit during WWII every bit component of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (High Command of the unified German linguistic communication forces), in addition to is soundless the wonder of the armed services basis inwards the imaginative state of war plans it fourth dimension in addition to in 1 lawsuit again came upwards amongst inwards state of war in addition to attendant crises.
The German linguistic communication General Staff, it must last noted, was formed out of a select grouping of officers, subaltern up, picked for their armed services intellect in addition to skillsets, in addition to rigorously trained inwards all aspects of war, posted to the champaign in addition to dorsum again, who enjoyed the right to appeal to a higher commander if they felt the programme of their champaign commander was flawed, in addition to formed the spine of all armed services campaigns.
If Lieutenants, Captains in addition to Majors inwards the Indian Army are to last denied intense General Staff sense in addition to GS duties are to last the dependent area of Lt. Colonels in addition to Colonels amongst the background solely of regimental piece of employment in addition to belongings downward rotational posts in addition to so the army’s General Staff is destined to stay its greatest infirmity.
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