EDITOR'S NOTE
The book titled
'Quality Military Leadership a Key to Victory India' was released in Apr 2014 at AIPT ,Pune.
This book was a continuation of volume - 1 of the 5 volumes of Victory India series. The focus of this volume is on NDA and its glaring weaknesses and shortcomings in the 70-year-old training methodology that needed to be addressed.
Issues and shortcomings of Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR)-based Services Selection Board (SSB) selection system are also covered in great detail in this volume through contributory articles and responses from over 20 veterans and academicians. The Foreword to this book by Maj Gen VK. Madhok has been reproduced below .It aptly sums up what this book contains and why it should be read .
The 'curtain raiser' of this book is a letter by Admiral Arun Prakash ,former CNS and Comdt NDA, that was sent by him to the then Chairman ,COSC.
Kindly read to know what was documented in 2013/14 ,i.e., over a decade back, and remains relevant even today !
Col Vinay Dalvi,
Editor ,MVI
Pune ,6 May 2024
FOREWORD
Col Vinay Dalvi’s book has provided a long awaited platform for expression of frank opinions, views, beliefs and assessment concerning the prevailing shortcomings in India’s basic, feeder military academies. These institutions have come in for a severe public censor in the media as well as the fraternity of serving officers and veterans.
A surveillance of this nature, based on facts, true experiences, findings and recommendations of responsible individuals, has perhaps, never been attempted before. In fact, it is a landmark compilation of balanced and well researched articles on path breaking and diverse subjects, concerning the intricate selection, training, grooming systems and norms for our military officer cadre. In this second part of the book ‘Victory India ’, most authors have focused on the National Defence Academy (NDA).
Col Dalvi’s relentless and commendable efforts to obtain the thoughts, forthright views and conclusive evaluations of such a large number of renowned and illustrious veterans and civil officers with a view to improve the conditions in the NDA are certainly helping the noble cause. Of particular interest and relevance are the views of three former commandants of NDA which are based on their personal experiences.
While one may not entirely agree with all authors, few matters are amply clear. Firstly, the old standards and methods of selection of candidates at the SSBs and UPSC need re-evaluation and revision. Secondly, the training syllabi need a major review to keep pace with the changing environment. This has to cater for the type of officer corps that the respective services have in mind for the 21st century. As it happens, this is an inescapable requirement because the standards of our JCOs, NCOs, soldiers and their equivalents in the other two services have considerably gone up due to environmental exposure. They will not follow combat leaders who lack character, knowledge, guts and are unable to lead with example.
Accordingly, questions which arise are; why have the shortcomings been permitted to fester? Why there is a shortage of civil academic staff at the NDA? And why their pay and other emoluments have not been upgraded to the requisite standard in a world class academy? Why the standard of officers posted is not up to the mark? And why the concerned authorities have been ignoring all this and took matters for granted?
To find answers, we should peruse the very articulate piece by Vice Admiral SCS Bangara and Admiral Arun Prakash’s missive to the Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC). Admiral Bangara’s article clearly reflects and states that nearly all the issues have been thoroughly gone into by various committees. Some as far back as 2004! But there has been no effective implementation and continuity for addressing them and the authorities at the helm of affairs (COSC) have been lukewarm or even negative in their response.
To delve on various issues will therefore be repetitive and fruitless. What is surprising is that nearly all Chiefs of Staff, starting from 1st course (NDA, JSW) onwards have been from the NDA. What has prevented them from ensuring that the problems faced by the NDA, their alma mater, received prompt attention and remained the best military training academy in the world?
As for the future! The Chiefs of Staff must initiate a process to define the type of officer corps they visualize for India’s armed forces in the 21st century. Based on this and India’s defence policy, aims and policies for training and syllabi at the military academies should be laid down. The syllabus must cater for a wider exposure. Cadets should not only see India’s borders before passing out, which they will have to defend, but also know their country’s constitution and given an opportunity to visit various units and formations. They should be physically fit, mentally sound and adept in the handling all types of platoon weapons.
As for the present, committees to review the intake, syllabi for training and one to ensure first-class logistic infrastructural support must be instituted and recommendations implemented in a time bound manner. Services should be directed to post only high calibre and above average officers (on probation for one month) to these academies. The NDA must have the best possible civil teaching staff commensurate with their pay and incentives. There is no reason that if there are problems, why the matters cannot be resolved with the Defence Minister, Prime Minister or even the President of India. And in any case, the Commandant of NDA should be a rising star, being moulded to become the Chief of his service in due course.
Finally, it needs to be reiterated that the Commandants have limited authority and can only deal with the academies’ environment based on the aim and policy laid down by the Chiefs of Staff. But the Chiefs of Staff have the authority to institute committees to review, monitor, formally inspect, upgrade and make changes in the syllabi. It won’t be out of place to mention that our profession is war. We are selected at the SSBs with the potential to fight a war. Our training at the military academies and later with units is all designed to fight a war. And therefore, ultimately, the military academies have to so train cadets, that they become excellent combat leaders and not corporate sector managers.
The needle of accountability points towards the Chiefs of Staff. With their team of principle staff officers, key military commanders and heads of military academies, they owe it to the nation and their alma mater, that the NDA and the other academies produce future military leaders who have character, guts and knowledge. They must fully comprehend the seriousness of the issues raised in this book, their military implications and its significance for the nation. They must set a befitting trend by wholeheartedly attending to and resolving the issues, while still in uniform and holding high offices. They should gain from the true reflections and rich experiences of the veterans, painstakingly penned down for posterity and for improving the quality of our military leadership.
The book is recommended for all military libraries and should be considered as a professional necessity for all selection and training academies/institutes. A must read for concerned military specialists, defence scholars, security analysts, military teachers/trainers, think tanks and military hierarchy. The police and para-military forces stand to gain too. It is a good resource for those aspiring to join the services and therefore it must be an integral part of high school/college libraries. All students of leadership including those in colleges/institutes of leadership/management and all patriotic Indians have much to gain from it.
25th February 2014
Maj Gen V K Madhok, AVSM, VSM (Retd)
1st course JSW (NDA)
Author, ‘Battelfields of the early 21st Century’,
‘Space: Profiles of the future and Repowering National Security’
Research fellow: India Surrounded and Engaged
CURTAIN RAISER
コメント