Introduction
Education transforms a person to be a useful member of the society. Military education makes the person to be a useful member of the military. Professional military education makes the person a scholar soldier. Professional Military Education (PME) encompasses a wide range of activities designed to provide training, development, and academic sufficiency for military personnel. It aims to foster leadership and prepare service members for their next level of responsibilities.
In the NDA PME should cater for officers up to the rank of Captain in the Army and equivalent ranks in the Navy and Air Force. They will be trained for leadership roles by enhancing their skills, knowledge, and critical analytical abilities. Topics should include strategy, ethics, decision-making, communication, organizational management, adapting to changing warfare dynamics, integrating technology, and addressing cultural biases. It should also initiate the culture of innovation, interdisciplinary approaches, and a spirit of lifelong learning. PME plays a crucial role in shaping competent and effective military leaders, equipping them with the tools needed to navigate complex challenges and contribute to national security.
Is this what the senior military leadership wants? Do they have a guide to go by? What is the role of the military in India? Is it restricted to the defence of the country from forceful interference in its path of comprehensive national development or are there any expeditionary designs for expansionism like Akhand Bharat? Without getting bogged down with what our national security doctrine is, the PME that is imparted to a Cadet at NDA should equip him to adapt effectively to all the scenarios in which he needs to perform. NDA is the Cradle for Military Leadership. The output is a Military Leader. What is the PME that a military leader needs? Any leader needs to have the following: -
1. A quick grasp of the situation that his team is in.
2. Ideate a strategy to benefit the team.
3. Utilise the skill sets of the team members to convert the situation in favour of the team (Victory).
Role of Academics
Academics contribute to the first two. PME contributes to all three. The education system that exists “pushes” one size fits all syllabus to all the students whether he likes it or not. The ancient Indian education system “pulls” the knowledge from a Guru on the subjects that a student is keen on learning. If we can empower a system that kindles the inquisitiveness in the mind of a student, a major goal has been achieved. This also needs an enabling environment for the student to ask all his doubts and receive answers. This is the conceptual underpinning of our ancient education system which has given the world so many Rishis and Sages who have contributed immensely. Cadets who join NDA have been tested by UPSC and have passed the SSB and so they have adequate potential.
Curriculum.
·Core Subject
The core subject should enable the cadet to have a high degree of situational awareness. Since history does not repeat itself to people who know history, Military History needs to be primary and a mandatory subject. Since military is used as an extension of foreign policy, international relations and geopolitics will need emphasis. This will contribute to his ability of ideation.
·Electives
A university degree was introduced to cater for job placement if the cadet becomes unfit for further military service. This is secondary and needs to be de-emphasized. What kind of job does a graduate degree holder get anyway? Employability with graduate degree alone is still lacking. One of my industrialist friend wanted my help in recruiting an engineer. The candidate, who was BE (Mech), could not calculate the area of a polygon! How many veterans have got a job based on the JNU degree? Let us not create a hurdle by linking the convocation to the PoP. It should be modular, based on credits as it pertains to the second career and should not be a condition for commissioning. We had excellent Chiefs who were Intermediate (present 10+2) pass till 45th NDA Course.
Military is a high risk enterprise with a steep pyramidal organizational structure. The career of an officer can come to a grinding halt due to various unforeseen reasons. The cadet needs to hone his skills to make what he likes (hobby) as a career in the second innings, if it is needed. The subjects that contribute to these should be his Electives. It may include management, arts, journalism, foreign languages etc. which can be pursued in a modular manner, with credits.
· Languages.
Communication is a mandatory requirement. He should be able to convert his ideas into a language that the troops understand. Since the troops come from all parts of the country and the mother of all mother tongues is Sanskrit a rudimentary knowledge of Sanskrit will make it easier for him to communicate in all local languages.
· Sciences
Sciences contribute to logical thinking. Logical thinking is essential. Technology is harnessed to make life easier for mankind. It is also harnessed by the arms industry to destroy the enemy. A cadet needs to understand technology as it has a direct bearing on his primary task though he may not be required to be a programmer or operator. To that extent he should be able to understand as to how his equipment works. Sciences are essential.
· Humanities
A military man fights wars. He should be adept at making peace and preventing escalation when needed. Humanities become essential and contributes to intuitive thinking.
Content
We cannot have content borrowed from the West. Content needs to be indigenous. I am sure we have plenty of it. Military History content needs to be global as there is no shortage of wars and wars have to be fought with external enemies.
Assessments and Grading
Learning by rote is passé. The assessment needs to be based on original analytical thinking and grading may be based on appreciation, interpretation and ideation. There are no correct and wrong answers. Innovation will be the perpetual output.
Assessment of Leadership Ability
Though NDA is the cradle for military leadership, leadership is not assessed. It needs to be assessed for all cadets as per the criteria mentioned above with the required weightages in situational awareness, ideation, knowledge of skill sets of the team members and employment of those skill sets for success. Lessons need to be learned from failures. The ideal laboratory for this assessment is the captaincy of troop games by the leader.
Out Door Training
We are continuing with what the British gave us, PT tables et al. I am sure we had outdoor training before the British came. Our soldiers were adept at warfighting at that time. Can we develop a band of exercises based on knowledge of yoga like the Surya-namaskar which is a form of warming up before battle, employed by the Marathas? It claims to warm up each and every muscle in the body. Can we spare mother Earth from being stamped so hard while doing Drill? Are our forms of martial arts suitable for unarmed combat?
Conclusion
I have used the principles of ancient Indian education system and found that it works wonders when dovetailed into the existing curriculum, while in service and after retirement. These should be dovetailed in the existing training systems to bring about a revolution in PME. There is definitely a need for change to enhance the skill sets of the cadet and reduce the density of training at NDA.
There may be veterans who state that there are serving officers who man the training appointments who should be suggesting these. Let me assure them that while manning such posts one does not have the time to assess whether what he is getting done can be done in a better manner. An objective analysis can be done only when one is outside the “Mill” or after one relinquishes that post. Such contributions should be taken in the right spirit and acted upon if deemed fit, by the current incumbents. Those who would like to know the benefits of incorporating the principles of ancient Indian education system, please email your desire to johnson.chacko21@gmail.com
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