The recent surge in incidents that bring bad name to the Army must result in an introspection in the Army, more so in the senior ranks – Army being a hierarchical organization. What all ranks of the Army need to keep at the back of their mind at all times is that the nation has enormous expectations from its Army and its level of trust in the Army’s capability to deliver is near total. We cannot afford to betray that trust and let out countrymen down.
Before we begin to think of ways and means to improve our functioning, an analysis of why things go wrong would be in order. Why there are incidents of fake killings to garner awards? Why human rights violations, shameful incidents of rape and torture and an alarming increase in the tendency to go to civil courts to seek redress?
“¦the Army personnel come from the same society where an erosion in the value system is constantly taking place for various reasons. Consequently it is difficult for the Army to remain completely immune to these corrupting influences
Of course one must not think of the Army as a pristine white organization which is the epitome of all that is good and noble. And that is part of the problem. The nation by and large expects the Army to be so and therefore whenever aberrations occur; there is widespread horror, disbelief, and condemnation far more than that will happen when a politician or a civil servant is involved.
There is a requirement to accept that there has been a decline in the discipline, ethos, culture and ethics of the Army. There are two main reasons for this. First the Army personnel come from the same society where an erosion in the value system is constantly taking place for various reasons. Consequently it is difficult for the Army to remain completely immune to these corrupting influences. These can only be minimized by the training, culture, ethos, regimental system and traditions of the Army. These need to preserved and nurtured at all costs. Second and more damaging is the Army’s continuous involvement in Counter Insurgency Operations.
Army has two well defined roles. Its primary role is to defend the nation against external aggression and secondary role is to assist the civil administration in internal security duties and in times of calamities. Unfortunately in the last fifteen years or so, Army’s involvement in Counter Insurgency Operations in J&K and in the North East has increased manifold. This has been detrimental to the Army’s ability to perform its primary role. But more than that, continuous involvement in Counter Insurgency role has played havoc with the Army’s training, regimental ethos, culture, traditions, peace field tenures, its human rights record and its very self belief. Counter Insurgency operations by their very nature demand a close and continuous interaction with civil population in insurgency prone areas where at the best of times the local population is sullen and resentful of security forces even if it means tacit support to the militants.
“¦in most cases the man in uniform is fighting with his hands tied behind his back in order to avoid collateral damage. This results in a very high level of stress and sense of frustration”¦
Why are counter insurgency operations so difficult? Firstly because there is no well defined enemy whom the Army is trained to fight. Secondly in most cases the man in uniform is fighting with his hands tied behind his back in order to avoid collateral damage. This results in a very high level of stress and sense of frustration often resulting in human rights violations. Of course for the terrorist there is no such constraint as human rights – something the bleeding hearts often forget. While use of minimum force against your misguided countrymen is understood and justified; what about the increasing number of foreign mercenaries operating in J&K and often the line is blurred.
Our introspection therefore needs to focus on in-house measures which are within our means and capability and have little to do with external influences, political pressure, bureaucratic interference and the like. Some of these measures could be as follows:-
- Reduction of deployment in Counter Insurgency Grid both in J&K and North East must be given a serious thought. If the Army Chief claims on Army Day 2005 that infiltration has reduced to only ten percent, then why the ever increasing deployment? There are a far more number of Rashtriya Rifles Sectors, Sub Sectors and battalions. Then why should divisions from the East be sucked into Counter Insurgency Grid? There is an urgent need to objectively look at this bottomless pit which is fast becoming a black hole. It would provide much needed solace to our soldiers whose training, peace-field tenures, ethos, culture and regimental spirit is under serious threat. Combating insurgency must not be allowed to become a vested interest for awards, promotions and prestigious courses.
- Army also has to put its foot down and tell the Govt of the day what its rightful role is and how it is being diluted due to continuous demands to combat insurgency which is a result of years of neglect of the civilian population by the civil administration and genuine grievances. No insurgency can be finished by military means alone. It has to be a well coordinated effort by the civil administration and security forces with primary responsibility being that of civil administration.
Also read: Bureaucratic Mischief with the Military!
- Combating insurgency needs a synergized effort in media management and approach to human rights. There has been an improvement in this respect but an institutionalized approach is yet to evolve. ARTRAC, that top heavy organization needs to focus on this and make itself useful by coming out with a doctrine which should then be imparted in all courses and all schools of instructions.
- Awards need to be made more broad based rather than excessively focusing on terrorists killed and weapons captured. An obsession with these two results in fake encounters on one hand and perpetuating present deployment on the other. It needs to be understood that those performing the primary role of border guarding are also doing their jobs as are those training in peace stations.
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Time has come when the Army cannot pretend anymore that everything is hunky dory. The problem has to be faced head on. Unless force reduction in counter insurgency grid is carried out and emphasis resorted on Army’s time honoured ways of functioning, its peace-field tenures, it’s training and regimental system, the Army will fail to perform. That nightmare must haunt the hierarchy.
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