Indian Defence Review

Mumbai policemen confer outside the Taj Mahal Palace and Towers, November 26.

At about 0800 hrs on 29 Nov 2008 after 60 long frightening and uncertain hours of the ‘fidayeen attacks’ on Mumbai, the commercial capital of India, the National Security Guards (NSG) commandos victoriously embraced each other with a faint smile playing on their faces while the DG NSG on the electronic media stated that the Taj Mahal Hotel was clear of the terrorists and sanitization operations were being carried out in the premises. Needless to say, the whole nation anxiously remained glued to their TV sets for hours together and had a sigh of relief with pride and jubilations. Almost at the same time my mobile blinked and I had the sms I was waiting for from Brig Bobby Mathews, Commander Mumbai Sub Area who was in thick of operations saying dutifully typically in army lingo ‘Operation over. All OK. Regards – Bobby’. Bobby was my adjutant when our Battalion 2 KUMAON (Berar) was deployed in Ahmadabad riots in 1984.

Notwithstanding the brave and committed effort put up by the local police, the armed forces, especially the NSG and the Marine commandos, the appreciation of the magnitude and handling of the crisis by the political masters and bureaucracy both at the Centre and the State levels were inept with uncoordinated knee jerk responses as if routine localized tragedy had occurred. It is felt our response lacked the leadership qualities of the type exhibited by the Mayor of the New York when twin towers were struck on 9/11.Our responses in spite of the repeated terrorist attacks and disasters suffers from ‘routine chalta hai’ syndrome  and  need to be handled in more professional maturity and proactive way.

Sadly it was again often repeated intelligence failure as we refuse to learn from our past mistakes or else ‘why and how’ could with unprecedented stealth, sweep and speed, the terrorists attacked 10 different locations and then moved into three iconic buildings – the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Hotel Trident-Oberoi and the Nariman House of the Jewish Community for indiscriminate killings in pitched battles that left 187 killed and over 300 injured which included 22 foreigners. Twenty two security personnel also laid their lives in this avoidable tragedy. The brazen grit, determination and the doggedness with which these terrorists fought, and the range of arms, ammunition, explosives, technical gadgetry like  sat phones and global positioning systems with which they were equipped, underlined their high morale, motivation and months of careful preparations. While Mumbai was maimed our prestige as emerging global power was put to shame internationally with cancellation of England’s cricket tour and numerous other mega events. It is debatable as to who carried out these attacks.

There were perhaps two separate groups that were involved in this mayhem. One group could be sleeper cells of the local fundamental motivated Indian Muslims who gave intelligence and logistic support ahead of the attacks while the second group came from Pakistan via ship from Karachi, later hijacked a small Indian fishing trawler ‘Kuber’, killing its crew, got past Indian coastal patrols, and ultimately landed near the Gateway of India to wreck havoc in Mumbai by blowing up the Taj Mahal Hotel and inflicting heavy casualties. Extensive preparations had been made, including surveillance and gathering real time hard intelligence of these ‘soft targets’ and logistic support for the operations of this magnitude through Indian associates sympathetic with LeT and al Qaida to execute well-planned attacks. No wonder apparently all eyes and fingers accuse LeT, and al Qaida, duly supported by the ‘D’ Company and the notorious ISI for these senseless attacks.

As per media reports, 10 terrorists were shot dead and one apprehended whose interrogation has revealed above findings. It is further intriguing that they could book room No 630 in the Taj Mahal Hotel that was stocked with large quantities of arms ammunition and explosives apparently with the support of the local sleeping cell. It is a matter of interest that quite naturally, while our security forces were ‘foreign and unfamiliar’ with the areas of their operations in their own city, the alleged Pakistani terrorists had blue prints of the Taj Mahal Hotel and used it to their advantage in fighting pitched battle(s).The magnitude and the scale of the this terrorist act has been so large that it could set stage for major confrontation between two nuclear states. Reports suggest Pakistan has started mobilsing its troops from its Western border against Afghanistan to its Eastern border with India. Will some one from the government responsible answer, ‘Was it not again the repeated total failure of intelligence from macro to micro field level once again” and who should be taken to task for this national shame?

Lessons that need to be learnt from Mumbai Mayhem

Political leadership

The political leadership both at the state and Central level was awfully inapt. We all may recall how in the US, the Mayor of New York voluntarily seized leadership that motivated and coordinated relief operations after the 9/11 terrorists’ attacks on the twin towers. But our local political leaders remained in the background. Nothing could be more bizarre than Maharashtra CM Deshmukh with his actor son visiting the Taj Mahal Hotel with film producer Ram Gopal Verma day after the attack with large police contingent for their protection seemingly looking for a film on Mumbai terrorist attacks to be made with his son in the lead role. In an another instant Kerala CM was not allowed to visit family of the late Major Unnikrishnan of the NSG who sacrificed his life fighting terrorist in Taj Mahal Hotel. The Kerala CM’s remarks that had Unnikrishnan not been a Major of the Indian Army and died in action, not a dog would have visited his house were rather unfortunate and uncalled for. The traumatized family needed healing touch that was unfortunately missing. It is also desired that the VIPs and big wigs should not visit such operational sites with large paraphernalia as their visits distract operations.

National Response

Rightly every man and woman in our country gets highly agitated over such terrorist acts and disasters and seeks governmental protection and aid. Unlike the US and Israel, our national response lacks punch due to non involvement of the common man and woman in the street which is so much evident in the US or Israel where every able bodied person  undergoes compulsory military training. Its time, we as a nation involve our youth in compulsory military training. It will not only provide abundance trained manpower in matters military but also channelize their energies in national defence and nation building. It was indeed sad to see that while country was under attack, marriages with pomp and show and vulgar display of wealth were being solemenised at many places including Mumbai. Austerity during grave national crises should be the natural norm and response as a nation.

Establishment of Control Room

I saw the war on terrorism in Mumbai being fought on the TV but I really wonder there was any Centralized Control Room established with proper maps, communication set up and facilities for periodical media briefings. The VIPs rather visiting the operational sites where they hinder and distract operations need to visit only the Centralized Control Room for briefings. It appears this was not done.

Homeland Security

We have vast porous coast land and land borders. Therefore, we need independent dedicated homeland security apparatus both at national and state level to coordinate country’s security. This cannot be left on Border Security Force, Coast Guard and similar other Para Military Forces (PMFs) working independently under the home ministry. We should learn from the US model where homeland security is core function of the federal government and after 9 /11 no major act of terrorism has occurred. Similarly Israel is surrounded by hostile Muslim states but efficacy of its homeland security is role model for rest of the world to imbibe. The US president elect Barack Obama after introducing Hillary Clinton as  his choice for Secretary of  State unveiled appointments of  General James Jones, the  former NATO commander as  National Security Advisor and retained cold war veteran Robert Gates as his Secretary Defence thus laying great emphasis on homeland security.

Maritime Security

While maritime security would be part of the homeland security, intelligence collection and safety and security of our exclusive economic zone would need special attention of the Coast Guard duly supported by the Indian Navy and coastal area police force . Our Coast guard and Navy’s blue water capability also needs to be augmented so that Somalia like pirates do not hijack our merchant vessels at will for ransom. We must register and computerized all fishermen, their boats and trawlers and ensure no illegal poaching or fishing is done in our waters. Services of local fishermen must be utilized for maritime intelligence. Had credible action been taken on the fore warning of carriage of suspicious goods in a boat given by the local fishermen by the Coast Guard and the local police, our pro-active response would have prevented terrorists’ attacks on Mumbai.

Federal Intelligence Agency

Time and again our reactive response has been due to intelligence failure but we have failed to learn from the past. We do understand its importance but each intelligence agency does not want to give up its autonomy and works independently. The users seldom get real time actionable hard intelligence as field units gathering intelligence forward it to their masters in Delhi who by the time pass it users becomes stale old and non productive. Also inputs given are delightfully vague and used to save own back incase of crisis. Mostly our sources of information are same for our different intelligence agencies. These raw inputs need credibility that needs to be ensured by other means.

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Therefore, our resources in human and technical intelligence need to be augmented and upgraded. We should also utilize our space capability to gather intelligence from this dimension as well. We need to develop satellite surveillance and sharing of intelligence with other friendly countries to mutual advantages.  In the instant anti- terrorist operations, though some political heads have rolled down, bosses of the intelligence agencies are enjoying immunity. The National security apparatus needs to be streamlined and overhauled and made accountable.