Every soldier must read the Shekatkar committee report submitted to the government in December, 2016.
The bane of Indian Military is poorly equipped soldiers and not utilization of able bodied men for sundry duties. The committee in recommending withdrawal of 57,000 men from so called non combat duties and arriving at savings of Rs 25,000 crore is an hogwash.
Committee, indeed, burnt the proverbial ‘mid-night oil’ in making recommendations covering a vast canvas viz higher defence organization, re-structuring/staffing of defence ministry, performance audit of ordnance factories and DGQA to name a few. Almost deliberately the committee ‘Failed’ to corner the government on the following major issues afflicting the Indian Military. These are:-
• Crying need to re-write the Defence Procurement Policy, wherein the executive body the Defence Procurement Board must be headed by the Respective Service Chiefs and not by Defence Secretary as at present, which remains the biggest bottleneck and delays virtually every single acquisition, be it indigenous or from a foreign vendor.
• Omission by choice of not even mentioning the acute shortfall in our War Wastage Reserves (WWRs) and emergency measures required to bridge the gap on priority.
• Welfare measures for our soldiers viz housing, children education and rationalization of grant of Military Service Pay to soldiers.
Indeed the committee will rebut the above inconsistencies by merely saying that these issues were outside the terms of reference given. May I, for the benefit of all soldiers, Shekatkar Committee members in particular, submit the operative directions given by the government to the committee.
Govt of India had constituted Shekatkar Committee
“To recommend measures for enhancing combat capability and re-balancing defence expenditure of the Armed Forces with an aim to increase “Teeth To Tail Ratio”.
Readers are requested to digest the government directive to the committee. It simply meant the following:-
The Defence Ministry has deliberately not included any recommendation dealing with Re-Structuring of the Ministry.
• Existing Combat Capability is not in consonance with the strength of the Military.
• Government perception, rather belief was that there are far too many individuals (read able bodied soldiers) involved in so called “Non-Combat Related” activities.
• Suggest measures to “Re-Balance” (read make do with 1.6% of GDP as Defence Budget) the Defence Expenditure.
Military has been castigated by one of our own. The operative part of the committee report reads:-
“…proposed Reforms (read re-grouping) will improve operational efficiency of the Army by ‘pushing soldiers from Non-Operational Duties to Operational Tasks’….”
As a soldier I wish to ask Lt General Shekatkar a fundamental question.
“Is an ill equipped soldier deployed on Line of Control performing an operational task?”
The bane of Indian Military is poorly equipped soldiers and not utilization of able bodied men for sundry duties. The committee in recommending withdrawal of 57,000 men from so called non combat duties and arriving at savings of Rs 25,000 crore is an hogwash.
A three star officer headed committee has unequivocally stated that the past and present military leadership is oblivious of the fact that ‘able bodied’ soldiers are employed in ‘non-operational’ duties and goes on to add that it is happening with their tacit approval, albeit in not so many words as I have stated.
Committee’s ‘silence’ on improving/ reforming/ re-structuring the ‘R&D’ is deafening. Unless we help and create a vibrant “R&D” establishment, we cannot expect to acquire advanced and modern fifth generation weapon platforms and systems.
Salient highlights are:-
• The committee made a total of 188 recommendations, which in itself is an ‘auditor centric approach’.
• Defence Ministry has selected 99 of these recommendations dealing directly with Air Force, Army and Navy (Services are mentioned in correct Alphabetical order) for implementation.
• The Defence Ministry has deliberately not included any recommendation dealing with Re-Structuring of the Ministry, at least for now.
• As of now 65 of the 99 recommendations pertaining to Army have been approved for implementation.
• A strategic decision of far reaching consequences has already been taken by the ‘cosmetic’ Raksha Mantri by approving the closure of 39 Military Farms in a time bound manner. Such decisions of extra ordinary valour will improve and enhance the overall military capability overnight. What an outstanding humour, Mr Minister!
Unless we accept and take the challenge that reforms in the military must be genuine and not merely cosmetic, Indian Military Capability will continue to diminish with every passing year. Sticking to age old crib of 3% of GDP defence budget would get us no where unless we can prove to ourselves that the Military Establishment comprising of Raksha Mantri, Service Chiefs and Defence Secretary is capable of ‘spending’ the entire annual allocation on account of “Capital Expenditure”. We have failed to do so for past two decades.
Current dispensation in Government of India dealing with military affairs is neither capable nor desirous of implementing genuine reforms such as disbanding the Ordnance Factory concept.
Committee’s ‘silence’ on improving/reforming/re-structuring the ‘R&D’ is deafening. Unless we help and create a vibrant “R&D” establishment, we cannot expect to acquire advanced and modern fifth generation weapon platforms and systems. It is ironic but true that the committee has deliberately failed to address the Macro-Issues. Merely recommending re-grouping of few services does not enhance overall operational capability of the military.
Combat effectiveness as I understand can be stated thus:-
“If our soldiers are adequately equipped to counter, challenge and face the adversary when the need arises, they are ‘combat ready’ even if engaged in so called non operational duties. To further illustrate the point if our soldiers are equipped with a rifle having a kill range of one km and the adversary is equipped with a rifle having a kill range of 1.5 km, our soldiers are not ‘combat ready’ entirely due to failure on part of the agency (read MoD) to equip them with a rifle of kill range greater than 1.5 km.” Does it leave any doubt in anyone’s mind as to what we imply when we use the term ‘combat ready’?
In my view the Committee discussed the ‘daily chores’ and ‘house keeping’ rather than the issues of far reaching consequences. Current dispensation in Government of India dealing with military affairs is neither capable nor desirous of implementing genuine reforms such as disbanding the Ordnance Factory concept. If any institution of the country, which has failed the nation in acquiring self sufficiency in military hardware, it is the Ordnance Factories. These mammoth organizations are an outstanding example of inefficiency, incompetence, corruption, non accountability and indecision. For how long would the nation carry the burden of the ‘Garbage’ in form of Ordnance Factories? Committee’s deliberate failure to address the issue is unfortunately their tacit approval for rewarding incompetence and inefficiency at the highest level.
Comment by civilian at IDSA sums up recommendations of Shekatkar Committee most aptly “Measures are welcome but fall short of drastic measures required to enhance combat effectiveness of Army (read Military).Pay and Allowances of Indian Army (read military) are simply unsustainable”.
How did a three star General heading the committee missed the obvious is a moot point?
Teeth To Tail Ratio improves when our soldiers are equipped with better personal weapon than INSAS rifle…
Forecast
• Shekatkar Committee report will be consigned to the proverbial ‘DUST BIN’ in the Ministry of Defence as it did to the Late Subrahmanyam committee report post Kargil fiasco. Under no circumstances will the bureaucracy allow lateral/direct induction of a serving/ retired military officer in the inner ‘sanctum-sanctorum’ of Ministry of Defence. The temporary political boss, the Raksha Mantri (permanent boss is the defence secretary as told to me by a former Chief, who used to play Golf with the then Minister of State for Defence), will sing the same tune. Ministry will not even discuss/deliberate recommendations regarding ‘their’ re-structuring, the most important and rational recommendations made by the committee.
• In fact on the basis of Shekatkar Committee report, which essentially has delved on regrouping, the Service HQs would be burdened with sending monthly/quarterly feed back to the ministry regarding implementation of recommendations.
• There will be no change in the Defence Procurement Policy. Defence Procurement Board, the executive body responsible for weapons acquisition will continue to be headed by the Defence Secretary as at present.
• Ordnance factories will continue their normal business wasting thousand of crore annually with NIL/NO accountability.
• Our R&D will continue to languish in their attempt to create their own empire on one hand and Military’s inability to co-ordinate the process of development.
• Shekatkar committee has deliberately undermined the status of Service Chiefs by recommending the appointment of a Four Star General to act as a coordinator amongst the three Service Chiefs, directly implying that the Service Chiefs are not capable of resolving their differences and arrive at a decision acceptable to all in the interest of national security.
Shekatkar Committee report is an ‘Auditor’s Report’ submitted to the ‘Super Auditor’ of the nation, Mr Arun Jaitley and has ‘Nil’ to ‘Negative’ operational value and content.
I wonder if this Government found time to read the Subrahmanyam committee report before ordering the Shekatkar Committee. It still can look into the Subrahmanyam committee recommendations, with specific reference to reorganization/restructuring of the Ministry of Defence. Teeth to tail ratio will automatically improve.
It was a ‘God Sent’ opportunity for the military when the government of the day decided to appoint a committee headed by a uniformed person with exemplary professional credentials. But the opportunity has been spurned and wasted by the committee wasting their precious time on recommending internal reforms (essentially housekeeping), which could well have been done within the ambit of existing dispensation. It would be truly defending the indefensible if my observations are viewed in any other manner. After all 99 of 188 recommendations deal with purely internal reorganization/regrouping. I would have been delighted as a soldier to read merely three recommendations dealing with defence procurement, improving standards of R&D and erasing the flab of ordnance factories. At least this is what we as soldiers should have said. On the contrary Shekatkar committee has unwittingly added plethora of new returns required to be sent to MoD as ‘progress report’ on implementation. I won’t even term/consider the supposed saving of 25,000 crore as pittance. Teeth To Tail Ratio improves when our soldiers are equipped with better personal weapon than INSAS rifle against an adversary equipped with predator class UAVs, M4 assault rifle, Glock model 19 pistols, ceramic plated body armour, satellite telephones, GPS trackers and so on.
Ministry will only be too happy to receive a report of this kind, which recommends that all/most measures are to be taken by the military itself. In any case making as many as 188 recommendations in itself is/was a self defeating agenda. In doing so military has failed to hit the ‘bulls eye’ by a mile, may be more. The committee should have made recommendations regarding organizational reforms starting with the Ministry and placing them in the “Must Implement” category. Internal reforms, which essentially can be termed as regrouping should not have been part of the main report. Indeed these could have been attached for review by respective Service HQs.
To sum it up; Shekatkar Committee report is an ‘Auditor’s Report’ submitted to the ‘Super Auditor’ of the nation, Mr Arun Jaitley and has ‘Nil’ to ‘Negative’ operational value and content.
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Very nice article.but from where can i get the copy of this report
Bang on !! This article hits the nail on the head. The term “cosmetic” clearly brings out the intentions of both the parties (ordering and the ordered) of not addressing the core issues, rather just projecting that the work is “ON” towards transformation. Very well brought out sir !! My compliments !!
One GDS BpM passed for exam of MTS for Army post office posting order not issued now questions arise where his status stand in near future when APS going to sum up
Mr Anand, Ordnance Factories do not make only shoes and clothing, but a wide range of weapon, equipment and platform right from arms, ammunition, tank, MPV to boms and parachutes etc. If you go back to history, you will find that once in late nineties attempts were made to get clothing from private sector, and this experiment failed terribly due to poor quality of supply. It is poor planning and lack of clarity and vision in acquisition planning on the part armed forces that even after allocation of budget, rate of acquisition is very poor. At least through OF route Armed forces are getting the supplies of reasonable quality at reasonable cost and delivery schedule.
Indeed – an opportunity lost.
The author has, undoubtedly, highlighted, the terms of reference drawn by the committee, at micro level. It, in fact, corresponds to the current mindset in indian army, that, services / non combatants, are non performers.
They truely missed the REAL ISSUES.
God bless ….
It may haunt us …. in times to come
At the Outset my compliment to the author of this article . The article brings out clearly that probably “housekeeping’ as called is being addressed/ decided to be addressed. I am sure Gen Shekatkar with his long Op experience would definitely brought out other facts but may be the bureaucracy has decided not to make it public and not even address it. The org like DGQA, Ord Factories, DRDO have become a drain on Def Budget with hardly achieving anything. But for the development in missiles DRDO is not even able to make a Rifle. Ord factories produce Shoes, clothing which our men shun it due to poor quality. Combat enhancement is essential but that has to be done by inc in no of Infantry/ Arty/ Armd/ Mech regts and with full resources. It cannot be done by creating more vacancies for Civilians in Armed Forces HQ Cadre. Similarly the Def Procurement must be headed by Service Officer rather than an IAS Officer. Recent case of Light Machine Gun tender by IWI of Israel being rejected on grounds of single tender. Is the National Security more important or ” single tender”? The Army does not have a good rifle the basic wpn of an Infantry soldier. Time and again RFPs have been floated and cancelled. It has become a joke.The pay disparity has not yet been addressed. If the Bureaucrats were so capable why always call Army in Aid to civ Auth be it floods/ internal disturbance/ As recent in the famous Ram Rahim case wherein the Police was unable to contain a situation and video is there wherein the District Commissioner is running for her life. The same situ was handled by a Coy Cdr of Indian Army. I hope the Honble Raksha Mantri will take cognisance of the same and ensure the Armed Forces are equipped adequately and all resources required are catered for both Operationally/ Financially/ Socially (that the soldier faces no problem from civ adm of his state for any grievance) will be provided to Enhance the morale and thus the Combat capability of Indian Armed Forces,Jai Hind.
The author has based his article on common beliefs, mind sets and selective media reports. The analysis fails to capture the macro issues, and the essence of the report and recommendations.
1. Shekhar Committee Report will fully not go in DUST BIN.
2. Defence procurement needs to be under defence secretary. There needs to be a lot of checks and balances in defence procurement to ward off undesired influences and negative externalities.
3. Ordnance Factories will continue their business with slight changes in their product portfolios. Ordnance Factories have been cost effective and reliable source of supplies for armed forces. People with vested interest create propaganda that Ordnance Factories are inefficient or waste money.
4. Our defence R&D is in bad shape, if one compares the same with ISRO which is also govt organization with same rules and regulation, same caliber of engineers and scientists are there. It’s main reason is perhaps much more intrusion and intervention of armed forces especially in administrative set-up.
5. Sometimes non-building of consensus timely among three officers of equal rank may be costly affairs.
Well done sir ,what you have seen and written is the truth but a general and his cohorts went around beating the bush .only peripherial and in consequence sasti cheap reforms will be done . The Hydra headed monster of mod civilians ordnance factories higher defence organisation will never be allowed to be reformed by vested crooks and vote bank politics