Indian Defence Review

Military’s Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre (PRC) at Pune provides rehabilitation support to paraplegic and tetraplegic soldiers. Most of the inmates are victims of bullet or other injuries sustained during action in war and counter-insurgency operations. During 1990s, a military delegation from a European country visited PRC. One foreign delegate wanted to know the suicide rate amongst the inmates. He found it difficult to believe that it was nil. In his country, he admitted, nearly 30 percent paraplegic soldiers exhibit suicidal tendencies and have to be kept under constant supervision. He wanted to know what made Indian soldiers so tough mentally to be able to withstand such trauma without losing the will to live. “The Indian soldier is inherently very strong mentally and can withstand extreme privations without breaking down. Additionally, faith in religion and unflinching family support act as shields,” Director, PRC explained.

The above incident has been recalled to compare it with the spate of suicides and fratricides occurring in the recent past. As per reports appearing in the press, the Indian Army lost 333 soldiers due to suicides and 75 soldiers to fratricide during the period 2004 to 2006. It has been a cause of major concern. Such incidents were unheard of earlier. Where have these things gone wrong? Why have the soldiers become so weak mentally? Agreed that the increased level of insurgency imposes additional strain on the troops, but then Indian troops have been used to prolonged deployments in uncongenial areas. The Army that could fight war in sub-zero temperatures in lofty Himalayas without proper winter clothing in 1962 without a whimper of protest could possibly not become so frail as to be unable to withstand the current hardships. Have there been any disquieting changes? Has the stress level reached such alarming proportions that the soldiers are unable to cope with them and resort to desperate acts?

A number of studies have been carried out to identify reasons for unacceptable levels of stress felt by Indian soldiers. Unfortunately, the emphasis has always been on material, obvious and well-known reasons – prolonged deployment in highly dangerous environments protracted separation from families, financial inequities and lack of liberty (as enjoyed by other citizens). These are all very relevant factors and do contribute in generating considerable stress.  However, as mentioned earlier, these factors have always been in existence and soldiers have been braving them with fortitude. Therefore, there ought to be other reasons that generate stress which crosses the threshold of endurance of some soldiers and makes them break-down. What causes stress to become distress? This paper attempts to highlight those aspects which have generally remained unidentified.

Soldiers and Stress

Although stress is a biological term, it is commonly used in a metaphorical sense. It has also come to be accepted as a euphemism for describing difficulties faced by an individual. Every one faces challenges in life. These could be due to professional, societal and domestic environment. These challenges vary in intensity and are handled appropriately by human bodies, both at physical and emotional levels. Failure to adapt to challenges results in perceiving them as threats, which in turn generates pressures. When pressures become severe, human organism gets strained to respond. Extreme pressures become stress. Some experts consider stress to be as a subjective sensation as it differs with individuals with varied symptoms. When stress surpasses ability to handle, it becomes a threat to both physical and emotional well-being. While stress refers to the reaction of the organism, stressor implies perceived threat.

However, stress within manageable limits is not only desirable but essential. It acts as an engine that drives humans to excel. Unless a human experiences sufficient stress, enough adrenaline does not get produced to propel him to strive for achieving objectives beyond his normal capabilities. Stress is thus, an integral part of human functioning and is a catalyst for fulfillment of aspirations.

Stresses faced by soldiers are entirely different from those faced by civilians, both in nature and intensity. These stresses threaten emotional and psychological equilibrium of soldiers and generate the “fight-or-flight” response. Some of the major peculiarities are as follows:-

• Whereas stresses faced by civilians generally relate to material and societal issues, soldiers face both physical (threat to life) and emotional stresses. Civilians have their families with them to share their concerns unlike a soldier who has to bear it all alone – lack of family support in times of emotional disturbances is thus, a major contributory factor.
• Military’s highly disciplined, hierarchal and restrictive environment deters giving vent to or sharing pent up frustrations. Howsoever disturbed a soldier may be he has to put up a façade of bravado. Bottled up discontentment with no escape valve results in a ‘pressure cooker effect’. Additionally, military service is a long term commitment. Unlike civilians, soldiers cannot switch jobs if not satisfied.
• Serving in isolated, lonely and oxygen-starved high altitude areas of the Himalayas affects physiology and psychology of soldiers. For example, many soldiers fear that continued exposure to ultra-violet rays and lack of oxygen would affect their reproductive organs. Fear of impotency becomes highly stressful.
• Inability to be with parents and family in times of domestic emergencies weighs heavily on the minds of many soldiers. They do understand problems relating to exigencies of military service and distances from home, but tend to suffer from guilt complex. They feel that they have failed their parents or family. Earlier joint family system took care of many such exigencies.
• The search for recognition is one of the pursuits which all human beings indulge in and continuously strive for. The same is equally applicable to soldiers. They draw strength to face privations from the love and respect that their countrymen extend to them. Conversely, they are very sensitive to unfair and ill-informed criticism. They wonder if the nation recognises their services and values them. It causes immense despair to them. Consequently, their capacity to withstand adversities suffers.

When Stress becomes a Threat

As has been discussed earlier, stress within limits is desirable. However, once the threshold gets crossed, warning signals must be taken note of and preventive mechanism activated. As prevention is always better than cure, it is best to identify stressors and initiate advance action to minimise their intensity.

Additionally, troops and commanders should be trained and prepared to manage them. Some of the major stressors faced by Indian soldiers have been discussed below.

Overstretched Functioning

Given India’s geographical compulsions with long boundaries with inimical neighbours and internal unrest, Army’s commitments are going to remain heavy in the foreseeable future. Therefore, troops will continue to have prolonged tenures in remote and dangerous environments. National security can never be compromised as that is the raison d’être of the Army. What can, however, be done is to minimise, and even eliminate, avoidable and extraneous work load. There is immense scope for the same.

One of the primary reasons for excessive work load is unduly short command tenures, as increase in command vacancies has not kept pace with increase in higher ranks. A unit commander stays in command for two years normally. In such a short period he has to make his mark and earn good reports to get nomination for career courses and promotion to the next rank. He drives his unit hard without any let up. Similarly, a brigade commander gets only 18 to 24 months to impress his military bosses to get nominated to the prestigious National Defence College course.  He keeps his brigade on its toes, lest any undue relaxation spoils his career prospects. The same is the case with divisional commanders as their tenure rarely exceeds 18 months.

The Indian Army is a command oriented organization. Promotions are totally dependent on command performance. All commanders in their respective short tenures have to earn their spurs and hence cannot allow any leisure time to the troops. Such a state of affairs results in continued engagement of troops on field exercises, demonstrations, sand model exercises, training camps and field firing camps. Leaves get curtailed to ensure maximum presence at all activities. Troops get exhausted with no respite whatsoever.

Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) is considered by most to be an avoidable encumbrance. Though well intentioned, it has degenerated into a parallel command structure with immense nuisance value. Every single unit commander wants to be freed from AWWA activities. There have been cases where unit commanders have preferred Siachen Glacier to peace tenures as they dreaded AWWA irritants. An infantry unit, when offered extended stay in a peace station, declined to accept it for similar reasons. AWWA activities are considered extraneous, burdensome, taxing and stressful. Most soldiers feel that the only purpose served by AWWA is to satisfy the ego of senior ladies and give them a façade/cover to meddle in normal military functioning.

The magnitude and frequency of celebrating unit days and other occasions has increased considerably during the last few decades. Organization of social functions for visiting dignitaries on five-star scale has become a routine. As these social dos are taken very seriously by the seniors, units get hard pressed to ensure flawless organization. In one of the divisions in a peace station, all units were asked to organize picnics by rotation and the unit commanders were graded accordingly for their organizational skills. Soldiers understand the absurdity of such employment and resent it. Such social activities mean additional work load for the troops with resultant reduction in leisure time.

Lack of Adequate Communication between Leaders and the Led

Group cohesiveness is the best protection against stress related break-downs and group cohesion is totally dependent on the degree of rapport built between commanders at various levels and their subordinates. Rapport, on the other hand, is a function of inter-personal communication in a group. Soldiers willingly repose unflinching faith in a commander who establishes an equation based on empathetic relationships. In other words, a commander assumes the role of a friend, guide and mentor. A soldier feels assured of his immediate commander’s support in all matters, both official and domestic.

Earlier, immense stress was laid on commanders knowing their men and their problems. Visiting officers used to check this aspect diligently. Platoon ‘make-and-mend parades’ and games with troops contributed in promoting rapport. Additionally, ‘arzi report’ and ‘sainik sammelan’ provided ample opportunities to the soldiers to put up their personal and collective points to commanders in the chain of command. Serious cognizance was taken of all issues raised and feedback provided to the concerned personnel. Commanders used the platform of ‘sainik sammelans’ to keep troops informed of various policy issues and other developments.

Unfortunately, over the last few years, there has been a complete breakdown of communication between commanders and their subordinates. Platoon parades and games with troops have gone out of practice. ‘Arzi reports’ and ‘sainik sammelans’ are given perfunctory importance. Soldiers are discouraged to put up any issue lest records show dissatisfaction of troops.

Acute shortage of officers is the primary cause for this state of affairs. Units which are authorized 24 officers are being made to function with 7–9 officers. A company which should have 4–5 officers is being manned by a single officer. It is well nigh impossible for him either to know all soldiers in the company or to look after their welfare adequately. “Who has time to know men?” is the common refrain. Shortage of officers coupled with overloaded working environment make a deadly combination in which the officers have no time for their troops. Such a situation lends itself to acts of desperation by some over-stressed and distressed soldiers.

Social Inequalities and Discrimination

Social interaction is encouraged in the services to promote cohesion amongst officers. They also provide an opportunity for senior commanders to gauge the morale of their junior officers by engaging them in casual and informal conversation. Earlier, this aspect was taken very seriously by all commanders. Commanders and their wives considered it to be their bounden duty to mingle with all to feel the pulse. Any undercurrent of dissatisfaction was noticed by them and corrective action initiated to nip the problem in the bud. Field Marshal Manekshaw had issued informal orders that he did not want his senior staff officers to surround him in social gatherings as he wanted to interact with junior officers and their spouses. Same was the practice followed by Lieutenant General Bhagat and others.

Sadly, social functions have got reduced to networking opportunities. Senior officers and their ladies, surrounded by their cronies, remain confined to a separate VIP corner. Every function today has separate tables and enclosures for senior officers to ensure that they get exclusive hospitality. On one hand, such social discrimination and stratification keeps commanders totally ignorant of brewing dissatisfaction, while on the other hand, subordinate officers consider such treatment as an affront to their self respect. Thus, social interaction which should promote cohesion ends up creating dissentions. A minor grievance may take the form of major dissent if not noticed and addressed in time.

Rashtriya Rifles and Counter Insurgency Operations

Rashtriya Rifle (RR) units have been raised for fighting internal insurgency. The format may have been working well operationally but has many negative attributes as regards man-management. Officers and soldiers are drawn from different units. They come together for a single tenure and revert to their respective parent units thereafter. Therefore, while serving in RR units the troops miss their regimental buddies and officers.  Many soldiers feel insecure and resent absence of mutual camaraderie.

As all RR units are located in high risk insurgency-infested areas, soldiers are subjected to intense physical pressure. Without the support of familiar regimental environment, emotional anxieties rise to precarious levels, thereby depleting soldiers’ strength to withstand prolonged exposure to stresses.

Another issue dogging RR units pertains to burgeoning court cases. Making false allegations against the armed forces is a standard ploy of anti-national elements the world over. It is the easiest way to win public sympathy while discrediting and demoralizing soldiers. Militants in Kashmir have understood the power of such misinformation campaigns. Whenever under pressure, phony accusations are made against soldiers for alleged molestation of women or for looting civilian property. Every single case of misdemeanor by soldiers has been thoroughly and diligently probed by the armed forces and almost all of them have found to be baseless.

As politicians can never miss an opportunity to exploit such issues, they jump in the fray and start demanding legal action against falsely accused soldiers. Media and self-styled human rights activists start a hate campaign to malign the forces. Cases are registered by the local police. Beleaguered soldiers have a miserable time responding to court summons and proving their innocence. Unfortunately, little help is extended to them by the services. They are left to fend for themselves. They feel let down. Many soldiers wonder whether aggressive anti-terrorist actions are worth the risk of getting embroiled in false court cases. There have been numerous cases where such predicament has generated unbearable stress.

Inadequacy of Grievance Redressal Mechanism

Although the importance of an effective grievance redressal mechanism is well understood, inadequate attention is being paid to this critical aspect of man-management. This is proved by the fact that over one lakh armed force related cases are pending in different courts in India with more than 10,000 cases in various High Courts. As per the rules, all service personnel are allowed to seek audience with their commanders to apprise them of their complaint and seek redressal. In case not fully satisfied, they can submit written appeals to the Chief (non-statutory complaints) and the Government (statutory complaints). Time-bound action has been mandated on such complaints. Against the laid down time span of six months for final disposal, a complainant considers himself fortunate if he receives dispensation during his service. Most complaints shuttle up and down the bureaucratic hierarchy on technicalities.

The Military Secretary’s Branch, tasked to handle all complaints, has acquired notoriety for inaction and total lack of empathy and urgency. Complainants have to pull strings or visit Delhi repeatedly to coax action on their representations. The whole system is so insensitive that unless an individual can exert pressure, nothing moves. In some cases, complainants retire before their cases are finally disposed off, making the whole exercise meaningless. Handling of complaints by the Ministry of Defence is even more slipshod. Functionaries have to be approached to have the files moved. There are also allegations of some favors being sought as quid pro quo.

Entry of Women Officers

Concern for equality of sexes and political expediency forced the Government to allow intake of women as officers in select arms and services in 1992. Although no formal attempt has ever been made to study the effect of women’s entry on the officer cadre, discussions with most commanding officers reveal that the presence of women has created additional and totally unwarranted stress amongst officers. Over 40 commanding officers were spoken to and all were of the view that there has been a discernible increase in inter-personal tensions.

Presence of women amongst males tends to make the environment formal and stiff. Men miss their light hearted banter which is considered essential to release work tensions and promote group cohesion. They consider women to be intruding on their privacy. Moreover, many officers resent additional work load that they have to take on as many tasks cannot be delegated to women.

Mutual comfort level between men and women colleagues is low as societal and cultural ethos continue to be mired in sex discrimination. Most of the women opting for a career in the services belong to families where their upbringing has been in a highly sheltered environment. A career in the military is at the other extreme. Even casual friendship between a woman officer and her male colleague is construed as a developing relationship. At times the emotional quotient becomes so high that it generates jealousies and envy. There have been a number of cases where either a woman officer or a male colleague have taken friendship as long term emotional commitment and suffered mental breakdown when things went awry.

Managing Stress and the Way Forward

Undoubtedly, the problem is serious. It will not be incorrect to describe it as a failure of command. Therefore, reforms must start at the command level. A three-pronged approach should be followed as discussed below.

• Command Level Initiatives.

• All efforts should be made to increase command tenures at all levels to provide continuity, as short tenures result in hectic pace of activities for troops. Such a measure will have to be implemented in a graduated manner.
• Maximum period in a year for which troops can be exercised must be unequivocally laid down. Adequate period for recuperation and recreation must be ensured.
• Intake of officers should be increased by making Short Service Commission attractive by assuring second careers to all.
• Commanders must identify themselves with their troops by close and regular interaction. They should also be trained to read symptoms of stress building up in a soldier and initiate corrective action in time.

• Organizational Level Reforms.

• Status of soldiers must be improved. They should be made to feel wanted and respected. Civil authorities should be impressed upon to extend all possible help to the families of the soldiers who are posted in field areas.
• Platoon parades and games with the troops must be made compulsory and given as much importance as operational training.
• The system of redressal of grievances must be made more responsive and considerate. Troops must be convinced that their genuine concerns would be attended to in a just, fair and time-bound manner.
• Policy on induction of women officers should be regularly reviewed and modified as per the feed back received.
• Maintenance of cantonments and other routine tasks should be outsourced to civilian agencies to reduce administrative load on units.
• Psychological Level Measures.

• Every unit should have a few officers trained in elementary counseling functions. Timely and on-the-spot counseling can prevent many potentially risky cases.
• Religious teachers should be capable of giving discourses which soothe strained nerves and put troops at ease during tough times. They should also be given training in handling sensitive soldiers and help them in ridding negative thoughts.
• Yoga is another effective method of helping soldiers to cope up with stresses. It should be done regularly and under expert supervision.
• Buddy system should be promoted. Every soldier should have a buddy who acts as his companion, confidante and alter-ego. Buddy provides a shoulder to unload fears and apprehensions. Secondly and more importantly, an alert buddy can gauge abnormal behavioral changes at an early stage and bring the matter to their commander’s notice.

Intensity of stress is always based on the perceptions and responses of humans trying to adapt to the challenges of everyday life. These challenges in military life are different than those faced by civilians, both in terms of threat of physical harm and emotional security. In the case of the Indian military, these stresses acquire heightened severity due to prolonged deployment in challenging environments and absence of family support.

Finally, introduction of much-needed organizational and institutional changes to keep the environment free of excessive stress is the ideal way of dealing with the problem. As the threshold of tolerance varies in individuals, it is equally essential to keep a close watch on soldiers who display signs of getting stressed. In case local commanders feel that expert medical or psychiatric help is required, there should be no hesitation in seeking that. Management of stress is a function of command for which innovative measures are needed.