Indian Defence Review

We all like to serve under commanders who are non-parochial, value fair play, create a level playing field under their command and guide their subordinate units in the right direction. Any commander can walk into a unit and find a thousand faults with their administration, training or operational standards, but a good commander should be able to identify the strengths and shortcomings of units and in the latter case, make all efforts to bring the unit up to the desired standard. Command of a brigade is more or less an extension of a unit command and is the first step for higher command.

In the opening pages of his book “Defeat Into Victory”, Field Marshal Slim has commented that command of a unit, a Division and an Army are perhaps the most delightful and invigorating experiences in a professional career. Here, I would like to share my experiences of command of a Division during the Kargil War in 1999. When I took over the responsibility of the Dras-Mushkoh Sector on June 01, 1999, initially, the fog of war did cloud my vision, emotions and sentiments, but I endeavoured to keep such apprehensions in check and generate an air of confidence which would percolate to the rank and file. You cannot operate in a ‘zero error syndrome’. Mistakes will be made due to judgement errors, which at times, may result in upsetting your schedule of operations. But these mistakes must be speedily analysed and corrections made to ensure smooth conduct of future operations.

Wars are a rare occurrence and thank God for that. But when war is thrust upon us, the effort of every unit should be to give a good account of itself, lest it is condemned till the next war to redeem its name and honour. A unit basically fights to uphold the age-old tradition of naam, namak and nishan. Any failure in an operation must not be condemned and the unit must be given a fair opportunity to redeem its name and honour. A unit can fail for many reasons and all may not be the fault of the unit. I can recall of three such units who were given a second chance and without exception, all three came out with flying colours, winning the coveted Unit Citation and many gallantry awards. Commanders must have a large heart with its size growing with every rank earned. Pettiness and vindictiveness are traits of a poor leader and such commanders must be identified and weaned out at the appropriate stage of their careers.

In higher command appointments, it always pays to listen to the point of view of your staff and subordinate commanders as they may have fresh and imaginative ideas to offer. I think in today’s environment, it is better to informally interact with subordinate commanders to thrash out and war game future plans rather than follow the stage-managed dramatics of issuing orders as taught in schools of instruction or during exercises. The style of a commander does make a difference but I found that an informal discussion of operational plans in a war scenario to be a conducive platform where subordinate commanders sense the atmosphere wherein they can without inhibition, express their views and offer comments on a plan.

Ground Rules for Commanders

The fact, that we were surprised by the Pakistan Army occupying winter vacated posts and areas, is well known. The situation was bad and with every passing day, the gravity of the intrusion was becoming apparent. The task of restoring the sanctity of the Line of Control to status quo ante was going to be an onerous one. In such situations, commanders at all levels are subjected to various pressures, which are inevitable. It, therefore, becomes incumbent on them to manage the environment right from the battlefield and up to the national level. Under such intense circumstances, subordinates must never feel the pressures and must be allowed to operate in a tension-free environment. The buck must stop at your door step. I had laid down two ground rules for myself which I think I did follow to the best of my ability. Firstly, I would not breathe down the neck of subordinate commanders and secondly I will give them adequate time for recce, preparation and planning for their respective tasks up to the upper limit of a time frame I had set for myself.

How much of details should a commander get involved with? It is difficult to lay down a yardstick and much depends on the personality of a commander. Some commanders like to micro-manage every event and some like to keep themselves adequately informed to be in a position to take sensible decisions. I feel commanders must keep themselves sufficiently away from minor details while getting involved with those details which are going to affect ongoing and future operations. This also gives the staff adequate space to function with freedom and decisiveness within the laid down parameters.

Today, with the widespread influence of social and electronic media, command at all levels has become very challenging. While social media has its advantages of speedily disseminating information, negative and fake news on the media has a far greater impact on the rank and file. Negative news is far more and readily acceptable. Military policy makers need to factor in this aspect. A transparent, fair organisation with good inter-personal relations between the leaders and the led would to a great extent, negate the adverse trends which today are a common occurrence. Keeping the men informed of major policy issues which can be otherwise twisted by the social media, is a command responsibility and contentious issues proliferating on the media sites must be expeditiously addressed. Defence spokespersons in various headquarters must keep track of untruthful information and take corrective action.

Like I have said and reiterate that it depends on the personality of a commander and his style of command. This is not to relegate other equally important aspects of command, such as decisiveness, assertiveness, compassion, determination related to the mission and other such qualities. They all must come as a package to help in paving the way to victory.

Lastly, it needs emphasis that success must always be accredited to your subordinates and their command and failures must rest squarely on your shoulders.