Media can mar or make the war efforts. Enhance or rubbish the image within minutes if the communication skills remain poor. There was a time when whatever little the military public relations doled out was considered sacred. Not any more.
With the arrival of the private channels and the Internet, news travels in picture form accompanied by text in real time, internationally. In a free society transparency is vital to keep it emancipated. Yet there is an equal compulsion to maintain the essential element of military secrecy.
Media can mar or make the war efforts. Enhance or rubbish the image within minutes if the communication skills remain poor.
Democracy is the softest system of governance (with the highest cost benefit ratio accruing to the individual), which can easily be twisted, balkanised or encircled by the adversary in this region, unless it is backed by substantial military power.
Equally vital is the role of the media to keep the arrangement free and fair. Unlike totalitarian regimes where the ruler considers in its citizenry ignorance as bliss, in a successful democracy right to know is an inbuilt pillar of strength. However, as militaries universally run on tight regimented hierarchies to ensure operational precision, they naturally contain a fair share of elements prevalent in any autocracy. Media on the other hand is devoid of any such inhibitions an essential pre-requisite in a democracy. Both offer protection — military against the antagonistic forces to the nation and the media against oppressive or faulty governance.
Further, media is a prime strategic vehicle to launch information and psychological warfare that will subtly push for democratic norms in our neighborhood without interfering in internal affairs of others. Indian Defence Forces (IDF) by their job definition (and like any other military in a democracy) is evolutionary in approach. However, media to sustain democratic polity is revolutionary — vital to accelerate the pace of change in the society. While they both are essential to the success of a free society, contradictions in professional requirements tend to, at times, post each other as an adversary.
This clash came to the fore in Kargil. Army and the media witnessed synergy as well as conflict of interest. On discovering intrusions, media mercilessly questioned the intelligence failure. At the outbreak of hostilities the same media walked an extra mile to build up national sentiments. On termination it raised prickly issues of command failure. The top brass became extremely sensitive to criticism. It de-linked incoming and outgoing telephone calls subsequently from civil exchanges to cut the negative information flow. Media continued to access information from military personnel on leave, their families and former soldiers — thereby, defeating this shortsighted measure.
“¦ enormous benefits can accrue to the military (thereby the nation) if they learn to use media as a force multiplier.
Instead of being rankled, it is time, generals, admirals and marshals meticulously examine the shortfall in the legitimate flow of information due to an ancient mindset bedeviling their public relations offices. At best of times the military public relations offices are in tatters — from paucity of funds, poor accessibility, to lack of real time information. The simple truth is that with extraordinary technology and means of communications available to media, it will ferret out information anyway. Frontline reporting will be mostly by twenty something reporter. Neither is he bound by the traditional parameters of restrain exhibited by elder journalist of the yore nor can he afford to miss the deadlines. With enormous pressures, his attention span will be short.
Therefore if one cannot quickly and credibly put across his/her viewpoint, one ends up losing half the battle even before it begins. Impacting on this is another factor. Just the way military today competes for manpower in the open market; similarly different channels, news agencies and newspapers/magazines vie with each other for news in a free society! Sensationalism? Maybe. Enhancing viewership/readership? Definitely. Enticing sound byte or a headline? Positively. Hence, as the story breaks out, the military must learn to act decisively and with dispatch to correct the tilt, if any.
Tactical appreciation of the tehelka.com expose produces the following picture. First New Delhi recoiled and refused to battle it out for the first twenty-four hours. Result: Public perceptions were allowed to go into a tailspin. These withdrawal symptoms are reminiscent of 1857 Mutiny. Despite a superior ratio of 3:1, Indians lost as they continued to fight from fixed positions. Fort mentality haunts us even today. As in Kandahar or Kargil. Similarly, in the Red Fort shoot out, Army headquarters was placed out of bounds for the legitimate visitors.
By imposing restrictions like these, a nation state is emitting signals of weakness by admitting that it is unable to conduct normal transactions. This exactly is what the enemy is trying to enforce from Kashmir to the Red Fort. Let’s not get into the famous Indian defensive-defence (a no good posture) that continuously added layers of woes to the Republic. The tehelka expose once again demonstrated the fallacy of fighting from fixed positions by withdrawing inside the deemed superficial security of a fort. Second. When the elders finally did manage to respond, they were unfocussed.
“¦ so far military has shown little understanding of its own public relations offices, thereby imposing limits on its ability to effectively benefit from the biggest force multiplier of the modern age.
In their view it was a conspiracy. Or that they had inherited a lousy system. A convenient comparison with earlier scams was sited. This was neither here nor there for it did not address the problem at hand. Grave charges of corruption with visuals in tow required swift action and explanations. Rest of the arguments were of no import at this stage. Ultimately, it was the younger generation in the ruling coalition, which waged a relentless battle to salvage some of the poise. Unlike the civil, army responded firmly to retrieve at least partially the citizens’ faith.
Media, meanwhile, continued to play its natural role of a watchdog. Arguments from both ends received a fair share of reporting. Questions were sharp. Answers needed to be specific. Generation divide was clearly visible. While dealing with the new generation, that has more or less thought things out before its feet hit the ground, evasive answers will simply not work. The politicians, bureaucrats and generals cannot wish away the media. And yet, enormous benefits can accrue to the military (thereby the nation) if they learn to use media as a force multiplier.
Indispensable when the military faces prospects of one-and-a-half front war perpetually. With the enemy launching another half-front inside the country (being aware that one hand is tied behind) force multiplication is mandatory. Imperative as the troops formulate their own perceptions based on media reports. Therefore, impetus to stimulate interface with the media are essential. And feasible.
First and foremost, create integrated Media Centres with adequate modern facilities for the Press in metros and major cities/ in areas where military units/formations are deployed on active duty. The command and control should vest with a major general or equivalent at New Delhi. Expertise of officers from the three services should be made available in each centre. This user-friendly institution will ensure better coverage of problems faced by the forces. Second. All information that is not classified should easily be accessible with the help of computers military needs to build its constituency in a democracy! Interconnectivity of the centres via Internet will make it possible so that the common brief/pictures are simultaneously available throughout the country, minimising scope for undue speculation or mischief. Third. Today public relations also incorporate in itself two vital components information and psychological warfare.
Competent officers with requisite skills, therefore, must man media centres. Unfortunately, so far military has shown little understanding of its own public relations offices”¦
For example, to subvert Indo-Nepal relations, rumoor mongering by vested interests led to riots against India. Indo-Nepal relations took a nosedive. The first televised war in Kargil consolidated opinion against Pakistan to an extent that a visitor from there was forced to observe “the hardening of attitude in India”. Or the calibrated Australian statement (though there exist no disputes) that the modernisation of Indian Navy constitutes a threat to them is beginning to cause anxiety amongst smaller countries in the LOR.
Competent officers with requisite skills, therefore, must man media centres. Unfortunately, so far military has shown little understanding of its own public relations offices, thereby imposing limits on its ability to effectively benefit from the biggest force multiplier of the modern age. Fourth. Encourage young journalists into Territorial Army to serve with battalions in active areas. Let them gain first-hand knowledge of ships, aircrafts or counter-insurgency operations.
While filing reports, they will be better equipped to project the military. Similarly, get officers attached during their study leave with the electronic and the print media. This will bestow insight into the functioning as well as compulsions of the media. As officers on study leave continue to draw their pay and perks, to accommodate them as part of on-the-job training should not pose a problem for either.
The day India became a nuclear weapon state, it lost the privilege of adopting ostrich like positions. It cannot anymore afford to fight from either fixed positions or run behind the ramparts of the fort. The historical burden of withdrawal symptoms should be replaced with quick responses in any developing crisis in the vicinity. Therefore, a large synergy with media must be achieved through interactive and competent public relations outfits. While the military schools do not teach it but the fact is that in geo-strategic calculations, the media is an essential weapon platform that can further the national interests faster than any other institution.
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