Indian Defence Review

“When thou has profited so much that you respectest thyself, thou mayest let go thy tutor”— Seneca

General

After my retirement from the Army, I have been working as a Principal in some of the very reputed schools of Rohtak which is an educational centre in Haryana. The area is considered as nursery for recruitment in the armed forces both in the rank of officers and men. Almost all schools, have been preparing the students for the entry into the NDA, IMA and other academies and institutions for the armed forces, with reasonably good success.

A few questions which are generally asked of the instructors with defence background by the students are “What makes a soldier to follow the maxim of do or die? Does not he get the feeling of fear? What make a body of men to obey an order, which at times, gives the clear message of death? These are very relevant questions which will be often asked, by the students who are preparing for that career. Within the precincts of these questions, lie the meaning of army, its welfare measures, war, discipline, training, command structure, obedience, qualities of soldiers, elements of cohesive working and et al. For clearing the fog on such questions, we should as such understand the meaning and effects of some of these terms more deeply with attendant implications. The deep insight into these issues will explain to us as to what makes a man fight.

Army and its Ethos

Army is a very old profession which had been raised to protect one’s society and subjugate others who oppose its freedom, philosophy and challenge its survival, since time immemorial, meaning thereby, involving fighting against them. Man has always been fighting for one reason or the other, be that a woman, pasture, territory dominance, loot, exploitation or subjugation, without which, such ventures are not normally undertaken. For coming to terms with such requirements, the army has developed its own ethos of working, which are beautifully enshrined in the following adage:-

“Theirs is not a reason why
Theirs is but to do or die.

In other words the strength of the army lies in its strict discipline and undeviating obedience to its superior officers. Discipline is the bedrock and soul of the army life. It makes small number formidable, procures success to the weak and esteem to all in the organisation. Ethos of the army, are very strong and develop over a period of time. It does not permit the lot to leave the line of structured obedience. “To have respect for ourselves guides our morals and to have deference for others, governs our manners” – Sterne

War and its Causes

Before going into the core of this very important issue, let us be clear about, as to what is war and what does this involve. The life of the countries is like that of men. The later have the right of killing in self-defence, same way former can make wars for its own survival and preservation. Nevertheless, wars today have got numerous reasons also but the ones given below are rather the main:-

• Either actual or threatening wrong by one country to the other
• Suspicion by one country that another intends to do it wrong.
• The bitterness of feelings dependent upon substantial question of difference. It is sort of permanent hatred.

The basic reason of these three causes of war is actual injustice. Right causes are the strong motivation for carrying out duties by army men. Right the cause, right will be the effect. Reasons for war, in a democratic country, like ours must be conveyed in a forceful manner to troops. It will have effect on their performance.

Soldiering and State

Soldiering is a profession, where the man becomes a part of the machine in such a way that he is propelled automatically to play his part and there is no escape from that. Such an army becomes the important arm of the State and the State uses it as and when required. For safeguarding the State, the use of the soldiers is a must. It may be correct that in many cases ignorance, poverty and vanity could have forced some people to join soldiering but once they are within the four walls they have to learn how to save the interest of the country and if needed, at the cost of their own lives. Soldiering therefore can be termed as a pious profession irrespective of the outcome of the war. Soldiers, in fighting the war will do their duties in the best possible manner, if following are ensured:-

• Political will of the country to fight for its interest.
• Support of the masses due to a genuine cause.
• Preparedness of the armed forces to deal with the adversary.

The wars will take place and continue till all the anomalies are removed, which are, in reality beyond human endeavours due to varied perceptions of problems by various countries. Therefore, it is important that well-trained and highly motivated army is maintained by the country. In an educated society, soldiers are not as dumb as they used to be. For giving his best in war, he has to be satisfied with the cause and also for preparations of war.

System of working in Army

The army works on three important pillars of order, authority and seniority. The meaningful training with the above-mentioned points in mind, makes a junior to treat his senior as demi God. Whatever a senior says and it is finally understood and accepted by juniors has to be carried out. There are no two ways about it. The man has to develop an animal within himself, which forces him to work the way he does. He in all activities in armed forces has to measure himself in terms of enemy’s capabilities and strength vis-a-vis his training and discipline. Successive stages of command ensure that orders rather than getting diluted get accentuating effect for firmness. Everyone is made to obey his superiors and that is the ethos of the armed forces. Therefore, a senior commander has to be a man of extraordinary capabilities, so that no body dares to challenge his orders. A good leader works like a good root, out of which branches off the courage of the soldier and that springs out further. And to be finally prepared for war is one of the most effectual ways of preserving peace but it can be done only by capable commander, who is selected one. The right of command, is no longer an advantage transmitted by nature like inheritance. It is the fruit of labour and price of courage. For soldiering, the up-stepping order of precedence is very very important. For all in the chain, therefore, the reputation is uppermost in the mind of everyone and same makes him proud and working to the best of his capabilities. It helps in our understanding as to why a soldier fights, and what makes him to do so.

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On the Job Training

The author passed out from IMA Dehradun in 1964 and was commissioned in 7 Sikh. The unit was located at Punch in J&K, where I joined them. It was an active area, where exchange of fire with the enemy, used to be a routine affair. Similarly going out for pursuits was not uncommon. The life on the posts was totally operation oriented. In such a situation one learns those aspects of military life, which one could not have learnt in IMA where there is no live enemy. Here one learns his tasks the hard way. This profession demands a high degree of obedience, courage, physical fitness and promptitude. In case of difficulty, the troops look towards an officer. The officers, therefore, are required to have a high standard of training and possess an effective personality. The troops will take the officers seriously only when they see them, as a perfect human being with very high personal standard in all respects and with a learning attitude. A sensible leader will realise that nothing short of required standards will work with the command of troops. In an operation the troops look towards an officer, for everything, be that an order, reaction or action. It means that one learns when he gets a chance and that way keeps learning through out life. In other words whole life is a learning process.

Officers and Men

Officers and men, join together to make an outfit a bedrock of discipline, worthy of warding off the enemy’s manoeuvers and moves and achieve success. They both are part of the same machine having their respective roles to play, which require clear understanding.

Officers

The lot of officers makes the unit as all orders emanate from them. They before becoming officers are subjected to a very thorough and systematic scrutiny for selection and then a rigorous training for years at the academies. Once fully trained and passed out as Commissioned Officers are supposed to be cream of the society, strength of the army and jewels and property of nation. For them the fighting against the enemy means:-

• To uphold their own reputation and self respect among the juniors, equals and seniors.
• To uphold the honour of the position and rank, one holds and its obligations and be proud of one’s behaviour and dignity.
• To uphold the honour of the society, caste or community, they belong to.
• To uphold the safety, honour and welfare of the Indian army and the country.
• To uphold the pride, “izzat” and traditions of the Indian army and the regiment, he is commissioned into.

There are different types of officers, coming from totally different backgrounds with their special community traits and reactionary attitude. It initially makes difference for their settling down in a unit, his grooming by seniors and guiding him in the profession. All officers are not lucky enough to be placed in a favourable atmosphere, but that is what, which happens in a country like ours with diverse customs, traditions, culture and ways of life. One has to learn, how to get adjusted wherever placed. One cannot blame the circumstances but should do his best. He has to circumvent all hurdles himself and come up as an able person to be obeyed to the hilt in his unit/sub-unit. Everything cannot come his way without concerted efforts. Difficulties have to be faced and surmounted to the best of one’s capabilities. I am reminded of an incident. A young officer just posted in the unit, wrote about his well-being etc. to his friends. One of his friends wrote back asking him “Dil Lag gaya Ki Nahi” as to how was he feeling and should be settled by now. He replied him “Dil to lag gaya lekin pair nahin lage” as he was feeling alright but cannot say ‘settled’ because he was pushed around hell of a lot as the “Man Friday” – the adjutant in the unit wanted to establish his authority on the youngsters. Officers make the unit and see that the men go to the battle unhesitatingly obeying their orders and that is what is required. He is a class apart and has to maintain that throughout. He leads by example and his location is always at the head of the pack. He has got the sanction for the command which has to be enforced.

“It is essential that the authority of officers in military service be preserved. That is the reason, they have set rules for the methods of communication between ordinary jawans and higher officers. If there are too much rubbing of elbows, it will soon affect the structure”

For getting on the right track, the officer should ensure that his orders are not taken lightly. The officers are the backbone. If officers are able and capable, an ordinary soldier will not at all be thinking of ignoring their orders. That will make him to go straight into the battle and perform as ordered. The officer should take stand and abide by his convictions. He cannot afford to burn the candle at both the ends, he has to be a man of the men. For the faith reposed by fellow countrymen, he has to ensure service before self, a price one ought to be proud to pay. “He cannot be hybrid product between both a careerist and a man who takes stand.” The officer has to maintain a very high standard of his conduct, competence and character to make the men realise and see that they obey him to the point of giving their last ounce.

Training of Junior Officers

Another side of the study is also worth mentioning. That is the treatment of juniors by seniors. An officer will normally not have any problems from the men but the attitude of certain seniors can be a cause of spoiling the lives of certain youngsters due to various reasons bordering narrow-mindedness, parochialism, caste, creed and what not. Here comes the role of commanding officer, who must rein in such elements. They try to win the favour of the commanding officer by using very clever manoeuvring and have rollicking time. An officer was posted back in his unit, located in a peace station after the staff tenure. Knowing the attitude of a very senior officer, who had a say and sway in the unit, the officer decided to report a day earlier so that he can get settled for a day after which he would definitely to shuttled around. As expected he was given the royal treatment, in the first hour of his landing in the unit, without being asked for a cup of tea or lunch and was made to carry his stuff on the firing range joining the troops carrying out practice. Such tendency must be observed, checked and uprooted by commanding officer. We all have seen the careers of many outstanding officers being permanently ruined by the machination of self-seekers. Such noddings will have a direct bearing on the theory of what makes a man fight.

Men

There are various types of troops, one has to serve with. They have got their specific qualities and characteristics, which play very important role. An officer has to understand the traits of the troops which help him to settle himself and command them effectively. Unless one knows the unit well, he will not be able to lead them. Same way the troops understand the officer, as per the quality of talent, boldness and courage to face the difficulties and react accordingly. An order of an accomplished leader will not be disobeyed. They will take you seriously when you prove to them that you mean business. This is what, will make them to fight and lay down their lives at the time of need. For an ordinary soldier, the meaning of fighting an enemy is the same, as to an officer, but for him, his caste, comrades, immediate seniors and to some extent unit and regiment also play a role. A demand of duty to men as compared to sense of performance of duty, to officers, makes the difference. Personal honour and discipline matter quite a lot in case of men. For them the fighting means:-

• Welfare of the country.
• The community and its respect.
• Comradeship and esprit-de-corps.
• Pride in his profession and personal honour.
• The pride in the unit and the regiment.

Age and Performance

Age plays very critical role. The psychology of soldier too, does change with the advancement of age. It is the young who actually delivers. It is almost an accepted fact that those who won gallantry awards being young, except the exceptions, have not been able to deliver that well in the senior ranks. And higher one goes more susceptible in thought and action he becomes. Most of PVCs, Ashoka Chakras, Sword of Honours, Gold Medalists awarded so, while young specially among officers, in our context have not been able to make to the reasonably higher ranks in their career. The officer or a man alone, will not be of any consequences and will not be able to do anything. Cohesiveness based on single chord of order, authority and seniority passing through the organisation becomes a key to success. It has to be understood that a soldier will fight as he should do if the criteria of order, command, discipline and obedience are adhered to, firmly and decisively beyond any uncertainty. And that makes a man to fight as he does.

Special Characteristics of Sikh Soldier

The Sikh Regiment is one of the oldest regiments of the Indian Army. Its first five units were raised in the later half of the nineteenth century and formed into two Sikh brigades. The units were raised from the remnants of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s army, after the Anglo-Sikh Wars from 1845-1849. Soldiering for a Sikh is therefore inherent in his birth and furthered to be widely tipped, the hard way. The significant point to note is that a Sikh was not made into a first class solider by foreigners. He was already a highly trained and disciplined solider, when drafted by them after the SIKH wars. He had the experience of fighting a long and sustained war and the credit of making him as good, as he is today goes to his ancestry and history.

He is the product of his village, where the atmosphere is different from cities. The cities in all walks of life are different. There is a special virtue in those country houses, in gardens and orchards, in fields, in streams and groves, in rustic recreation and plain manners that neither cities nor metropolitans enjoy. He in such an atmosphere develops certain typical values and characteristics, which make him different from urbanites. He can be best understood by his likes. The battle records of all the Sikh units in 1st World War, 2nd World War and 1947-48 War with Pakistan, 1962 Indo-Chinese conflict and all other operations speak volumes, for a Sikh soldier’s quality and contribution as a warrior. He has characteristics which make him to stand apart from others. These are:-

• Hardihood of his character.
• Dominating courage to survive under most difficult situation and menacing crisis.
• Honour for his words – fidelity to oath.
• Never say die attitude – product of strong culture and traditions.
• Spirit of adaptation.

Conclusion

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It is not one factor, but a combination of various factors mentioned in the forgoing paras that inspire a soldier to manage fear, withstand the stress and strain and give his best in war and peace. Once a soldier adapts himself to these requirements of the profession, it is taken that he will stand and fight like a man against all odds, making it clear as to what compels him to fight and will lay down his life, if situation so demands. In a good unit, there is no alternative but doing the things right way, as one is bound by various criteria. Where an officer can never afford to lose his equanimity and come out to be a man of high moral rectitude, the men must also be trained the hard way and disciplined to the core to fulfill their duties at all costs and to make him as to why does he fight.

“When we build, let us think that we build for ever”

Field Marshal Helmuth Graf has described as to why does a man fight. He says that war is an integral part of God’s ordering of the universe. In war, man’s noblest virtues come into play. Courage and renunciation, fidelity to duty and a readiness for sacrifice that does not stop short of offering up life itself. Without the war the world would become swamped in materialism. It is already given that “war is like love it always finds a way.” If a person happens to be in circumstances where fighting is a norm, he is automatically drawn into its ethos and that conveys as to why does a man fight.

 Courtesy: Book Excerpt: An Infantry Battalion in Combat