Shooting through the lip

THE Modi government’s conscious blurring of the line between the military’s operational autonomy and partisan political objectives has rubbed on to the service chiefs. Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat seemed to have overlooked the well-proven axiom that the key to accomplishing foreign policy objectives is skilful diplomacy, and not military prowess. His declaration that India is prepared for two-and-a-half-front war, which includes both the external and internal enemies, may have been tested in sand model war games. But in public, none has gone so far as to suggest that one’s own citizens could also be potential enemies. The Indian Air Force Chief, who the other day was complaining about badly depleting force levels, has now followed in his wake.

The quick turnover of Defence Ministers may have compelled the government’s security managers to deploy the service chiefs in a domain reserved for diplomats and politicians. However, the rattling of the sabres to essentially meet foreign policy objectives appears terribly misplaced. The Doklam standoff with China is a salutary lesson in how military muscle is no substitute for diplomatic resourcefulness. After the loud claims of victory, it now transpires that there are more Chinese soldiers in that region and what’s more, they have restarted work on a road that was at the root of the standoff. Neither Gen Rawat nor Air Chief Marshal Dhanoa, both ready to tee off a two-front war, has any solution on resolving this security headache on a tiny sliver of land.

  Despite the talking up of India’s defence preparedness, an audit has revealed an embarrassing shortfall in India’s war reserves. And despite the professed commonality of objectives, the service chiefs do not agree on a unified military command like the well-oiled war machines of the US, Russia and China. Historically, and as the US has painfully learnt, sole reliance on military force does not work very well. Though nationalist sentiments are peaking, it will be perilous to cede space to the other side of the civil-military equation, even if temporarily.