Tackle conflict with joint politico-military approach
As India celebrated 75 years of Independence, Indian Army soldiers guarding the borders did not have the luxury of a holiday. Instead, just as they have been doing for the past 75 years, they were in a state of eternal vigil, manning their posts, patrolling the Himalayas and preventing terrorist acts. Since Independence, India has achieved enormous successes and become an influential power that commands global respect. However, there is much also that remains to be done. While many institutions have contributed to India’s rise, I will trace the role played by the Indian Army and the challenges it needs to confront as it looks ahead.
The Indian Army has been in a continuous state of conflict since 1947. Two months after Independence, it was engaged in its first and longest war in Jammu and Kashmir. Over a period of more than a year, the Army secured the Kashmir Valley, recaptured Rajouri, linked up with Poonch and opened the route to Leh. Without these successes, India’s control over Jammu and Kashmir would have been almost impossible.
The debacle of the 1962 war and the near-stalemate of the 1965 war gave valuable lessons that led to the finest hour of the Indian Army in 1971. This war firmly established India’s primacy in South Asia. Although 1971 was the last major war fought by the Indian Army, there has been no period of calm for the soldiers. The Indian Peace Keeping Force to Sri Lanka in the late 1980s, the Kargil conflict in 1999 and the ongoing insurgencies and counter-terrorist operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeastern states have seen the Army in continuous conflict.
There have been some setbacks, but on balance, the Army can be justifiably proud of its contribution to India’s post-Independence history. It must now consider the challenges that lie ahead.
The first of these is in the handling of our internal conflicts. The Indian Army has achieved significant success in controlling insurgencies in the Northeast states. In Jammu and Kashmir, violence has reduced significantly from the peak levels of the early 2000s, though terrorists still retain the ability to carry out some high-profile attacks. The Army now needs to consider transiting from the conflict-management stage to the conflict-resolution stage.
It is often stated that the soldiers’ job in an internal conflict is to bring the violence under control by weakening the insurgent organisations. Thereafter, it is for the political leadership to initiate steps for a permanent resolution of the problem. Unfortunately, this siloed approach has often meant that military success and political initiatives are not integrated while planning the strategy.
Conflict resolution requires a combined politico-military approach. This should not be seen as the Army overstepping its turf but as operating in line with the political guidelines set by the government. This will strengthen civil-military relations, which are currently characterised by an absence of serious dialogue on strategic matters. Military leaders must seek clear political objectives and give frank, professional advice on how they view the success or failure of the ongoing strategy. If our internal conflicts can be resolved, it will not only strengthen India’s national security but also free the Army for its primary role of defending the nation from external threats.
And, the external threats have grown as China looms large on the security landscape. With the confidence-building measures that held peace along the Line of Actual Control in shreds, the Indian Army is realigning its military posture toward the northern borders. This is a welcome step, but much more comprehensive actions are required to deal with a future military threat from China.
The first step is to develop a combined warfighting strategy for the northern borders. This must take into consideration the People’s Liberation Army’s expanding capabilities in cyber, electronic warfare, missile force and space. The warfighting strategy will suggest organisational structures and the type of capabilities required for the future.
Some reports suggest that the Army has decided to cut its strength by around two lakh over the next two to three years. This will demand a fresh look at the current organisations and the need for creating new structures for enhancing capability in the fields of long-range systems, cyber operations, information warfare, unmanned systems etc.
Even as the Army inducts modern weapons into its arsenal, it must also deal with the churn in its human resource management. The Agnipath scheme is a radical change in the system of recruitment and concerns have been expressed about its impact on the character and professionalism of the Indian Army. The leadership in the Army, particularly at the middle and junior levels, will have to lead from the front to ensure that the Agniveers maintain the same levels of motivation that have traditionally characterised the soldiers of the Indian Army.
There is some talk today about the Army’s existing ethos, culture and traditions. There have been calls to indigenise military customs and change some traditional practices that are termed a colonial legacy. Changes can certainly be made, but only after a serious debate within the Army on the impact of tampering with the traditions and the ethos that have been the foundation of its professionalism.
The key ingredients of the military ethos are constant across democracies, cultures and times. The ethos is unique and promotes values like honour, self-sacrifice, courage, loyalty and comradeship. It accepts the supremacy of civilian rule and fosters diversity. When the Army units celebrate battle honour days dating back to pre-Independence times, they pay tributes to battles where officers and soldiers of different faiths came together to answer the call of duty, often at the cost of their lives. There are valuable lessons in this history.
Each period of time comes with its unique set of challenges. The Indian Army must display the agility to reform to meet these challenges while ensuring that its institutional strength and values are not diluted. It is the institutional mettle of the Army that has earned it the trust of Indian citizens.
