Tall order to assume armed forces ready for joint war: Vohra

New Delhi, October 25

Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra today mentioned the slow pace of military reforms, saying it would be a “tall order” to assume that the armed forces were ready to fight a joint war.

Each of the three services have grown independent of each other by having separate war-fighting doctrines, said Vohra, who served as Defence Secretary between March 1990 and April 1993. He said the time had come for a joint war doctrine.

On the impending military reforms, he said, “We cannot talk of theaterisation, collectivity or integration just by giving commanders the authority to punish their subordinates.”

After the appointment of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the task was to bring the three services together to think, plan operations and fight a joint war, said Vohra.

He was speaking at the release of the book “India’s National Security Challenges”, which he has edited. Former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon delivered the keynote address.

“We have to see what the military is capable of doing in the current and emerging context. The cooperation of joint war-fighting, like the one seen during the 1971 war with Pakistan, is a rare example,” he said.

“Having a collective punch is easy to talk but not easy to bring about,” the former Jammu and Kashmir Governor said, adding “we need greater understanding at the political level”.

“The time has come to form ‘national security administrative service’ that will serve not just the Central government but also the state governments. There is lack of understanding between states and the Centre on matters of national security,” he said. Vohra referred to the Kargil Review Committee and its report, adding the scenario now was “far more complex, far more threatening”.

Menon said reforms initiated by Gen Bipin Rawat were in a freeze. He mentioned National Defence University, saying it had been a non-starter. The operational role of the CDS, if any, needed to be specified, said Menon.