TAIL WAGS THE DOG
ARMY NAVY CIVILIANS - TOPSY TURVY RELATIONSHIP
How
“Civilian Supremacy” Overshadows the Military Fauji
Random
Ramblings of a Retired Mind
By
VIKRAM KARVE
I was
fortunate that I read the classic military novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
before I joined the Navy.
This gave me a
better understand the curious goings on and peculiar behaviour of some of the
idiosyncratic characters I came across in the navy and helped me maintain my
sanity in the rather atypical naval environment.
There were
plenty of “Cathcarts” “Dreedles”
“Scheisskopfs” “Peckems” “Korns” “Captain Blacks” “Milo Minderbinders” “Doc
Daneekas” and “Wintergreens” around; and occasionally you also noticed a
“Yossarian” or a “Dunbar”.
In fact,
during my career in the navy, I saw an analogous caricature of every character
of Catch-22 including some of the female characters.
I am sure you
have read Catch-22.
In case you
haven’t, do read the book – it will surely bring a smile to your lips.
There are many
themes and morals in Catch-22 and one such truism which I found relevant in
today’s navy (and army) is enunciated in chapter XI:
“Without realizing how it had come
about, the combat men in the squadron discovered themselves dominated by the
administrators appointed to serve them. They were bullied, insulted, harassed
and shoved about all day long by one after the other”
If you are a “fauji” I am sure you have observed this
funny phenomenon.
Those who are
meant to serve you, turn the tables on you, and soon, they start dominating
over you.
Civilian
Organizations which were meant to serve the Army Navy and Air Force have
actually started dominating over the Uniformed Defence Forces.
If you have
served in uniform, you may have experienced how support organisations like the
CDA, MES, DRDO, DGQA etc who are meant to serve you actually boss over you and
make you run from pillar to post.
Even within
the army, the “services” push around the “arms”.
The “non-combatant” doctors
are supreme since they can use the “weapon” of “medical category” to make even
the most redoubtable combat officer tremble and bring his ambitions crashing
down.
In the navy,
“Shore Based Moguls” boss over the “man at sea” slogging it out onboard ships.
“Staff
Officers” dominate “line officers” and “defence civilians” overshadow the
uniformed personnel they are supposed to support.
It is not akin
to the tail wagging the dog?
Have things not gone topsy turvy?
Why is the
dominance of “supporting civilians” increasing day by day?
In relative
terms, has the calibre of our generals, admirals and air marshals diminished vis-à-vis
their civilian counterparts?
Over the
years, things have changed, but have the defence services kept up with the pace
of change?
Scientists are
no longer the austere unpretentious “boffins” they used to be once upon a time.
Civil servants
have become more clued-up, well-informed, knowledgeable and “on the ball” in
defence matters.
On the other
hand, do we have generals of the calibre of Manekshaw, the astuteness of
Sundarji, the vision of SK Sinha or admirals of the uprightness of Ronnie
Pereira who can outwit their shrewd civilian counterparts?
The fact of
the matter is that, till such time senior officers develop the acumen to match
the stratagems and wiles of the worldly-wise civilians, the tail will continue
to wag the dog and the topsy turvy relationship will prevail.
This imbalance
and ascendancy of “civilian supremacy”
over the uniformed services will keep increasing over time as this disparity in
shrewdness widens.
No other
organization can match the extensive training provided by the defence services.
In order to
reach senior ranks, officers have to undergo a multitude of training courses
and that is why most senior officers have multiple post-graduate qualifications
in diverse disciplines.
One wonders
why such highly qualified officers are hesitant to formulate imaginative human
resource policies to improve the career prospects of serving personnel and
enhance the welfare of ex servicemen, like it happened in earlier times?
For example,
if I am not wrong, it is said that the “ration in kind” perquisite was
conceived and formulated due the initiative of Admiral Ronnie Pereira and
General SK Sinha.
However, it
seems that things have changed and, now, we look up to politicians and
bureaucrats to take the initiative.
For example,
the latest “Cadre Review” for improving career prospects, implemented in 2006,
bears the name of the bureaucrat who took the lead in formulating the same.
In a democracy
there is the concept of “civilian supremacy” which means supremacy of the
civilian government.
This is
perfectly justified.
But is this
connotation of “civilian supremacy” being overstretched and carried a bit too
far and, as a result, do all and sundry civilians think they can dominate the
defence services?
Is the conservatism,
timidity and naivety of senior officers vis-à-vis their shrewd civilian counterparts
the reason for this growing trend of “supporting civilians” getting the better
of the uniformed services?
I do not wish
to “generalise” so let me tell you about my own experience in IAT.
(Though on
paper IAT was a DRDO establishment, it was more of an inter-service training
organisation).
In 1985, the
first time I was appointed as faculty in IAT, it was the defence service officers who
called the shots.
Service
Officers were way ahead of Scientists in all aspects – qualifications,
intellect, calibre and acumen – and the career prospects, status and benefits
of service officers were much better then their counterpart civilian
scientists.
Gradually,
things changed, and there was a complete reversal.
Resourceful revamping
of recruitment system, modernising induction training, improvement in perks,
enhanced facilities and ingenious HR initiatives like “flexible complementing”
which vastly improved the career advancement prospects of Scientists made DRDO
an attractive career option for bright young engineers.
25 years
later, towards the end of my naval career, I had a very interesting experience.
I was back again
IAT finishing my last tenure in service (IAT had since been re-christened DIAT)
and I observed that there had been quite a transformation during
the long hiatus.
It was
incredible to see the ascendancy of civilian scientists vis-à-vis their
uniformed counterparts.
I was tasked
with conducting the induction training of newly recruited scientists.
I was amazed
to see the large number of bright young men and women engineers from IIT, IISc, BITS, NIT and
premier Engineering Colleges that the DRDO had been able to attract.
The young
trainee scientists had to qualify a highly competitive entrance exam and
interview.
In one batch,
among the trainees, there was very smart boy with an excellent all round
personality and he was topping the course too.
He was an
IITian and his father had recently retired from the Army.
I was
impressed by his overall personality, apt for a service officer, so I asked
him why he had joined the DRDO and not the Army.
He said, “As a
DRDO Scientist I will get all the facilities I get in the Army like CSD
canteen, campus accommodation, medical coverage, social perks like sports,
clubs etc. In addition I will have a stable life without transfers, faster
promotions and much better career prospects, more flexibility to enhance my
qualifications, and more freedom on how to live my life – if I want to leave
for better prospects I can easily do so, and if I want to stay I can serve till
60 unlike the Army where I cannot leave and they will retire me off at a much
younger age.”
Isn’t it
ironical that a “support” organization like DRDO has become a better career
option for bright young men and women than the mainstream uniformed services?
Today’s youth
are well-informed and if you want to attract the best then you have to devise
appropriate recruitment strategies. Money is not the only consideration – in
fact, if the defence services want to attract the best they must not emphasize
on material aspects like “pay packet” but highlight the intangible USPs because
youngsters are very conscious and quite holistic in their approach nowadays.
But do the
defence services want to attract the cream of the youth?
A retired army
officer recently expressed the view that the services do not need
“intellectuals”.
He said: We
need officers who “do” rather than officers who “think”.
Another
officer recently commented that the defence services do not need “intelligent”
officers and that it was better to recruit “average” individuals.
This seems to
be the current opinion.
But tell me
one thing.
Will these
“mediocre” officers be able to outwit their “clever” civilian counterparts?
Will this not
result in “civilian supremacy” getting more pronounced and the defence services
slide down further in relative status?
Is
anti-intellectualism good for the defence services?
There is a
school of thought that “intellectualism” is not conducive to the regimented
culture of “instant obedience of orders”.
While “do as
you are told no questions asked” obedience may be relevant at junior levels and
in combat operations; is such regimented blind obedience desirable at higher
levels where perhaps more imaginative “out of the box” thinking may be apt?
Unfortunately,
this “unquestioning blind obedience” culture gets so ingrained that it becomes
difficult to “unfreeze” and change one’s way of thinking.
I will end
with a remark by Liddel Hart on the dangers of anti-intellectualism and conformist
military culture quoted by Norman Dixon in his book “On The Psychology of
Military Incompetence”:
“A lifetime of having to curb the
expression of original thought culminates so often in there being nothing left
to express”
Dear
Reader: Please comment. Your views and feedback would be highly appreciated.
VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2013
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this book review.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
NB:
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A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
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AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925
Foodie Book: Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9
About Vikram Karve
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com
Twitter: @vikramkarve
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.
Very well written sir, i love the style of your writing.. keep it coming sir. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree with your thoughts. The concluding line is so very true.
ReplyDeleteWe do not have a HR policy which looks at the development of personnel to benefit the Services. It is tailored to support selected individual's career. We do look up to our civilian bureaucrats to rescue us from hard postings and get cushy foreign appointments. In return we become slaves to their thoughts and ulterior requirements to maintain civilian supremacy. Politicians rule the police and bureaucrats rule the services.
Wonderful and how true. Doesn't our HR pride itself on putting round pegs in square holes and haven't we seen other considerations in transfers postings and career planning of personnel. So from where do we get thinking speaking people when we ensure the same attributes have been thumped down umpteen times to ensure meek compliance else suffer repercussions. We need to change our culture before trying to take on the others.
ReplyDelete@ HG Harsha - Well said and succinctly put.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - You have a point - it is high time to change the "feudal" HR Culture
ReplyDelete