WHY ARE WE ALWAYS CAUGHT NAPPING - HAVE WE DEVELOPED A SIEGE MENTALITY - Does the Indian Army need to Introspect ?

WHY ARE WE ALWAYS CAUGHT NAPPING?

WHY ARE WE ALWAYS AT THE RECEIVING END?

HAVE WE DEVELOPED A SIEGE MENTALITY?

DOES THE INDIAN ARMY NEED TO INTROSPECT ?

Musings

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Introspection is the first step towards self improvement.

When you introspect, you realize your shortcomings and you can take suitable corrective measures.

In the light of recent happenings, does the Indian Army need to introspect:

1. Why are we always caught napping whether it is terrorist attacks, or LAC (incursions) or LoC (skirmishes)? 

2. Why do we always tend to be reactive and hesitate to be proactive? 

3. Have we developed a defensive mindset which is resulting in a siege mentality?

4. Is our leadership unimaginative, lacking in ingenuity and hesitant to take initiative?

5. Are there deficiencies in the quality of officership?

6. Why does the other side always get the better of us? Is it due to inferior weapons? Is it due to outdated training? Or is due to low morale?

7. Is there a need to revitalize leadership in order to inspire confidence and raise morale? 

Military history is replete with examples of this – during World War II, Fredendall was replaced by Patton after American Forces suffered a reverse at Kasserine Pass, Auchinleck was replaced by Montgomery after defeat in the first battle of El Alamein, and even during the 1962 Sino-Indian conflict, a move was made to replace Kaul with Harbaksh Singh (the decision reversed with disastrous consequences) but, finally, Kaul was replaced by Sam Manekshaw, but by then it was too late as the war was over. 

8. From a long term perspective, is there a need to improve the present ACR based performance appraisal system in order to facilitate superlative leadership?

9. Will it not be more fruitful to have a dispassionate analytic introspection with a view to self-improvement rather than indulge in jingoistic rhetoric or political blame games or have an ostrich like approach, try to cover up and live in denial mode?