DOES 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 on the LAC (incursions) and LoC (skirmishes)? Why do we always tend to be reactive and hesitate to be proactive? Is this due to defensive mindset or is it due to unimaginative officership?
2. Why does
the other side always get the better of us? Is it due to inferior weapons? Is it due to outdated training?
3. 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 (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.
From a long term perspective, is there a need to improve the present ACR based performance appraisal system in order to facilitate superlative leadership?
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?
1 comment:
I may be generalising too much here. But as we grow up, we become hollow. A child readily accepts mistakes, but grown ups don't. So while choosing a person for a position we repeatedly choose wrong persons for wrong reasons, make wrong decisions but nobody admits.
Post a Comment