Category Archives: Civil Military Relations

Dissent, Disobedience and Defiance

Constructive dissent is essential to good military leadership — but it must occur within the decision-making process, not after the fact. Public post-retirement criticism by senior commanders risks crossing from professional dissent into defiance or disobedience. There is a  deeply … Continue reading

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Politicisation of the Armed Forces: Examining the Claims

A lot has been spoken and written about the politicisation of the Armed Forces in the recent past. The latest is a recent article in Deccan Herald by AVS Namboodiri which claims that in the recent past—presumably during the tenure of the current NDA … Continue reading

Posted in Appraisal System, Civil Military Relations, COAS, Democracy, Higher Defence Management, Military, National Issues, Politics, Promotion System | Leave a comment

Gen Thimayya’s Resignation – Statement by Pt Nehru in Parliament and debate – 02 Sep 1959

In Aug 1959, Gen Thimayya submitted his resignation to the Prime Minister. There was a furore in the papers and in parliament, with questions being raised about the reasons behind it. Nehru gave a statement in parliament about the resignation. Here is the full text of his statement and the limited debate that followed. Continue reading

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Is the Indian Army in Danger of Being Politicised?

The following article appeared in The Quint. Original can be accessed here. Gen Dalbir Suhag, the present army chief is due to retire at the end of this month. However, in a surprising break from past practice, the name of … Continue reading

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Flawed DNA?

Delays in defence procurements and the resultant lack of preparedness have received much attention ever since the Army Chief’s secret letter to the Prime Minister was leaked to the media recently. The alarming status of induction of desperately required weapons … Continue reading

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Sab theek hai sahib

The Indian soldier, or Jawan as he is affectionately called, is known for not cribbing under the most adverse circumstances. If you ask your driver who has been waiting well past his lunch time for you to emerge from a … Continue reading

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Casus Belli Aching

The Army Chief Gen VK Singh has sprung yet another surprise on the country. What is his game plan? Continue reading

Posted in Blogitorial, Civil Military Relations, COAS, Military, Values | Tagged , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Another Open Letter to COAS

Dear General, A lot of ink has flown since my last open letter to you of 1st July 2011. Some of it on papers passing through desks of MoD, some on the Public Interest Litigation submitted to Supreme Court, and … Continue reading

Posted in Blogitorial, Civil Military Relations, COAS, Military | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

The Canteen Brouhaha

The Comptroller and Auditor General recently carried out the ‘Performance Audits’ of Canteen Stores Department and of the Supply Chain Management of Ration Supplies in the Army. Incidentally, these are two separate audits, and DO NOT relate to “Irregularity in … Continue reading

Posted in Blogitorial, Civil Military Relations, CSD, Military, Welfare | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Mahabharat over Arjun

Image via Wikipedia A lot has been written on the whipping given by our very own home-grown battle tank Arjun to that upstart of a Russian import T 90, in recently concluded comparative trials between the two. More muted are … Continue reading

Posted in Blogitorial, Civil Military Relations, Equipment, Military, Tanks | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments