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Tag Archives: Indian Army
Seniority or Merit – The Dilemma of Higher Military Appointments
For decades, the established convention in India for appointing the Chief of Army Staff and other apex military positions was straightforward: the senior-most eligible officer was elevated. Critics often dismissed this system as mechanical or overly rigid. Yet it rested … Continue reading
Posted in Appraisal System, Blogitorial, COAS, Democracy, Higher Defence Management
Tagged army, Army Chief, Indian Army, promotions
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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
Rules, Fools and Exceptions
A recent post by a retired bureaucrat about rules and precedents reminded me of an interesting and educational encounter I had with regulations a couple of decades ago. The year was 1993, and the place was Chandimandir. But let me … Continue reading
Posted in Management, Military, Welfare
Tagged Anecdotes, humour in uniform, Indian Army
17 Comments
Mind Over Merit
In a recent piece in The Print, Gen Panag discusses the recent government decision to adopt a ‘merit based’ approach over ‘seniority based’ on the promotion of Lt Gens, and opines it is a move in the right direction. He also … Continue reading
Posted in Appraisal System, Blogitorial, Higher Defence Management, Military, Promotion System, Reforms
Tagged Army Chief, Government, Indian Army
5 Comments
1965 – No Victor no Vanquished?
The 1965 India – Pakistan war was brought to an end on 22nd September 1965 by a ceasefire brokered by the United Nations. The situation on ground as on that day in various sectors was such that India had a … Continue reading
Posted in Military, Military History, Uncategorized
Tagged army, Geopolitics, Government, Indian Army, Indo Pak War, Pakistan
3 Comments
Uniformly Crazy
Growing malaise of the misuse of articles of uniform by veterans while appearing on television and public functions needs to be curbed – by peer pressure, or else by enforcing regulations on the issue. Continue reading
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
Posted in Blogitorial, Civil Military Relations, Military, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged 1962, conflict, congress party, Indian Army, parliament, Thimayya, war
1 Comment
Sadda Haq Aithe Rakh
My understanding of the way performance and rewards work is as follows. Performance deserves reward, commensurate to achievement and based on established norms. The organisation enables performance through provision of resources and infrastructure, while the performer provides sweat and talent … Continue reading
Posted in Blogitorial, Politics
Tagged donde, Indian Army, medal, olympics, promotion, rathore, sports, Vijay Kumar
53 Comments
Age Row – Some Facts
Going by the round and round arguments about Gen VK Singh’s age row, it seems people have not gone beyond the sound bytes and headlines to understand the real issue involved. The issue in question was NOT the actual year … Continue reading
Posted in COAS, Media, Military, Politics
Tagged #agerow, COAS, Gen VK Singh, Indian Army
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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