Gunners Shot

    Former prime PM Manmohan Singh   recently said   ‘The road ahead is even more daunting than during the 1991 economic crisis and the nation would need to recalibrate its priorities to ensure a dignified life for all Indians’. He also quoted the last lines from Robert Frosts poem ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ which say 'But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep'. Metaphorically speaking it is time to stop by our neck of the woods     to see that they are indeed dark and deep. However they are not really lovely as visualised by Frost. Let us see how dark the woods are.     To put it in perspective in 1991, the crisis was largely economic and internal to India. In 1987, Operation Chequerboard had convinced the Chinese of the capabilities of the Indian Armed Forces. It led to, PM Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to China in 1988 to brake the ice  in Sino Indian relations. China was not the adversary it is today. On the other end...

  India was a poor country in the decade prior to 1971. Two debilitating wars with China (1962) and Pakistan (1965), truant monsoons, high inflation, food shortages and imports  dominated headlines.  Five-year plans were suspended from 1966 to 1969 due to lack of resources. Prime Ministers Nehru and Shastri died in quick succession to cause political instability.  Rupee devaluation (1966) triggered huge price rises. Banks were nationalised in 1969.  There was a huge refugee problem throughout 71. The economy was in complete tatters. Despite all this India did not flinch when it came to funding for defence. Post 1962, we started to  arm to defend ourselves. Indian politico military leadership prioritised the integrity of the nation irrespective of the cost.  The outlook came good in 1965. Our historical GDP and defence spending tell their own story (see graphs). In 1971, India could ill-afford a war. However, it deliberatel...

The other day I was reading about our vaccination program. It was to save India from the extreme debilitation of the Chinese virus. When the time of reckoning came the cupboard of the ‘pharmacy of the world’ was found bare. I also saw an interesting article on cricket in which an Australian player said that India can produce two ‘equal’ national teams of  international calibre. Something even Cricket Australia could not produce at its heyday. This made interesting reading. On one hand we have a model of stupendous success. On the other hand we have  a stupendous failure which has made us an international laughing stock. I wondered. How is it that our tremendous vaccination potential ends up dismally and we keep rising in cricket. My mind wandered to our defense  procurement. On reflection some issues fell in place. I would like to share them for what they're worth. Draw your own conclusions.    India eradicated polio in 2011( https://www.nhp.gov.i...

Original Version is in English and is available @ Who Will Tell the Prime Minister https://www.gunnersshot.com/2021/04/who-will-tell-prime-minister-by-lt-gen.html प्रधानमंत्री ने संयुक्त कमांडरों के सम्मेलन (सीसीसी) के मान्य सत्र को संबोधित करते हुए राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा प्रणाली में स्वदेशीकरण को बढ़ाने के महत्व पर बल दिया, न केवल उपकरण और हथियारों पर बल्कि सशस्त्र बलों में अभ्यास, प्रक्रियाओं और रीति रिवाजों में भी। उन्होंने एक समग्र दृष्टिकोण का भी आह्वान किया, जो सिविल-मिलिट्री (सैन्य-नागरिक) के संबंधों के प्रसार पर केंद्रित था .... उन्होंने सैन्य सेवाओं को विरासत प्रणाली और प्रथाओं से छुटकारा पाने की सलाह दी, जिन्होंने उनकी उपयोगिता और प्रासंगिकता को खो दिया है .... कई वर्षों में पहली बार राजनीतिक कार्यपालक सशस्त्र बलों के साथ बातचीत कर रहा था और निरर्थक भाषण के बजाय उन्हें कुछ करने के लिए निर्देश दे रहा था। काफी सुखद। हालांकि अभिभाषण का समग्र रूप शानदार और सकारात्मक था, लेकिन सशस्त्र बलों में स्वदेशी सिद्धांतों, प्रक्रियाओं और रीति-रिवाजों और नागरिक-सैन्य संबंधों की जरूरत के बड़े संदे...

This is the third article on threatrisation.  Previous articles can be accessed by clicking on the following titles  Theatrisation - Are We Ready ? Prickles of Theatrisation of Commands Shapes of Theatres This article has rough edges. The underlying theme needs more focus. I have only highlighted the really important aspects of the Goldwater-Nichols Act to drive home issues which we need to examine in our transformation.       Theatrisation of Commands, will be transformative if done sensibly. We need a base to work from. Most advanced forces have  adopted the joint system. Only USA, Russia and China have transitioned to Theatrisation.  Very clearly Jointness is the priority.  Theatrisation is next. I am now taking a dive to highlight some aspects of the Goldwater- Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. Why this Act? This Act puts in perspective a lot of issues which we will have to confront in...