DEGRADATION OF ARMED FORCES : Is anyone listening? - SOLDIERS ARE FOR FIGHTING.......

SOURCE

http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/soldiers-are-for-fighting/500250.html

             Soldiers are for fighting....

                                     By

               Lt-Gen Baljit Singh (retd)

  

COMBAT-READY: Armed forces personnel need to be update-to-date in military training. PTI

Learn from History

• In the 1950s, the battle-hardened 4 Infantry Division, then located at Ambala Cantonment, due to monetary austerity, suspended all military training for nearly two years, with the ranks used to construct barracks.

• When during conflict with China in 1962, the Division, entrusted with the defence of Se la and Bomdila. And to our shame, this Division simply crumbled without giving a fight even though terrain was to its advantage.

It is worrisome that we are tending to divert the armed forces’ time and energies away from constantly upgrading their war-waging and war-winning skills by assigning them tasks way outside battlefield applications. 




TODAY, when neighbouring countries on India's western and northern borders issue directives to their armed forces that their implicit mission is to "win wars", it is worrisome that we in India are tending to divert the armed forces' time and energies away from constantly upgrading their war-waging and war-winning skills by assigning them tasks way outside battlefield applications. The Indian Army's record of the past some 200 years is replete of successful war-winning history when trained and equipped adequately and led assiduously at the political level and from the front in combat on battlefields, both on Indian soil and continents across oceans.

When Duke recalled bravery in 1850

The first example of excellence in war-winning determination of the army from the very beginnings of its creation that merits recall flows indirectly from the Duke of Wellington's interview by a correspondent of The Times, London, on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 1850. 

The Duke had agreed after much persuasion to talk about his life and times, but being taciturn by nature, the correspondent was unable to draw him out to reminisce freely and in sheer desperation asked 
“…..and which is the one battle from your military career you would like to be remembered by, Sir?” 

At last, the Duke's eyes lit up, but imagine the downright bewilderment of the interviewer with the prompt and forthright pronouncement, 
"The battle of Assaye." 

Flabbergasted by the clipped answer and, in all probability, not even aware of where Assaye was, the last question posed was
 "….and who were the best combat soldiers in your experience, Sir?" 

Once again, without even a momentary pause, yet another clipped response was: 

"The Madras Native Infantry!" 

Now Arthur Wellesley (the future nemesis of Napoleon) had arrived in India in 1794 with assignment as a Major in the Madras Presidency Army. He showed a remarkable ability to assimilate with and win the confidence of native troops and set about to impart to them the basic battlefield manoeuvres to close with and prevail upon the adversary in combat. As the Presidency armies were constantly in a state of active war against local satraps and during the pitched battle against Tippu Sultan at Srirangapatnam in 1897, Arthur Wellesley (AW) emerged among the bright, young combat commanders.

Six years later, Colonel AW's war waging tactics and battlefield nerve would be put to the ultimate test against the combined armed might of the Marathas across River Kaitha around Peepulgaon and Waroor villages (between Hyderabad and Mysore). AW had under his command five battalions of the Madras Native Infantry, two battalions of the Royal Highland Fusiliers and three squadrons of the Madras Native Cavalry, numerically no less than an Army Division of the present days. Though outnumbered by 15 to 01 in Infantry and 03 to 01 in Cavalry, the battle raged over 10 hours before the Marathas conceded defeat. 

But AW was honest to record, 
"I shouldn't like to see such a loss as I sustained on 23 September, 1803 even if attended by victory…….. the bloodiest for the numbers I ever saw…… won in rivers of blood…… Assaye the finest thing I ever did in the way of fighting even when compared to my later Military career."  

Even 150 years post AW's experience at Assaye here is what Field Marshal APJ Wavell recorded, in the Preface to a book: 

"…. The Fourth Indian Division will surely go down as one of the greatest fighting formations in military history: to be spoken of with such as The Tenth Legion, The Light Division of the Peninsular War, Napoleon's Old Guard….A mere summary of its record is impressive: in five years it fought nine campaigns, traveled more than 15,000 miles, suffered over 25,000 casualties, captured upwards of 150,000 prisoners…. Its campaigns include the great victory of Sidi Barrani,…a gallant costly assault at Cassino against defences even more formidable than at Keren…the successful breaching of the Gothic Line….The Fourth Division has a claim on history even beyond its fighting capabilities…. and its commanders will always salute one of the greatest bands of fighting men who have ever served together in this troubled world of wars and warriors."

What an incredible war-fighting and war-winning record! It would be the envy of the armed forces of the world at large. Let us raise a salute to the Indian soldiers and the officers who led them from the front, in combat.

Shameful Crumbling

Now back in the 1950s, that battle-hardened 4 Infantry Division was located at Ambala Cantonment which had insufficient accommodation for married officers and jawans. At a time when paucity of budgets had enforced monetary austerity, the GOC, Maj-Gen BN Kaul took the initiative to suspend all military training for close to two years and use all ranks to construct barracks. When the first phase was completed around mid-1958, the GOC had Prime Minister Nehru as the chief guest at a gala opening of the buildings followed by a grand "Bara Khana" (lunch) with the jawans and their spouses. 

When conflict with China in the Thagla ridge area in 1962 became a possibility, 4 Infantry Division, sans military training for almost two years, was entrusted with the defences of Se la and Bomdila. And to our everlasting shame, this Division simply crumbled without giving a fight even though  the terrain was to its advantage. 

Let us please learn from history the lessons in the propriety of application of armed forces as an instrument of statecraft. Furthermore, understand and respect the nuances of a soldier's dignity in uniform and desist the temptation of bonhomie outside their code of discipline such as offering a ladoo in his mouth. It is gross indiscipline for a soldier wearing uniform to be found masticating any eatable or imbibing beverage or taking a smoke, except at meal times in the dining halls or in the domestic privacy of his home. A firm handshake is all that is needed to make a soldier feel wanted and on cloud nine.

Is anyone listening?