Do not delay MoD and DHQ marriage

PUNE, Jan 10: The mere dismissal of Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat from service would not suffice if the claim of Defence Minister George Fernand...

PUNE, Jan 10: The mere dismissal of Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat from service would not suffice if the claim of Defence Minister George Fernandes that Admiral Bhagwat was guilty of security lapses was true. In that case, Admiral Bhagwat should have been arrested and tried by court martial as per the Navy Act and given an opportunity to prove his innocence or be convicted, according to Vice Admiral retired Manohar Prahlad Awati.

Vice Admiral Awati revealed that he knew Bhagwat from the time he was a commander as a very capable and intelligent officer. 8220;I cannot believe that Bhagwat could have done any damage to the Navy and national security. And if he has, I have a right to know what actions of Bhagwat have damaged the Navy and national security.8221;

Delving into history, Vice Admiral Awati said that in the 18th century, Admiral John Byng of the British Royal Navy, in a campaign against Spain for capture of Majorca, was arrested for security lapses, court martialled, found guilty and ordered to be shot, for action detrimental to the interest of the nation.

8220;Charges on the Chief of Naval Staff are so serious that the Ministry should be more specific and not so vague as has been done by the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister. The dismissal of the Chief of Naval Staff is a historic precedent and cannot be explained by politicians fooling the public just to suit their political interest,8221; Vice Admiral Awati maintained.

8220;In the dismissal of Admiral Bhagwat, we must understand the salient features which impinge on this unprecedented action of a democratically elected government of 17 political parties. The supremacy of the civil over the military in a democracy does not mean the supremacy of the bureaucracy,8221; he said.

8220;The task of armed forces in defending the country against external aggression is the most important consideration in the final analysis. A government has to call upon its armed services to maintain law and order and keep society within limits of its duties and responsibilities,8221; he said.The action of the government, according to Vice Admiral Awati, was likely to do immense damage to the naval service in the long run, because 8220;it has set a bad precedent.8221; Besides, the action of the government is 8220;not in consonance with the Navy Act, 1957.8221; He was not sure if the government had given an option to Bhagwat to resign.

8220;The unfortunate episode has been compounded by the Defence Minister making allegations of security lapses against Admiral Bhagwat without specifying what these lapses were over the years.8221;

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Will we learn from this event? Vice Admiral Awati was not very optimistic. 8220;Indians have a very poor record of learning from history. How else can we account for series of such faux paus committed by governments, defence secretaries and chiefs of staff since 1947,8221; he said.

The next chief, he said, had a very difficult difficult task ahead on his hands. He also hoped that the government would help him by reforming the ministry and the Defence Headquarters. 8220;Do not delay the marriage of the Ministry of Defence and Defence Headquarters so that the bureaucrats in this new integrated ministry are made as much responsible as the uniformed gentlemen for the consequence of their policies8221;.