Govt shot messenger but message must be read

NEW DELHI, DEC 31: Spring cleaning has come early to the Defence Ministry as it begins 1999 with new service chiefs at the Air Force and ...

NEW DELHI, DEC 31: Spring cleaning has come early to the Defence Ministry as it begins 1999 with new service chiefs at the Air Force and Naval Headquarters, as well as a new Defence Secretary, each a day old in the job.The Air Force, of course, had a peaceful handing over but not so the Navy and the Department of Defence. With the double whammy served yesterday by the Government, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat is now a mere mention in history books. Which is a pity, for he had much to offer in terms of structural rejuvenation of the Navy as well as the entire gamut of national security. Ajit Kumar, the Defence Secretary, like most before him, will not be remembered for any substantial contributions to matters relating to the armed forces and national security.

If the political leadership is serious about defiance by the armed forces, then it must be equally concerned over defiance to the ethos and command structure of the services by officers in uniform. Primacy of the authority of Parliament is as important as theinviolability of the command structures of the services. If the government is serious about both, then the Presidential pleasure of a commission cannot continue to be accorded to some in uniform.

Their role in defying service norms, etiquette and ethos is as serious as Admiral Bhagwat’s unwillingness to implement a government order. And if they continue to serve, the cloud over the dismissal will not lift from the government. It’s up to the government to decide whether it wants the label of one which played politics with soldiers or one which acted to keep soldiers away from playing politics.

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Which will then help the nation realise that there is something seriously amiss in how matters relating to soldiers are being dealt within the Defence Ministry. The Bhagwat crisis may be over but it would be a grave folly for the government to believe that it was simply one of incompatible personalities, and not a systemic dysfunction.

The structure is flawed, inefficient and inadequate in dealing with thecomplexities of militaries on the verge of a new millennium. The Bhagwat episode underlines that point very clearly. The Defence Ministry has enough competence in its soldiers, scientists and civilians to come up with a suitable blueprint. There’s no need to wait for an extremely busy strategic Policy Group of the National Security Council to deliver a design just as there is no going back on restructuring. The armed forces have asked for it repeatedly and will continue to do so. For, ultimately, the interests of national security and the efficiency of the armed forces are of greater concern to the country than getting bureaucrats a parking slot on Raisina Hill. The writing is on the wall and it’s up to the government to read it in the correct spirit.

What it will also read is of a key Joint Secretary in the Defence Ministry telling the services that they have nothing to worry about Diego Garcia since the islands are in the South China Sea! That, in a nutshell, is the message from the Bhagwat episode, andhaving shot the messenger, the government must at least read the message.

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