Opinion On Army Day: It’s heartening that the armed forces are planning to use the expertise of veterans
Civilian outfits have used the expertise of retired officers but the services have been an outlier in this respect. The change in mindset is welcome
The author writes that a veteran, barring exceptions, is a pretty down-to-earth person, wiser with experience and age — someone who can give a lot back to society. (Express photo by Jithendra M) 
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A report in this newspaper, this week, (‘Army’s rightsizing plan: Veterans at training institutes and cross-skilling,’ IE, January 8) took me back to December 2000 when I accompanied Air Chief Marshal A Y Tipnis to Israel as his staff officer. The trip exposed us to several new technologies and working methods. We visited Israel’s Air Force Academy where the country’s rookie pilots were being trained. After the customary briefing, Air Chief Marshal Tipnis enquired how operational aspects were dovetailed with basic training at the academy. The briefing officer pointed towards a few grey-haired people clad in flying overalls and told us that they were air force veterans who had been made a part of the academy’s instructor pool. This was an important learning but his next remark had an even greater impact on us. “Imagine sir, a youngster, aged 19 or 20, being in the same cockpit with an ace. Being taught by veterans, whose combat stories they may have read as part of their training, has a remarkable effect on the morale of the trainees,” he said. That the Indian Army —- one assumes the Air Force and the Navy as well — is planning to take similar steps in some of its training institutions is laudable.
Movies of the past stereotyped the veteran as a person who wears a golf cap, smokes a cigar, walks with a swagger and speaks with an anglicised accent. On OTT platforms today, the veteran is sans the cap and cigar but continues to walk with a swagger and has an accent. A veteran, barring exceptions, is a pretty down-to-earth person, wiser with experience and age — someone who can give a lot back to society. Civilian organisations have realised this but surprisingly, till recently, the armed forces did not think of putting the experience of veterans to good use. It’s heartening that policymakers are thinking of applying correctives.
Two aspects at the macro level stand out. The first is utilising the expertise of veterans that is otherwise lost — or becomes someone else’s gain. The expertise of IAF and Navy officers has been used by outfits in Australia and the US. The second aspect relates to the shortage of manpower in the services. Veterans can be asked to do “hinterland” jobs and relieve active-duty personnel from operational tasks. The Defence Services Staff College, the three war colleges of each service, administrative schools, specialised engineering institutions and certain areas in maintenance and repair depots are some of the places where the expertise of veterans can be put to good use.
First, an overall macro policy needs to be drafted regarding the areas/institutions where veterans can be deployed. That almost every military unit would be holding classified information should not be a bar to utilising veterans — remember, until a recent time, they had access to such information. They do not become persona non grata merely because they have hung up their boots.
Second, do not be miserly in paying veterans reasonably. Many, who are out of service due to the steep pyramidical hierarchy in the services, are likely to be in need of finances as they settle their children and pay house mortgages. While drawing contracts, policymakers and the services need to be sensitive to the fact that no veteran would like to keep renewing the terms of engagement every year.
Finally, will this endeavour succeed? Of course, it will. One can already see a positive change in mindsets with the National Defence College having a few veterans as full-time subject experts and the IAF’s College of Air Warfare using a distinguished veteran scholar’s expertise in running an advanced airpower course.
What stops us, then, from going the whole hog? The military and civilian bureaucracy seem to be reluctant to give up traditional methods. However, it’s heartening that many in the military leadership today are willing to think more creatively. It’s up to them to take decisive steps and also take the government along.
The writer, a retired Air Vice Marshal, was Additional DG, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views are personal
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