TeaHe Indian army has done Settle To adopt a uniform uniform for officers of the rank of Brigadier and above, Irrespective of the parent Regiment/Arm/Corps/Service in which They Served from August 1 to the rank of colonel. according to defense sources quoted in the media, The move is aimed at promoting and strengthening a common approach in service matters among the senior leadership, moving beyond regimental boundaries. The decision cannot be held to be erroneous in intent, but fails to remove the underlying cause He Near There was a revival of the common uniform for senior officers, which was in vogue until the 1970s. it was general, especially Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, Those who started flouting this regulation even before its cascading effect made it redundant.
by proxy, The judgment also acknowledges the prevalence of Regimental/Arm/Corps/Service driven parochialism in the Army. This rancor reflects poorly on the character of the officer corps in general and the senior leadership in particular. It also questions the checks and balances of the evaluation system.
one more time decision Extending the tenure of senior commanders in operational/counter-insurgency areas from 12-15 month The evaluation for 18 months also brings out the flaws in the system. it produces too much ,Meritorious Officers” for Command appointments in comparison to the number of vacancies available.
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narcissism
Solidarity Or the emotional bond between soldiers is the primary motivating factor in war. Simply put, soldiers don’t want to let their comrades down or appear cowardly. Social cohesion among soldiers strengthens the unit, which eventually translates into mission cohesion in a battle. The Indian Army follows the regimental system to promote cohesion. The regiment, in addition to organizing and training to fight, also gives soldiers an identity and a family to which they are bound for their entire service, except for two to three terms outside the unit. this system This is followed by a few changes in the infantry, armored corps, artillery, air defense and the corps of engineers. Where units are not organized on a regimental basis, the Army provides regimentation through corps. ,Spirit / Ethos,, Even the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy use the ‘Service Ethos’, instead of regulation.
I must clarify that while it is easy to harmonize with a regimental system, it can also be made into a ,system with “tour of duty” tenure,based cross,unit movement by good leadership and By Living, training and fighting together. Cohesion is rapidly built up with shared experience of combat or the rigors of operational/field/high-altitude/counter-insurgency areas.
Regimentation begins and ends at the unit level. beyond this level, A comprehensive battle formation cohesion becomes relevant, which Is Built by formation training and shared missions. This especially applies to officers who, after commanding units, serve as staff officers, instructors and in due course command combined arms formations.
Unfortunately, there has been a tendency in the Army for senior officers to hang on to regimental ties and old bonds in order to unfairly promote the interests of their regimental officers. This is reflected in the appraisal system and thus in promotions and prized appointments/postings. In a pyramid system, this extends to arm/corp loyalty as well. At times, past associations in service and regional, caste and religious identities also lead to parochialism.
Even a cursory examination of the profiles of the military hierarchy, in terms of which they served to earn critical reports that mattered in selection for higher ranks, prestigious courses and overseas postings, would show this trend. Partiality, Senior officers do the same for them once they are in positions of authority. ,extended family”. Tragically, this weakness of character is pervasive across the board and is reflected in the working of the Supreme Collegium comprising the Army Chief, Vice Chief of Army Staff and Army Commanders, who are responsible for the selection boards and Brigadier provide redress beyond the rank of
To promote the interests of some arms, vacancy based promotion Based on the number of authorized colonels, the rank of brigadier was introduced in the general cadre. This decision was not only against the merits, but it was primarily Benefitted The infantry and artillery in which the colonels had the maximum strength. This happened when the army had four consecutive majors from infantry and artillery. It also adversely affected the interests of other arms for subsequent promotion to higher posts. In 2008, an attempt was made to do the same for promotion to the rank of Major General. The proposal was rejected when, at the Army Commanders’ Conference, one of the army commanders said, “Why only up to the Major General, why not the entire Chief of the Army Staff at the top, by rotation from different wings?” She goes.”
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character of the officer corps
Military leaders are not born but are developed by educating and training until they Self genuine and in line with needs. The basic principles of military leadership are idealistic and expressed in absolute terms. However, all individuals have their share of human failings. The military bridges the gap between ideals of military character and personal shortcomings through codified and enforceable rules, regulations, and legislation.
Prevalence of narcissism in any form indicates that the integrity, impartiality, moral courage and loyalty to the organization and the subordinates of the officer corps is questionable. This is part of a larger problem of weakening the character of officers. leaders, especially at high levels ,The character traits and value system of the army cannot be talked about”. Their duplicitous conduct creates mistrust among leaders and leadership. If these fundamental qualities are compromised even among senior executives, there is a need to revisit the existing standards of leadership, especially with regard to character traits and ideals and enforcement mechanisms to bridge the gap between failures. In. There is an urgent need for an ethical assessment of the prevailing leadership standards and reforms in the Military Leadership Development Program and rules/regulations to implement them.
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appraisal system
Quality is a universal principle in the pursuit of excellence and in the nation,The means of last resort, armed force, must prevail. The Army has a fairly modern and practical three-tier evaluation system for officers. There is a built-in mechanism to make up for the human failures of the initial and reviewing officers, which is closely tied to the officer being appraised by the superior reviewing officer. There is also a more holistic review by the military secretary.,S branch.
Any evaluation system depends on the prevailing standards of character and ethics. The system of appraisals within the Army has become flawed due to lack of objectivity, prevalence of regimental and arm parochialism and weakness in the character of appraising officers. There is no formal system of verification of sub-units/units/formations to assess leadership performance. A lack of integrity and moral courage, and double standards in the conduct of assessors, lead to an increasing number of confidential reports. real merit is lost and floods in ,Meritorious Officers” at all levels of command. This is the primary reason for the short command tenure.
The common uniform for officers of the rank of Brigadier and above is certainly a laudable step to help them rise above regimental passions and embrace the ethos of the Army. It would be prudent to extend it to colonels after they have ceased to command units. However, with regard to the abolition of transcendentalism, this is only a cosmetic change.
At the root of narcissism is the thin character of the officer corps. He The evaluation system is adversely affected. The military hierarchy needs a straight spine more than a new uniform.
Lt Gen HS Panag PVSM, AVSM(R) served in the Indian Army for 40 years. He was GOC in C Northern Command and Central Command. After retirement, he was a member of the Armed Forces Tribunal. Thoughts are personal.
(Editing by Anurag Choubey)