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| Sunday, June 6, 2004 |
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| Sunday, June 6, 2004 |
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The Dynamics of Soldiering
During the battle, the officers and the men they command have to be prepared to lay down their lives. What are the dynamics which make them sacrifice their lives so willingly for the cause? The moral dynamics and the motivations required are not easily understood. The aim of the book is to comprehend the dynamics of their calling and a sincere attempt has been made to open a window to this understanding. A soldier is a citizen in uniform. "The dynamics of his profession and his life in uniform are in many ways far removed from the background that he comes from," states the author with justification. At the core of success in battle is the human being, the combat soldier. According to the author, the interaction between the government, the people and the armed forces generates the basic dynamics of soldiering. The armed forces are indeed a powerful instrument of state policy. When other factors—political, economic etc.—fail to look after the national interest, the government may be forced to use the armed forces. Meanwhile, the possession of strong armed forces helps a government peruse its policy to safeguard its national interests—without actually using them. The book rightly emphasises that the status and Izzat must be given to the soldier by society so that his pride in the country makes the soldier invincible. He quotes from his personal examples how to motivate soldiers. In addition, he refers to heroic battles fought by the Indian Army since Independence. He describes in detail the bitter battle fought by 3 Jat at Dograi, in which the unit lost five officers killed and nine wounded, while 82 other ranks were killed and 204 wounded. He later describes the battle of Asal Uttar, where Pakistani First Armoured Division was badly mauled in the 1965 India-Pakistan War. Leadership is important in all walks of life and in various professions, but in the case of military, leadership is indeed crucial. A military leader has to take decision in war within critical parameters of time and space when his own life is also in danger. That is why it is said that an army of stags led by a lion is more to be feared than an army of lions led by a stag. Centralisation of decision making and functional control is inherent in military organisations, but over-involvement of commanders results in over-centralisation and over-supervision, which can be counter productive. A military leader must constantly train and motivate his command to achieve professional excellence. A more dependable discipline is inculcated by the superior authority by setting a personal example. The author takes note of the changing social ethos and aspirations in order to attract suitable manpower into the military and suggests useful measures. He is right when he states that the armed forces are being taken for granted at present and dwells on the tight control exercised by the bureaucrats of the Ministry of Defence. The book frankly lists shortcomings in the Army also. It is a well-written book, which should be read by military leaders to improve themselves as well as the organisation to which they belong. |
GENERAL Bajwa had a wide and rare experience in the
Army in that he was commissioned into Engineers, transferred to 3 Jat
(Infantry) and, later, posted to Artillery. He commanded an Infantry
Division eventually. He has made full use of his varied experience to
write the book.