“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak,Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” - Winston Churchill This article is just a point of view of a “Soldier within me who speaks” through experience for the mass at large. Majority have the same views but foster the fears of the unknown for expressing their candid views towards their career progression. A genuine fear, but someone must express so that those who matter should be made aware of the true ground realities. I do not intend wasting the precious time of the readers and the space as officers have had enough sermons on leadership through schools of instructions, lectures on leadership style and qualities. My focus would be less on leadership qualities but on the Style of Command. We admire those and hold them in high esteem who have the courage, intelligence, talent and an overall level-headed attitude. They could be senior officers or even middle level officers. Respect further goes up if these officers are senior and have enough courage of conviction through their exalted authority of power. The qualities like courage of conviction, standing by the truth, tact to differ with seniors in the interest of the organization instead of being an HMV (His Masters Voice) or ‘Yes-Man needs to be introduced for promotions to Colonels and above as potential for promotion part of the ACR. “Over lives begin to end the day we remain Silent on things that matter.” - Martin Luther King “In the Directive Control Style of Command, the commander lays down his intention, specifies a clear mission and leaves the execution largely to the subordinates, with maximum freedom of action which is based on mutual respect and trust. Mistakes are acceptable, Directive Control is all about quality leadership and quality subordinates”. Possibly our senior General officers consider their officers to be lacking in experience. In the seventies a strike corps commander was posed a problem. The response of his Brigs & Gens was “ We could certainly do much more but we are not sure of our younger officers leading their troops to ambitious objectives”. On the other hand his Battalion Commanders and Company commander discreetly conveyed. “We could achieve the impossible, if only we had slightly better quality senior officers!” General Zorawar Singh style can be termed as Directive Control Style of Command. This style has to be in the mind set from ‘Top Down’. He exercised this quality in his various long campaigns through his trusted commanders. Gen Zorawar has truly been the master of high altitude mountain warfare where in he applied the element of manoeuvre warfare and almost all the principles of war in his long campaigns spread over difficult high altitude terrain and sub zero temperatures. These achievements were only possible because of his Directive Control Style of leadership, Total faith, trust and mutual respect existed between General Zorawar and his force commanders. It is fashionable these days to speak of manoeuvre warfare in all kinds of terrains including mountains and counter terrorism. Ape the west, the national fashion and how could our Army be left behind. Years back the trend started with Pivots,..….. The computers further simplified going ahead with cut and paste in terms of tactics and terminologies existing with the western armies and the NATO. All these aspects exist since Kautiliyas time in some form or the other and all are well documented in ‘The Arthashastra’ and have been practiced on the Indian subcontinent since time immemorial. Over the years when ever manoeuvre was mentioned it meant it related to mechanised warfare in deserts, semidesert terrain or plains. So what exactly is manoeuvre? The dictionary meaning ‘Physical movement or series of moves requiring skill and carefully planned scheme or action.’ In Military language ‘Manoeuvre is movement of forces in the field in order to place the fire power of fighting elements in a favourable position. Combined with surprise, deception and speed, manoeuvre may be used on occasions to offset enemies superiority in fire power, and increase the effectiveness of own force’.Manoeuvres are equally applicable in mountain warfare and in counter terrorism operations. Appreciating correctly the factors of time and space based on IPB (intelligence preparation of battle field) are very important. One who can act faster and beat the adversary or carry out the OODA (observation, orients, decision and acts) cycle faster will be the winner. Kautilya on planning a campaign in his Book 9 ‘Yanna’ (Marching) deals with the following factors to be taken into account:- Ø power (Not only military and economic but intellectual power, enthusiasm and morale); Ø the place (of operations); Ø the time (of the military engagement); Ø the season for marching (towards the battle ground); Ø when to mobilize different types of forces; Ø the possibility of revolts and rebellions in the rear; - (insurgencies/terrorism) Ø the likely losses, gains and dangers Kautilya in his time has talked in detail about logistics. Kautilya and Gen Zorawar Singh both have laid due emphasis on planned provisioning and training before setting out for any campaigns. Choice of routes, order of march, importance of obstacles, construction efforts, deception, battle formations, reinforcements, suitability of terrain, and intelligence of the enemy were all prerequisites of their detailed plans. Based on these inputs intelligence preparation of battle field (IPB) were made for the battle/campaign and manoeuvres were accordingly planned. Now coming on to Manoeuvre Warfare a Hand Book by William S Lind recommended to be must read by all officers. I have glanced and scanned through and have the following broad observations:- Ø Nothing new has been said then what has been practiced for ages.Ø New western jargons § Recce Pull (Recce Patrols, TBPs, SBPs etc)§ Command Push (Attack plans are based on detailed intelligence and recce reports) Ø Mission (No detailed orders – Tell them What to do and not how to do) Ø Reserve Commander (Most competent Commander for decisive action, fleeting opportunities with a flexible mind ready to manoeuvre and act) Ø Destruction of Enemy most essential than to capture and hold ground and terrain. Possibly this flows out of the reality that Western Nations are not likely to fight on their land or have close combat. Dependence on mass fire power to totally degrade the enemy i.e. rage the objective or the aiming point to the ground. Therefore they do not have any emotional, cultural, bondage to the terrain like us. We believe in using minimum force in Countering Terrorism. Afghanistan, Iraq and earlier Vietnam are living examples of the use of their fire power towards total destruction of the enemy. We need to embibe the positives of such theories and not apply the templates and terminologies blindly as a fashion to impress and quote Western Scholars only. We have our Kautilyas and Vivekanandas. West is moving East and we are moving West. Kautilyas Arthashastra must be taught in our schools of instruction so that our generation next realize that Indian scholars were way ahead in the ‘Art of Warfare’ since medieval ages. Even in the field of medicine the West is looking East towards Ayurveda and Yoga. Lately the perceptions or opinions prevailing in the AOR are through the Positional Command style flowing from the authority of power ie GOCs/GOC-in-C. What is Positional Style of Command ? I will like to define or explain it as over exercising of the Detailed Control Style through SOPs and chain of command from time to time. Infact over the period Detailed Control Style through this Positional Style and Personal Power has become total Over Control and can be considered as an interference in the chain of command. A dangerous trend has also creeped in the Army wherein all the new incumbents blame- “My predecessors seem to have done nothing worthwhile” results in change for the changing sake, try new experiments and apply templates tried elsewhere on a totally new environment! Command through SOPs and written directives is the order of the day which is resulting in officers not exercising any initiative, play safe and try to end up in zero error syndrome. As for experience upto 25 years an officer remains a Col and after that there is a meteoritic rise to the higher ranks. What has been lacking is long, adequate experience in higher ranks. Why we listen to them, follow their directions without putting across our point of view? Firstly for the fear of being wrong. Secondly the Boss is always right and lastly play safe be a ‘Yes Man’. All this at the cost of the environment which has to bear the brunt of such leaders. Tolerate the situation for a few months through the quality of adaptability. I quote keeping anonymity of few senior officers while discussing Manoeuvre Warfare, “In any case, we can keep shouting and drubbing Manoeuvre Warfare but Directive Control will never get practised. We keep talking about it,but we are the ones ‘Guilty’ of not allowing it. Everything in this Army is laid out in SOPs, Standing Orders, etc, etc. Anyone who takes initiative and in doing things in his own way falters – Immediately he is taken to task. SOPs, Standing Orders etc are stuck in his face. How and why then will subordinate officers exercise initiative or stick their necks out. Manoeuvre Warfare is fought in the mind more and less on ground. Senior Commanders don’t have Menoeuvre Warfare in their mind. Their tolerance for ambiguity surprisingly goes down the higher they go”. Interest of the organization should remain foremost. What we require today is senior officers who have the courage of conviction to do and say what is good for the environment when they are in a position to mould opinions through their positional style leadership and not be spineless. Be a Tiger in uniform, not on retirement when you start voicing your views on issues related to the Army on various TV Chat shows and write columns in various papers. OnceI happened to attend a press conference where in a young journalist asked an Ex Army Chief “Sir, you are talking so much on the issue today. What did you do when you were the Chief ?” I would not like to quote the explanation provided for obvious reasons! One day sitting in DSOI with a friend, over drinks, self having rum and my friend Wine. My Armoured Kaur friend said “like wine and women the more of it you have the more you learn about their varied qualities, tastes and intricacies involved and similar is with manoeuvre warfare the more you read and discuss about manoeuvre warfare the more interesting it becomes!” “If you want to keep up with the fashion world of manoeuvre warfare, you had better be using at least the jargons and phrases – recce pull, command push directive style, systems approach, IPB, OODA loop and ……..” “The real test of leadership is not if your men will follow you in success, but if they will follow you in success, but if they will stick by you in defeat and hardship. They won’t do that unless they believe you to be honest and to have care for them” - Field Marshal SlimSources of Information :- Ø Kautilya The Arthashastra by LN RangarajanØ Manoeuvre Warfare a Hand Book by William S LindØ Leadership – An ARTRAC publication.
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March 16th, 2011 at 10:01 pm
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