Agnipath not the right road ahead, must revisit scheme
In the Ukraine war, Russia had to withdraw conscripts. It is the man who wins wars, not equipment alone
As a veteran, who served in the cavalry for 34 years with passion, one is not too happy to see Agnipath scheme being implemented. It alarms me, like so many other ex-defence personnel because six months training, four years in uniform, and then out; will we get that type of regimental spirit? Will these young men who have to leave after four years, give their life for the “izzat” of the unit? Will these men not turn sycophants to please their seniors to stay back? Or show two fingers as little at stake! Will all this not weaken the apex of the organisation?
How so ever advanced and modern today’s warfare may be, the ‘man behind the machine’ will continue to be supreme. His training, morale, and devotion can not be compromised by any concerns, be it saving of pay and pension bills or man power etc. A jawan can not be used and discarded like commodities. It is the man who wins wars, not equipment alone. The example of Ukraine war is right in front of us where conscripts had to be withdrawn by Russia.
How does our army be operationally ready to fight a multi-pronged war when it is going to be fed with ‘floaters’! Will they be proud of the uniform if they are going to shed after a few years? Why will they undergo hardships and make sacrifices when 75% of them are going to be ‘released’ ! And let it be clear, all three services spend lakhs of rupees and invest in years of training to prepare and motivate their soldiers, not to feed to the civil society, but to guard the nation’s sovereignty. Army is not a welfare organisation. It does not train soldiers for civil domain. Army is for combat and means business.
Now, let me please remind the environment, that sepoy Ram Singh, guarding the Siachen border or Sowar Sohan Singh braving the heat and dust on his tank in Rajasthan desert (tanks even in mountains today), or the artillery gunner, the sapper, the signals, EME, or the logistics man – they all have passion for soldiering and hate to see their commanders indulging in ‘yes man ship’ or keeping quiet to play safe when they must speak up. It is this man behind the machine, who will win us the war. It is he who will not crib despite shortages and old equipment. We got to be true to him. And he has to be regular, and not on a tour of four years.
I say with conviction that the Indian soldier is par excellence. In motivation, training, discipline, and fearlessness, he out-classes our adversaries. It holds good for all arms and services, be it an air force pilot or the crew of a naval ship. During my service, I have rarely come across a jawan who was coward or not ready to sacrifice his life for the ‘izzat of his paltan’. Our young officers are a treat. See any action in the valley, and it is they who lead the operations and bring down militants. When required, even our commanding officers (COs) take the lead- Col Vasanth Venugopal, Col John Thomas and many more. So, lets not bog down this fine army with half baked soldiers. Let’s not handicap the COs with young men whose eyes are on the civil reemployment after four years.
It takes about five to seven years to fully train and sensitise a soldier, ready to sacrifice his life for the nation. Then, he forgets about his own worries and interests, and breathes the ethos of his paltan. It is these dedicated men who you command during war and peace. And nothing is more important and satisfying than the love and respect of the soldiers you commanded. Every jawan recruited would wish to be a proud soldier till the last day. Lets not imbalance the citadel by this short term recruitment scheme. Once disturbed and weakened, it will be very difficult to restore the fine organisation. There is still time. Let’s please revisit it.
