Man behind the machine

By Col R D Singh
The recent revelations in the media about the critical deficiencies of arms, ammunition, and equipment in the Army stunned the nation. And rightly so, when you tell the people that we have tank ammunition only for two days, 97 percent of the air defence weapons are obsolete, the artillery guns are over 25 years old, the special forces lack latest weapons, and 80 percent of our tanks are night blind. My aim here is not to play down the deficiencies, which the MOD must immediately take stock of and make up on priority, but to give the readers a positive side of the picture – the man behind the machine. I will explain it with personal experience, having participated in OP Parakram, and operated in the valley, Siachen, North East, plains of Punjab, and the deserts of Rajasthan.
Starting my career in Armoured Corps in 1974, I trained and operated on the good old Centurian tank, followed by our own Vijayant, then the Russian T -55, and finally the upgraded version of it ( with indigenous 105 mm gun). Now, my son, also a young tank man, is training on the latest T–90 tank. So, firstly, it is not that we are not modernizing, and upgrading our equipment, be it any arm. We are constantly moving forward with time. Yes, modernization is slow due to red tappism in the bureaucracy, and not so good relations between the MOD and Army HQ, which the present controversies have adequately highlighted, and should lead to remedial measures. It is also not that we have tank ammunition for only two or three days. That may be the case with one type of ammunition – armour piercing fin stabilized discarding sabot ( APFSDT). But we have adequate ammo in terms of high explosive squash head ( HESH), HEAT, or the tank mounted missiles, and machine guns. Evan in artillery, lets not forget that it was Bofors which hit the Tiger Hill top pin point, and we operated at night, along special forces, with the help of night vision devices. The AD arty does possess the long range modern ground to air missiles and rockets, and is well trained to bring down the enemy aircrafts. Our army is also well equipped with the latest drones ( remotely piloted vehicles) which can look into the enemy territory, take pictures, and pass valuable information. The automated networked combat communications, backed by integrated logistics, is capable of giving real time processed information and data to the commanders in the battle zone. So, let me assure you as a veteran that, as we stand today, we are battle worthy, and the nation is fit for war.
I say this with conviction , more so because of our man behind the machine – the Indian soldier, who is par excellence. In motivation, training, discipline, and fearlessness, he out classes our adversaries. That is the most important factor for winning a war. Let me elaborate. When battling with the enemy, it is not the equipment alone, but man behind it who makes all the difference. It may be the latest T 90 tank with all the ammunition and night fighting devices, but if the driver is not well trained, either he will take a wrong fire position, leading to first shot by the enemy, or he will get bogged down in a ditch. Second, if he does not have the killer instinct in him, he will be scared to close in, there by losing an opportunity to shoot the enemy. Take the gunner. In case weak, he will keep missing the targets, giving a chance to the enemy to do the job. And in war, you do not get a second chance. Come to the loader. If he is slow , and fumbles with the ammunition, the gun will either have a misfire or a round will get stuck in the chamber, there by rendering the tank ineffective, for a long time. And most important, the commander of the tank. If he is dashing, full of initiative, and ready to scare hell out of the enemy like Arun Khetrapal (PVC), he will lead his troop/squadron/regiment to victory by a tactical sound manouevre, and accurate firing – one round one tank. So, it is the man behind the machine who wins the battle. 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 ‘ ijjat 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 the militants ( latest being Lt Navdeep, AC). When required, even our COs take the lead ( Col Vasanth Venugopal, Col John Thomas etc). During all these operations, the formation commanders also remain in picture, and are available to their commanding officers. This desire to carry out a task, and do it well, is not only during operations, but also during military’s aid to the civil authorities. The battle drill and standard operating procedures ( SOPs) are very well set. Once a task is given, army has never let down. That is why we are the second largest, and finest army of the world.
So, let the recent controversies surrounding the Army Chief, or the corruption charges against some senior officers, or the equipment shortages, not lead us to wrong conclusions, or dampen our spirits about the men in uniform. The controversies will die down, and the culprits punished. The system will even be healthier as the dead skin will be removed and new skin will come up. As long as the man behind the machine is top class, we need to fear none. So, three cheers to the Indian soldier.

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