Letters: On a sound war footing

Ajai Shukla's column, "Don't divide the army, Mr Parrikar" (Broadsword, March 31), presents an alarming view of the state of affairs in the country's armed forces.

Years of complacency and inaction by the previous United Progressive Alliance regime would understandably have created a huge backlog of tribulations that needs to be sorted out. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar seems to have willingly added to that list an avoidable altercation. The looks of it suggest passing the buck to the Supreme Court, adding to the disquieting trend of judges stepping in to fill the void created by lawmakers. Also befuddling is the fact that Parrikar, who announced sometime ago that a plan was in the works to install a Chief of Defence Staff, has taken such a stance.

The army, especially its leadership, could possibly deliberate on more pressing issues, including how to modernise when 80 per cent of its budget is spent in paying salaries. How to fight insurgency in the urban hinterland while also being ready to fight conventional battles elsewhere? How to work with local defence labs and companies to equip itself for tomorrow's high-tech battles? Maybe, our method of war-fighting should evolve from just throwing more infantrymen in front of the enemy, which is the basic premise that led to this entire quagmire.

Parrikar should realise that the need of the hour is to blend his no-nonsense attitude with creative ideas, leading to sustainable solutions abetting defence preparedness of our country.

Brijesh Sheregar Bengaluru

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