Napoleon started his grand march into Russia with the abject aim of spreading French Power.
History records that he failed and his subsequent defeat at Wellington ended all his grandiose schemes of power.
Napoleon was a great soldier and ruler and it is to his credit that he realized that military power alone is the one single ingredient that adds to the clout of a nation.
Military power alone can give the nation a say in world affairs.
Even today the might of US armed forces with their ability to intervene in every corner of the world is really the cornerstone of recognition of American supremacy.
But India is an enigma.
Our leaders led by Gandhi and Nehru had no comprehension as to what is military power.
The result was a complete neglect of the armed forces.
The thinking was articulated by Dr Rajendra Prasad the first President of India who in one of his speeches advocated that India should disband the Army and have only police force.
One of the reasons for lack of appreciation of the military as a source of power is the fact that the Hindus the majority inhabitants of India after repeated defeats at the hands of the Moslems developed a complex that made them more introvert.
Thus when India gained independence through a non violent struggle the leaders led by Nehru felt that military power had no meaning and pious statements and good intentions was all that mattered.
Nehru strutted on the world stage moralizing and advising, little did he realize that this was only empty rhetoric and opponents like Pakistan and China were laughing up their sleeve.
Over the years the importance of the Armed forces decreased and in the order of precedence the service chiefs and other officers were downgraded every day in comparison to the civil counterparts.
The recipe for disaster was thus sown by Nehru himself as his posture collapsed like a house of cards as China mounted an offensive all along the Himalayas.
The Indian Army equipped with obsolete 303 rifles was bludgeoned and Nehru's international image was pricked.
It collapsed like a bubble.
He fell sick and died soon after.
But I wonder whether even in his last days he realized what he had done? Did he realize that by downgrading the Indian military he had grievously impaired India's chances of becoming a great power? There has been a change -but only a slight one.
The Army is expanded and modernized, but the concept of it being instrument of power is still not appreciated.
There is a need to make the army an elite part of society, for the fact remains it is only the Army that is holding the North East and Kashmir.
Will its withdrawal not allow these states to break from the union? The present government is still a prisoner of its thoughts.
The morass lingers on.
An example is the recent pay commission that did not have a single member of the armed forces as a member and it was deciding on the pay scales of soldiers.
Even the one rank one pension feasibility and need was looked into by the cabinet secretary without a single member of the armed forces.
The policies of neglect of military power points to lack of appreciation of global realities.
Even the USA is now wary of India and putting its eggs in the Pakistan basket.
The leadership in India used to rhetoric statements is unable to comprehend that it is only the military that projects a nation.
History may judge them harshly for this.
History records that he failed and his subsequent defeat at Wellington ended all his grandiose schemes of power.
Napoleon was a great soldier and ruler and it is to his credit that he realized that military power alone is the one single ingredient that adds to the clout of a nation.
Military power alone can give the nation a say in world affairs.
Even today the might of US armed forces with their ability to intervene in every corner of the world is really the cornerstone of recognition of American supremacy.
But India is an enigma.
Our leaders led by Gandhi and Nehru had no comprehension as to what is military power.
The result was a complete neglect of the armed forces.
The thinking was articulated by Dr Rajendra Prasad the first President of India who in one of his speeches advocated that India should disband the Army and have only police force.
One of the reasons for lack of appreciation of the military as a source of power is the fact that the Hindus the majority inhabitants of India after repeated defeats at the hands of the Moslems developed a complex that made them more introvert.
Thus when India gained independence through a non violent struggle the leaders led by Nehru felt that military power had no meaning and pious statements and good intentions was all that mattered.
Nehru strutted on the world stage moralizing and advising, little did he realize that this was only empty rhetoric and opponents like Pakistan and China were laughing up their sleeve.
Over the years the importance of the Armed forces decreased and in the order of precedence the service chiefs and other officers were downgraded every day in comparison to the civil counterparts.
The recipe for disaster was thus sown by Nehru himself as his posture collapsed like a house of cards as China mounted an offensive all along the Himalayas.
The Indian Army equipped with obsolete 303 rifles was bludgeoned and Nehru's international image was pricked.
It collapsed like a bubble.
He fell sick and died soon after.
But I wonder whether even in his last days he realized what he had done? Did he realize that by downgrading the Indian military he had grievously impaired India's chances of becoming a great power? There has been a change -but only a slight one.
The Army is expanded and modernized, but the concept of it being instrument of power is still not appreciated.
There is a need to make the army an elite part of society, for the fact remains it is only the Army that is holding the North East and Kashmir.
Will its withdrawal not allow these states to break from the union? The present government is still a prisoner of its thoughts.
The morass lingers on.
An example is the recent pay commission that did not have a single member of the armed forces as a member and it was deciding on the pay scales of soldiers.
Even the one rank one pension feasibility and need was looked into by the cabinet secretary without a single member of the armed forces.
The policies of neglect of military power points to lack of appreciation of global realities.
Even the USA is now wary of India and putting its eggs in the Pakistan basket.
The leadership in India used to rhetoric statements is unable to comprehend that it is only the military that projects a nation.
History may judge them harshly for this.
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