Indigenisation plus: From the great Shivaji to Sardar Patel, learn the right lessons for India’s defence strategy

Earlier this month, PM Modi delivered the valedictory address to the annual combined military commanders’ meet in Kevadia, Gujarat. The  meeting was held at the site of the Statue of Unity dedicated to Sardar Patel and junior officers and jawans also participated with a view of making it an “informal and informed event”. No doubt, beyond these theatrics, the meeting had a substantial and practical core.

This said, some aspects of the PM’s message are troubling. The text of his remarks is not available, but an official press release noted that he “stressed the importance of enhancing indigenisation in the national security system, not just in sourcing equipment and weapons but also in the doctrines, procedures and customs practised in the armed forces”.

We can understand the call of enhancing indigenisation of equipment, given the shameful level of imports which our military depends on. But the notion of applying indigenous “doctrines, procedures and customs” is an issue.

When it comes to war, the bottom line is the need to win or prevail over the adversary. Whether you use Japanese, Chinese, American or Vietnamese doctrines and procedures, it doesn’t matter, all that matters is victory. Promoting atmanirbharta is good politics, but fetishising the indigenous to this point could well lead to disaster.

India, of all countries, should know that we haven’t been particularly well served by “Indian” doctrines or any “Bharatiya” way of war. In the past millennium we’ve been repeatedly overwhelmed by invaders because we failed to adapt to the cutting edge military technologies, organisation and doctrines. Gunpowder was common by the 14th century but only after Babur’s invasion in early 16th century did it become part of the Indian defence doctrine. At the time, the Indians still viewed the war-elephant as their decisive weapon.

The bravery and grit of Indians was legendary, but self-sacrifices don’t win wars. The major weakness of the Indian military came from divisions in society that prevented the creation of disciplined forces and saw king fight king, even as foreign invaders knocked at our doors. As a result, Indian kings and emperors could rarely export military power, unlike their Ottoman or European counterparts. Even the mighty Mughals were, more often than not, reduced to fighting off rebellions, rather than attempting conquests abroad.

The one king who broke these stereotypes was the great Shivaji, who successfully bridged the social structures of Maratha society and created a professional force without European guidance. He was the first king to pay the army from the central treasury and insist on unit discipline. Though his successors messed up things, Shivaji did give us a concept we could explore today – swarming. The Maratha tactic of “ganimi kava” could form the basis of a doctrine that helps us deal with the asymmetrical situation we confront.

Hopefully in his actual remarks, the PM spoke not so much of adopting indigenous doctrines, but adapting the best ways of war to service the needs of the Indian military. Here, he and his colleagues ought to have drawn inspiration from Sardar Patel, the remarkable politician who within months in 1947 transformed himself from a Gandhian to a war leader, paying the minutest attention to the details of the Kashmir and the Hyderabad operations.

What the country needs today is more, rather than less, attention of the political leadership to the task at hand, which is of restructuring and reforming the Indian military. As it is, with declining defence budgets, the growing gap between the comprehensive national power of India and China, there’s need for a careful re-positioning of India’s defence strategy.

This needs serious and sustained political attention and engagement and cannot be left to CDS Rawat or the babus of the defence ministry who have so far not gone beyond some rhetoric and grandstanding. Theatrics have no place here, political leadership does. The 2020 events in the Himalayas underscore the huge agenda before us.