UPSC EDITORIAL ANALYSIS : It is time to operationalise the Indian Defence University
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: The Hindu
Prelims: Current events of national and international importance, Professional Military Education (PME), CDS, military reforms etc
Mains GS Paper II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings involving India or affecting India’s interests, Significance of US etc
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
• Thucydides: A nation which makes a distinction between its scholars and its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools.
• National Defense Academy(NDA) was Established on 7 December 1954. It is the first tri-service academy in the world.
• It is the first tri-service academy in the world.
INSIGHTS ON THE ISSUE
Context
Chief of Defence Staff(CDS):
• CDS acts as the permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee which will also have three service chiefs as members.
• Function: foster greater operational synergy between the three service branches of the Indian military and keep inter-service frictions to a minimum.
• Head: Department of Military Affairs (DMA) in the Ministry of Defence.
• Single-point military adviser to the Defence Minister on matters involving all three services
• Service chiefs will be obliged to confine their counsel to issues pertaining to their respective services.
• CDS is vested with the authority: Prioritizing inter-service procurement decisions as Permanent Chairman-Chiefs of Staff Committee. Provide directives to the three chiefs.
• Prioritizing inter-service procurement decisions as Permanent Chairman-Chiefs of Staff Committee.
• Provide directives to the three chiefs.
• CDS is first among equals: He enjoys the rank of Secretary within the DoD (Department of Defence)and his powers will be confined to only the revenue budget.
• He will perform an advisory role in the Nuclear Command Authority (NCA).
Military Universities in India’s neighborhood:
• Pakistan has created two universities for its armed forces
• China has three. Report of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute lists more than 60 Chinese universities with military and security links.
• Report of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute lists more than 60 Chinese universities with military and security links.
Professional Military Education (PME) in US:
• The evolution of PME in the U.S. It has parallels with Indian theatralisation aims.
• Goldwater-Nichols Defense Reorganization Act, 1986 brought wide-ranging structural reforms
• The U.S. military’s professionalism is owed in large measure to ‘Ike’ Skelton Whose report to the U.S. Congress significantly reformed military education in the U.S. armed forces. The report advised the Department of Defense to focus: educational institutions on specific learning objectives enhance the quality of both civilian and military faculty establish a two-phased system for the education of joint officers form an Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University.
• Whose report to the U.S. Congress significantly reformed military education in the U.S. armed forces.
• The report advised the Department of Defense to focus: educational institutions on specific learning objectives enhance the quality of both civilian and military faculty establish a two-phased system for the education of joint officers form an Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University.
• educational institutions on specific learning objectives
• enhance the quality of both civilian and military faculty
• establish a two-phased system for the education of joint officers
• form an Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University.
Progress in Military education in India:
• In 1967, the Chiefs of Staff Committee mooted the setting up of a Defence Services University.
• In 1982, a Study Group constituted by the COSC emphasized the need to set up an apex educational body for the armed forces in the form of an IDU.
• In the wake of the Kargil conflict, a committee was established under the chairmanship of Dr K. Subrahmanyam Based on its recommendations, in principle’ approval was accorded for setting up of the IDU in Gurgaon.
• Based on its recommendations, in principle’ approval was accorded for setting up of the IDU in Gurgaon.
Issues:
• Despite some optimistic reportage in 2017-18, the progress on setting up of the IDU has been rather slow.
• Several world-class training and education institutions run by India’s armed forces constitute a rich and vast ecosystem of professional training. However, they lack an overarching integrated PME framework and a multi-disciplinary approach to strategic thinking.
• However, they lack an overarching integrated PME framework and a multi-disciplinary approach to strategic thinking.
• Although the armed forces have affiliations with universities for degree courses, this is not the optimal solution.
Way Forward
• The IDU would remedy shortcomings in India’s PME system by providing a central institution of higher military learning through a well-qualified faculty with a mix of academicians along with serving and retired officers from the military and civil services. This would unite theory with practice.
• with a mix of academicians along with serving and retired officers from the military and civil services.
• This would unite theory with practice.
• The university’s curriculum would vary among the various colleges and other institutions that would be governed by it. However, it would need to offer a variety of additional subjects relevant to national security and defense – both in sciences and humanities.
• However, it would need to offer a variety of additional subjects relevant to national security and defense – both in sciences and humanities.
• The establishment of the Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) in Gujarat: Neither does the RRU Act specify education related to defence’ in its objectives, nor is its curriculum focused solely on military requirements for management of war and execution of plans.
• Operationalise the IDU at the earliest, so that the first building-blocks of joint warfighting can be put in place through a well-calibrated and futuristic military education curriculum.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Collaboration between various stakeholders, including the armed forces, government agencies, academic institutions, and industry partners, should be facilitated to expedite the establishment of the IDU.
QUESTION FOR PRACTICE
What is the significance of Indo-US deals over Indo-Russian defense deals? Discuss with reference to stability in the Indo-Pacific region(UPSC 2020) (200 WORDS, 10 MARKS)
Editorial Analysis – 6 May 2024