Indian Military and

BureaucracyNamita Wahi , Harvard Law School

Oct 2010

Indian Military

Features

Composition

Roles

Features of the Indian Features of the Indian MilitaryMilitaryConsists of the Army, Air Force and

the NavyPresident of India, Commander in

ChiefMinistry of Defence, Ministry of

FinanceThird largest standing military in the

world9th in the world in terms of total

military spending (2009: $36.3 billion)Military spending 2.6% of the GDP

Composition of the Composition of the MilitaryMilitaryMartial Race theoryDiversification during wartimeProfessional officer CorpsSocial MobilitySecular credentials

Army Camp, Sonamarg, Kashmir

Roles of the MilitaryRoles of the MilitaryNation buildingExternal DefenceInternal SecurityAid to civilian operationsUN peacekeeping operations

Nation Building Nation Building First Kashmir War, 1947Inclusion of Hyderabad,1948Liberation of Goa, Daman and

Diu, 1961

External DefenceExternal DefenceSino Indian conflict, 1962Indo Pak conflict, 1965 Indo Pak conflict, 1971 (Creation

of Bangladesh)Siachen conflict, 1984Kargil conflict, 1999Mumbai terror attack, 2008,

“26/11” (“Operation Black Tornado”)

Internal SecurityInternal SecurityArmed Forces Special Powers

Act, 1958◦Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,

Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,Tripura

Operation Bluestar, 1984Armed Forces (Jammu and

Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990

Political Map of IndiaPolitical Map of India

Aid to Civilian Relief Aid to Civilian Relief OperationsOperationsSettlement of coloniesStrengthening communication

networks, railways, telegraphRoad repairs Flood controlDisaster reliefFamine and epidemic relief

Why did India never have a Why did India never have a military coup?military coup?Nehru’s distrust of the military

◦Personal Dislike◦Military tool of the Raj◦1958 Coup in Pakistan furthered

distrust

Nehru’s Personal DislikeNehru’s Personal DislikeThe military man who, “stiffening

to attention, drops his humanity and, acting as an automaton shoots and kills inoffensive and harmless persons who have done him no ill.”

Nehru’s PoliciesNehru’s PoliciesPosition of Army Chief as “equal”

to Air Force and Naval Chiefs Abolished position of Joint

Commander of the ForcesFocus on economic growth,

reduced defence spendingChange following Sino Indian

War, 1962

Size and Complexity of Size and Complexity of IndiaIndiaIndia too big to be run from the

centreIndia politically complex; no

dominant groupLegitimacy and integrity of the

political system until the 1970s

Military TraditionsMilitary TraditionsEthnically diverseTradition of distaste for

exercising control over civilian population

High standards of professionalism

Good leadership

Future Challenges for the Future Challenges for the MilitaryMilitaryHuge shortage of officers and staffErosion of professionalism and

integrityErosion of legitimacy Need for modernisation of

equipment, weaponryNeed for greater coordination

amongst the servicesGender issues

BureaucracyIndian Civil ServiceNehru

◦“"The ICS was 'neither Indian, nor civil, nor a service.'"

Patel: ◦"In point of patriotism, in point of

sincerity and in point of ability, you cannot have a substitute...”

All India Services◦Indian Administrative Service◦Indian Foreign Service◦Indian Police Service

Competitive national exam (UPSC)

Reservations for SC/ST and OBCsLong institutional memory: the

“file system”

Politicisation of the bureaucracy during Indira Gandhi’s regime

85/128 (Transparency International, 2009)

Ranked least efficient bureaucracy in Asia (2009)