Vishal Sharma
War brings the best out of men. It brings to the fore the terrible consequences that it can cause, heights men can go to in acts of valour and sacrifices and resilience or lack of it of the wider population. Military and civilian roles in war, although different, are equally important; both can’t do without each other. Wars can be lost and won if one or the other does not keep its end of the bargain. While the military fights in trenches, on the seas and in air, it’s the civilians who must stand robustly in rearguard; sacrificing the freedoms and subjecting themselves to rationing for a nation to prevail over its enemy.
History of wars offers lessons in how leaders have galvanized civilians to keep the war effort going even as they led militaries into wars. The name that comes readily to mind is of former British PM, Winston Churchill. His leadership of military and civil population during WW II remains a shining example of one of the greatest war time leaderships to this day. In his own recollections, Churchill described how the people looked to him:
“They crowded round us, cheering and manifesting every sign of lively affection, wanting to touch and stroke my clothes. One would have thought I had brought them some fine substantial benefit which would improve their lot in life. I was completely undermined, and wept. Ismay, who was with me, records that he heard an old woman say: “You see, he really cares. He’s crying.” They were tears not of sorrow but of wonder and admiration….When we got back into the car a harsher mood swept over this haggard crowd. “Give it to ’em back,” they cried, and “Let them have it too.” I undertook forthwith to see that their wishes were carried out; and this promise was certainly kept.”
May 6-10 Indo-Pak skirmish did not reveal only the military prowess of India. It also shone light on the spectacular civilian response to the intense air warfare between the two countries. During four day skirmish, people in the border towns/cities under Pak blitz conducted themselves well and followed the protocols and orders announced by the administration down to the ground. At the sound of sirens, everyone dutifully ran for cover and when the cities and towns went dark, without exception, all private lights were put out. Public obligations, which may have been defied earlier, suddenly became a national calling for the people. It was good to see people attending to their duties of their own volition.
There have been military exchanges in the past between India and Pakistan. But such exchanges have been either limited to artillery shelling or fighter based air operations. The multiple drones and missiles that streaked across the night skies during the recent four day skirmish had never been seen by the civilian population in India before. The only sightings they had of these things were from the Middle East and that too on tv. Quite understandably they were at first overcome with angst and anxiety. But their mood changed as Indian air defence came into its own; destroying all hostile projectiles.
The skirmish uncovered the steely resolve of the countrymen, especially those under direct attack. There had never been any doubts in the minds of the people as to the necessity of waging a war with Pakistan. The desire to teach Pakistan a lesson has always burnt intensely in the heart of each and every Indian. Therefore, when op sindoor was announced, the entire populace was understandably ready and waiting for it. For many, it was now or never; and they wanted the government to go the whole hog regardless of the perils involved and not leave it for the later.
Ever since New Delhi announced a pause in hostilities, strategic commentators and media have been rightfully focused on military aspects of the war. For any military infirmity would have exposed India to infliction of massive gashes in its soul and spirit by its adversary. But it will be equally daft to treat civilian resilience as a mere bush league in the overall scheme of war. If op sindoor has taught us anything, it is: that during war civilian population needs to be behind the military every step of the way; and it is axiomatic that civilian resilience is necessary for winning wars.
The response of civilians during massive London bombing in August was a moment of epiphany for Churchill and he confessed to Parliament that “it is very painful to me to see …a small British house or business smashed by the enemy’s fire, and to see that without feeling assured that we are doing our best to spread the burden so that we all stand in together.” The civilian response to the German blitz convinced Churchill that the UK could stand up to Nazi aggression and survive.
While India pushes for military modernization and goes on an arms borrowing spree in the aftermath of the conflict, it is important that it also looks to strengthen civil defence to build up civilian resilience in the war time. Indian border towns and cities in the western half are heavily populated areas unlike in the Middle East. A drone or a missile attack on an Indian city or a town which our military fails to intercept will surely lead to massive casualties. We need to revisit the existing architecture/protocols of civil defence as they have been written down for the times when war fighting happened between infantries, artilleries and at best using fighters and not by drones and other modern day flying projectiles.
Today wars are waged differently and our adversary is unprincipled, unreliable and nuclear armed to boot. The rewriting of the whole or parts of civil protection paradigm and its wider dissemination, therefore, can’t wait any longer. Every one should know what is expected of him or her and what he or she needs to do when he or she comes under either conventional or nuclear attack. It should also become a part of curriculum in schools.
Also, there is a need for more frequent civil defence drills. I remember ducking under the dining table with my wife and two daughters on the night of 8th May when multiple shots rang out and the skies over Jammu turned red. Is that the right way to take cover or shelter during a bombing raid involving possibly bunker buster bombs- I don’t know? I am reminded of a funny incident associated with Mike Milken, famous American investor, who runs Milken Institute- a think tank- in US. It goes something like this: Soon after the Soviet Union tested a thermonuclear device in 1953, homeowners across the US began building fallout shelters. Because these backyard structures could not help kids while in school, teachers often led duck and cover drills that sent students diving under their desks. At the Hesby Street Elementary School in Encino California, Milken, a sixth grader then, questioned whether this would do any good. ” If an atom bomb hits our school, he told his sixth grade teacher, “ducking and covering won’t save us.”
Churchill was so impressed with the resilience shown by his countrymen during the war that he noted, “All the world that is still free marvels at the composure and fortitude with which the citizens of London are facing and surmounting the great ordeal to which they are subjected, the end of which or the severity of which cannot yet be foreseen.” Only when the general public in India is adequately trained, equipped and motivated, can it be expected to truly rise to the challenges that come during wars, as did the Londoners during the blitz campaign.
Op sindoor continues even as hostilities may be frozen at the moment. The civilian population, thus, needs to be prepared for the rearguard defence that will need to be mounted in the event of of a full blown war. PM Modi, a war time leader like Churchill, and the greatest ever Indian leader, will have every Indian hanging on his lips. And importantly, people will follow everything PM Modi tells them to do. One thing that is common to both the leaders is great oratory. Churchill lives in the pages of history because of his remarkable leadership during WWII. PM Modi’s Churchillian moment in history may have just arrived.
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