In a glittering investiture ceremony in Tamilnadu, the President, who is the Supreme Commander of Defence Forces, presented Presidential Standard to 25 and 33 Squadron of the Indian Air Force. This is a very special recognition of meritorious services performed by the recipient units. Deeds of heroism that adorn our soldiers, airmen and marines in times of war are often talked about and recorded in the annals of our military history in letters of gold. We should remember that their services to the nation and humanity in times of natural or man-made crisis are in no way of less significance. Therefore they are great in war and in peace. This is also what the President said in the course of his address to the officers and airmen at the function. He even cited two examples of Indian Air Force rendering humanitarian service in the US and China, far away from the frontiers of our county. The two Squadrons that have been honoured on the occasion have rendered exceptionally meritorious service in peace and in war. They are considered the life-line of our defence policy in the northern and eastern regions. The President proudly mentioned their achievements.
India stands for peace. Her foreign policy is focused on the achievement of this objective. In his address, the President made a very significant remark about our defence policy, something which the authorities at the Defence Ministry are generally reluctant to touch upon. Stretching the theme of peace the President remarked, “Therefore effective deterrence is the corner stone of our defence policy.” Considered in historical perspective, this seems divergence from the peace philosophy of our first generation leadership that steered country’s ship after independence. Though Gandhiji had emphatically said that his philosophy of non-violence did not mean succumbing to hegemonic forces and insisted on resisting injustice, yet in the statecraft of our first generation leadership, the word deterrence never existed in their military lexicon. In his first speech delivered from the ramparts of Red Fort of Delhi on 15th August 1948, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru said that if Pakistan showed us the clenched fist, we will extend the hand of friendship. He was referring to the threats of late Liaqat Ali Khan, the first Prime Minister of Pakistan who had brandished his clenched fist to indicate that Pakistan would use force in tackling India. For Nehru, diplomacy was the instrument of deterrence. Whether that instrument succeeded in achieving our objective of peace in the region or not, is what the historians and political analysts are competent to adjudge. At least Bangladesh war was not the outcome the instrument of diplomacy.
We have the famous axiom of late Chairman Mao. He said,”Power flows through the barrel of gun.” Obviously, this stands diametrically opposite to the non-violence and peace philosophy of Gandhi ji and Nehru. Historians tell us that India, a soft state, has had to face many odds, especially at the hands of her belligerent or bellicose neighbours, by adhering to the roadmap laid by the stalwarts of independence movement. President Pranab Mukherjee has been a veteran Congress leader all his life. He has imbibed in full cultural, political and philosophical values of this important national political party. Every Indian is proud of his nationalistic credentials. But most significantly, in terms of our defence policy, he has chosen to chart a new path, a middle path, for India, which is neither the acquiescence of Nehruvian ethos nor Mao’s “barrel of the gun” ideology. The meaning of effective deterrence, in his own words, is “maintenance of a force that can be called upon at any time to secure the sovereignty of our nation.”
This is a sentence loaded with deep meaning and bandaged with realism. Principles may be steadfast but policy is relative. Defence strategy, is a relative proposition and depends on the prevailing circumstances and situations. Defence strategy is formulated by two components, perceptions from political pragmatism and considered opinion of experienced field commanders. The President has indicated his perception of political pragmatism in no ambiguous words. The views of field commanders are more than eloquent if we are able to keep track of their statements and comments issued from time to time, mostly informally. This also takes into account the views of veteran military echelons that have demitted office recently. Thus we can say that the President wants an army that is equipped with most comprehensive, modern and effective war machine capable of being deployed in shortest possible time with maximum strike power. This defence establishment will eschew the term “non-violence” and replace it with “effective deterrence”. Deterrence, in simple words means pre-empting an inimical move from whatever side it shows up and threatens our sovereignty.
It is encouraging that new thinking about security of the country, her sovereignty and defence policy has emerged at the top level. Divergence from traditional stereotype is welcome. The nation and our armed forces are thankful to the President for showing the new path, the path of pragmatism capable of responding to the situation around us in terms of international relations and regional strategy.
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