Inspire, Not Intimidate

MoD’s ‘Year of Reforms’ can help rethink military training philosophy

Cdr Shrikumar Sangiah (retd)

Author Shirley Jackson’s acclaimed short story, The Lottery, first published in The New Yorker magazine in 1948, is a searing critique of society’s blind adherence to its practices and traditions. Set in a small fictional village, the story describes an annual lottery held by the villagers to select a person, from among them, to be stoned to death---a ritual upheld without question, for generations, in the belief that it leads to a bountiful harvest.

The villagers unquestioning acceptance of the lottery, despite the brutality it leads to, highlights the dangers of conformity, groupthink, and resistance to change. The story serves as a warning against the debilitating power of unexamined practices that persist in societies (and organisations) and the need to critically examine and discard such practices.

Or consider the more every day, real-world example of the QWERTY keyboard. The QWERTY keyboard was designed in the 1860s for mechanical typewriter---to prevent jamming by spacing out frequently used keys. Despite the advent of digital keyboards, where the problem of jamming is irrelevant, the QWERTY layout continues to hold sway. Alternative layouts like Dvorak, which optimise typing efficiency have been proposed, but have failed to gain acceptance due to entrenched habits and the instinctive human resistance to change. Societal and institutional inertia perpetuate outdated practices even when better alternatives exist.

It is a consequence of such institutional inertia that the Indian military’s training philosophy, rooted in colonial-era traditions, continues to guide military training even though it is outdated and out of alignment with the ministry of defence’s (MoD) vision outlined for the military when it designated 2025 as the ‘Year of Reforms’.

The MoD, early this year, declared 2025 as the ‘Year of Reforms’—a strategic move to modernise the country’s armed forces and prepare them for future challenges. The MoD’s ‘Year of Reforms’ initiative aims to enhance the capabilities of the army, navy, and air force in joint operations, promote the induction of new technologies, and improve the overall combat readiness of the military.

India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the meeting that led to the announcement, emphasised that the ‘Year of Reforms’ would be a landmark step in the modernisation journey of the Indian armed forces. The defence minister expressed hope that the ‘Year of Reforms’, ‘will lay the foundation for unprecedented advancements in the country’s defence preparedness, thus preparing to ensure the security and sovereignty of the nation amidst the challenges of the 21st century.’

Military Training Philosophy

Historically, the training philosophies of the world’s militaries (including India’s), have emphasised fear-induced discipline, unthinking obedience, and hierarchical rigidity—philosophies ill-suited for modern militaries. The persistence of fear-based training, in militaries, reflects an adherence to an obsolete training philosophy that ignores contemporary psychological understanding and altered societal expectations.

This outdated approach to training stifles initiative, adaptiveness, and inventiveness—essential skills outlined in the MoD’s vision for the year of reforms for military personnel expected to master the challenges of modern conflicts increasingly involving cyber warfare, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and integrated operations.

Military training, especially during the initial induction and basic professional training periods, is characterised by its reliance on the fear-based approach. Training officers and drill instructors shout, reprimand, and use the threat of punishment in their efforts to transform raw trainees into professionally competent and disciplined officers and soldiers.

The approach is rooted in the belief that ‘tough love’ instils resilience and obedience. This, despite evidence that this practice is at odds with the philosophical principles of human flourishing and the altered demands of modern military service. The fear-based approach risks producing officers and soldiers lacking in the intrinsic drive to excel and the intellectual agility and sustained physical fitness and mental resilience required for the complexities of modern warfare. The persistence of fear-based training in India’s military academies reflects, besides institutional inertia, a romanticised view of ‘toughness’ despite evidence that intrinsic motivation better serves the needs of the modern military.

Origins of Fear-based Training

Fear-based training emerged from the practical necessities of early militaries. The early armies, often consisted of conscripts with limited education and motivation, who needed to be quickly trained and sent off to man units on the frontline. For this purpose, fear was an efficient tool to break down individual resistance and enforce uniformity, particularly in large, heterogeneous groups of recruits.

Later, the Prussian model, which evolved during the 18th and 19th centuries and influenced modern military training, further emphasised absolute obedience, standardised drills, and strict discipline to ensure dependability on the battlefield. Industrial-era warfare, with its emphasis on mass mobilisation and standardised tactics, entrenched this approach as the militaries prioritised unhesitating obedience in the recruits over their long-term development.

While the approach was effective for producing soldiers for waging traditional battles of previous eras, the model is not suited for today’s dynamic, technology-driven conflicts, where officers must think critically, adapt quickly, and lead diverse teams. By reimagining training and emphasising autonomy, competence, and initiative—the Indian military can nurture leaders who thrive not through intimidation—which only yields fleeting results—but out of a deep-seated, inner desire to excel.

Literature and films provide us with instances that illustrate the shortcomings of fear-based military training and its negative impact on individual autonomy. In Erich Maria Remarque’s semi-autobiographical 1929 novel, All Quiet on the Western Front (considered the greatest war novel of all time by many), the protagonist, Paul Bäumer, endures brutal training under Corporal Himmelstoss, whose fear-driven methods rely on humiliation and punishment. Himmelstoss’s tactics foster resentment rather than genuine loyalty and intrinsic motivation.

Readers will also recall the Hindi film Lakshya (2004), in which the film’s protagonist, Karan Shergill, initially struggles to cope with the rigid, fear-inducing discipline of military training. His early failures stem from a lack of intrinsic motivation, as the military’s punitive approach fails to ignite his sense of purpose. Only when he finds personal resolve does he transform into a competent officer. Both the examples, although based in fict