Value Addition

Brig. B.L. Poonia (retd)

“It is not enough to be intelligent, you must have the right character”, wrote the Spanish writer and philosopher Baltasar Gracián. For defence services, emphasising maturity, honesty, integrity and cultivating respect for human lives and human values, is sine qua non for developing character qualities, and history attests to the need for this.

In the Vietnam War alone, United States (US) military commanders were responsible for executing policies which cost USD 300 billion. They delivered 13 million tonnes of high explosives (more than six times the weight of bombs dropped by the US in all theatres of war during World War II), and 90,000 tonnes of gas and herbicides, resulting in the death of about two million people. Yet, they lost the war. Military officers are often required to shoulder great responsibilities, and errors of such magnitude are a matter of serious concern.

During World War II, the Allies suffered 7,000 men killed, wounded and missing during Operation Market Garden (17-25 September 1944), within a short span of about a week. The initiative, quickness of mind, fortitude, heroism and conduct of those who actually fought the battle can never be surpassed. By the same token, the men who planned and administered the operation were probably as intellectually gifted, well-trained, professionally competent and dedicated, as any military planner had ever been. But the overriding feature of the plan was to gratify Field Marshal Montgomery’s ambition to win the race for Berlin, leading to such heavy casualties, which could and should have been avoided. Hence the importance of placing human values above one’s personal ambitions assumes utmost importance.

Military errors of such magnitude have cost hundreds of thousands of lives and untold misery to civilians and soldiers alike. Such grave errors with disastrous consequences are a result of those defects of personality associated with authoritarian and disordered achievement-motivation. This highlights the need for training cadets in military academies to produce mature and balanced leaders, with the highest degree of regard for human lives and ethical values.

Just because a human body is functioning with a reasonably high degree of efficiency, does not mean that we can afford to ignore a small cancerous growth. Conversely, just because we focus our entire attention on how to remove that cancerous growth does not mean that the rest of the body is not functioning efficiently. Hence certain wrong practices and traditions that have long established their roots in National Defence Academy (NDA), with an unofficial stamp of acceptance at the working level, behind the scenes, being highlighted in this article, should be seen in this context.

NDA is undoubtedly one of the finest military academies in the world. But for any such institution to grow further, it is important to continuously keep identifying and examining certain grey areas, which if not addressed adequately may prove to be detrimental to the health of the armed forces in the long run.

On 28 January 2024, former Chief of Naval Staff, and an ex-Commandant of NDA, Admiral Arun Prakash wrote an article on his alma mater in The Hindustan Times which reminded me of another similar article written by Lt Gen. H.S. Panag in The Print on 18 July 2019. They both brought out some valid points, which need to be taken seriously. However, I will dwell upon the most important ones only.

The points raised by Admiral Arun Prakash pertain to the prevalence of the practice of cheating, impersonation, minor thefts and manhandling of juniors. These acts need to be treated as ‘serious offences’, rather than unofficial traditions. Such wrong practices have been carried on for decades under the misnomer of developing initiative, resourcefulness, and toughening up of the cadets physically and mentally. If something is genuinely justified, it should be included in the training syllabus, and not be permitted behind the scenes in the guise of tradition. This is nothing but a recipe for disaster.

Cradle of Cadets

The day in NDA begins with the reciting of the NDA Prayer during the morning muster, which says, “O God, help us to keep ourselves physically strong, ment