Lessons in defence management

Vijay Mohan

In the age of information, 20 years is a long enough time to dissect and lay bare a military operation which, though confined to a small corner of the country, had wide ranging implications at the strategic and geopolitical levels. 

The Kargil War was fought along the Line of Control in the remote, icy heights in northern Jammu and Kashmir. While it brought out some serious shortcomings in higher defence management and intra-government interplay, it reaffirmed the grit, valour and legacy of our soldiers. The conflict that had taken the nation by surprise also set the ball rolling for implementing much-needed defence reforms, some of which have still not been implemented.

Every war, conflict and operation has many secrets and untold stories. The Kargil conflict is no different. In the past two decades much has been written and deliberated on this subject, yet, there are a few facets that may still be not known to public.This book talks about some lesser known facts and accounts of the intrusions and the counter-action, known as Operation Vijay, under various commanders and officers. Some of these officers had held key military appointments during the conflict, while others had served in important positions or are pursuing military matters. 

Containing 20 essays, the book is divided into five parts. The first section, Blood, Guts and Glory, briefly discusses the battles fought in Dras, Mushkoh, Batalik, Kaksar and the Turtuk sub-sectors, to evict the Pakistani intruders from the heights dominating National Highway 1-A, the crucial link to Ladakh. 

The second part analyses the supporting forces which synergised the effort to victory, with writers discussing operations by the Air Force and the Navy as well as the role played by the artillery, engineers, army aviation, air defence, signals and logistics. 

The section on perceptions and opinions deals with personal experiences. The then Army Chief, Gen VP Malik, shares his views on the military strategy adopted during the conflict, the build-up and subsequent operations and the lessons learnt. 

Lt Gen Mohinder Puri, under whose command 8 Mountain Division had played a crucial role at that time, reminiscences about those days. Colonel BM Carriappa, who was in command of a Parachute battalion, details some operations carried by paratroopers in Batalik. 

War heroes like Capt Vikram Batra and Lt Manoj Pandey, the two posthumous awardees of the nation’s highest gallantry award, Param Vir Chakra, find a place in the section on Motivation.

The last section deals with the emerging challenges that the nation faces and the way ahead that needs to be defined in the emerging world order. Former GOC-in-C, Central Command and at present Director, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, Lt Gen VK Ahluwalia, along with Colonel Rajeev Kapur, a veteran of Op Vijay, puts it succinctly that lasting peace with Pakistan seems unlikely. At best what can be expected is an armed truce dictated by Pakistan’s internal fault lines and economic constraints.

The message being sent out by the writers is that considering future threats and challenges, India must build up its comprehensive national power whose edifice should be sustained through economic growth. 

Simultaneously, it should progressively build capabilities of hard military power, soft power and demonstrated power which can deter threats to internal security, stability and territorial integrity from potential adversaries. Cosmetic changes will not help and the military should have the ability for swift and devastating riposte to an adversary’s misadventure.

The Kargil War had stirred patriotic fervour across the country but is gradually fading away from public memory, with the new generation having little or no idea of what had happened. It was institutional amnesia, lethargy and a situational disconnect that led to the conflict and the book underlines the need to be prepared at all times and look at national security with a national outlook.