Thread by @ColSanjayPande

1/n #ChangeOrPerish My advise to @HQ_IDS_India If we do not change the mindset of training military minds, we will continue to be an assembly line that produces rusted minds. With Ukraine happening, entire military establishment @adgpi @IAF_MCC and @indiannavy should be ….

2/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India should be discussing it real time. Promotion Exams should be dynamic in nature. Include 100% military and geopolitics events happening across globe. Keep military minds sharp. @adgpi you need to introspect few issues that I bring in this thread.

3/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India Geopolitics and Military Mindset
Officers of age 30 yrs and less are studying the following in Military History (source of information Natraj Publishers) for their promotion to Majors Rank:

4/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
-Kargil War 1999, book by a Lt General and the title contains words ‘Tactical Victory Strategic Failure”
-Another by a Maj General, Tables …..
-The Shershah of Kargil
-North West European Campaign 1944-45
-Arnhem 1944: The Airborne Battle

5/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
-Pegasus Bridge
The Pegasus Diaries
-Do you realise that NO BOOK written by Retd Gen Ved Malik is recommended by the very same army he led?
-Officers of age 22 to 30 Yrs age, the most fertile minds are made to read 1944 battles.

6/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
-What do they know about India of 1944-45?
-OR India of 1947?
-OR J&K of 1946 and 1947
-OR J&K of 1913, 1947, 1949, 1962 & 2021?
-OR Arunachal of 1947, 1962 and 2021?
-OR Sikkim of 1947, 1975 or 2017?
-OR Aksai Chin of 1947, 1949, 1962, 2021?

7/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
-OR Pakistan of 1947, 1965, 1971, 1999 and 2021?
-OR East Pakistan of 1947 and 1971?
-OR Bangladesh of 1971 and 2021?
-OR Myanmar of 1947 and 2021?
-OR Neighbouring countries of Myanmar, China and Pakistan?
-OR West & SE Asia, Sub Continent?

8/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
Point is THIS has to be bread and butter of military. When young minds have no formal training of all that I write in tweet 6 & 7, what knowledge they would carry as a Major?
Military is not required to operate within India, but outside India.

9/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
Are all of above are OUTSIDE INDIA, in the neighbourhood, where we will apply our military and where our officers will lead.

Lead with no knowledge? THIS IS GEOPOLITICS.

I will now cover officers of age group 26 yrs to 35 years. Keep track.

9/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
26yrs to 35 yrs Age Bracket
Now let me cover this age bracket. Officers must pass a promotion exam to get the rank of Lt Col (I am out of touch and open to be corrected). Unless an officer passes, he CANNOT be promoted. He must now clear a

10/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India paper of Military History (closest they come to Geopolitics). Have a look (source Natraj Publishers):
India China War 1962 – Nothing else !!! Books?
-Himalayan Blunder by an Indian author
-India’s China War by a foreign author

11/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
-War in High Himalayas – Indian author
-Thimmaya – by foreign author

THAT’S IT ! BINGO….. Lt Cols Rank is his. So from date of commissioning to 13 years of service one sails without any knowledge of geopolitics.

12/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
THE CREAM….. from this age group of 30-38yrs age, appear for a COMPETITIVE EXAM and the best of the three services are selected for a course. They must pass Military History (closest they will ever come to geopolitics). They study following

13/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
(source Natraj Publishers):
-The Vietnam War- Four books all authored by foreigners.
-Biography of Gen Giap (`second WW)
-Art of War by `Sun Tzu
Or
-Korean War 1950
-Biography Gen MacArthur
-Op Art Clusewitz
Or
-Burma Campaign 1944

14/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
-Biography Gen William Slim
-Op Art Chanakya

This is Army. Now Air Force and Navy officers join this course and is the FIRST time in their careers tan the three service officers come together.

15/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
that the three service officers come together.
The first 10 years of service was with ZERO knowledge of geopolitics. The competitive course selection by merit again is with officers with EIGHTY YEAR OLD MILITARY BATTLES.

16/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
These officers now go back to their respective services and get promoted to COLONEL.
While I talk of THIRD FRONT WAR, the military mindset for first 15 years of service has not even started on information on our neighbours & their neighbours.

17/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
Navy sails 5000km, IAF reaches out 1500km with fighters, army at borders is opposite neighbouring countries and the formal training / education on basic job has not even commenced.

Can we term such minds as ‘rusted’ minds?

18/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
Do you now realise from where “Air Force is for providing ground support to Army’ type statements come from?

Or, the ‘depth’ of knowledge you find on 60-70 TV Channels having Military Experts talking about Ukraine?

19/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
MY QUESTIONS
-Are Training Commands defunct?
-Are Military Training Institutes defunct?
-Are all serving and retired Generals satisfied with this training?
-Why spend hundreds of crores on institutes like Manohar Parriker Institute of Defence

20/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
Studies, USI, CLAWS and numerous other such institutes?

-Don’t we want officers from all three armed forces to train their minds for the job country pays them for?
-Should the progress and training of officers not be coordinated by HQ IDS?

21/n #ChangeOrPerish @HQ_IDS_India
-As a FIRST STEP to theaterisation, should all three service Training Commands not be combined under one head?

IF THIS IS THE STATE in Armed Forces, do you need to even know what is happening with politicians & bureaucracy?

CHANGE OR PERISH.