By Lt Col Manoj K Channan

Military leadership is interesting as to why some good people willingly follow his lead and sacrifice their lives for the flag of the country and the unit in which they serve.

What is it that makes soldiers do what they do at a young age, when most youth have other attractions that provide those comforts, luxuries and substantial compensation/money multiplier opportunities?

The old saying is good; “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink water”.

Serving in Defense Services is a way of life, the basic qualitative requirements are conviction, positive thinking and ability to prioritize and take rational decisions.

The selection centers for officer cadets have a well designed approach which tests a candidate for his IQ quotient, social quotient, emotional quotient and adversity quotient.

Candidates are put through Psychometric Test, Group Task, Command Task and an Interview with the Selection Center President; As simple as it sounds, psychologists, group work executives and the president make their assessments personally clear before the candidate is sent for a medical evaluation.

Once the candidate is selected, it seems that he has become an officer and the world is at his feet.

The hallmark of training is to build physical and mental stamina, as well as the basics of military training of field craft and war craft, weapons training, setting up and dismantling a camp site in an administrative environment and in field conditions with camouflage. to conceal

Basic infantry tactics that are essential for a fighter to survive on the battlefield; Patrol is a recognition of an infantry man’s abilities and is taught the basics of ambush, advance combat operations, defence, attack and retreat.

Some others are involved in combat arms, combat support units and logistics where they are given specific training for their role, primary and secondary functions; In each of the war operations as mentioned above.

Along with tactical subjects, military history, science and military technology, administration, communications, briefing and commanding for various military operations help Gentleman Cadets to ease into the role of commissioned officers.

Drill and physical training are intertwined and help develop the military impact that differentiates the military from its civilian allies.

After qualifying as officers, Young Officers (YO) once again find themselves on the first rung of the ladder which is tall and steep. The YO is placed under a senior subordinate, who guides the YO to read and learn his unit history, the soldiers’ knowledge, their background, the soldiers’ religion and their culture.

YO is placed under a senior NCO who helps in refining the basics of training assimilated in the training academy, raising of guards in quarter guard, contingent of colours/standard is the beginning of a great regimental life.

Social life is an important aspect as military stations are a distinct community. YO calls the women of the unit and hence gets to know his new family which will be the backbone of his service life.

Officer grooming is an ongoing affair and all-around interaction helps YO to develop his professional skills and social qualities which helps him to become a well developed youth leader.

Exposure to various vocational courses, training institutes and tenure at formation headquarters (Higher Headquarters) helps the officer to understand the operational aspects from a unit to a higher level.

The constant striving to be the best in all aspects enhances the skills of swordsmanship.

Leadership in defense services is demonstrative and therefore has a lot of purpose and subordinates will accept an officer who is courteous, grounded and can empathize with his command and look after his professional interests without bias.

Contrary to what the civilian world thinks, the defense services are about “minds and not brains”; It is perhaps the only organization that invests in training, retraining, interaction with subject matter experts from various fields, involving diplomats, economists, legal experts to help develop a holistic perspective on security needs. But it helps to understand the point of view of the nation. The country and its national interest / wider national power.

The accumulation of all these helps a military leader to formulate plans for mitigating internal and external threats that are to be mitigated through conflict resolution by kinetic means or through non-military means.

Non-military measures are taken by taking measures to ease the daily life of the affected population. The political leadership and bureaucracy are at the forefront of such initiatives as the approach is an “iron fist in a velvet glove”.

While the interaction of the military leadership with the politician is inevitable, the military leadership must ensure that it is not gullible to the immoral allure of cunning politicians to aid in the political objectives of their political party.

The line is thin, and the margin error is “zero”; The military leadership is always committed to the Constitution of India and acts as the sword arm of the government and not as the political party that has formed the government.

Capabilities and ambitions go hand in hand, when ability is lacking then achieving ambition through unethical means becomes easy path to success.

The transformation and growth of the Defense Services is a constant and there is a need to avoid compromising on its combat capabilities and competencies.

,The author is a veteran of the Indian Army. The views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of Financial Express Online. Reproduction of this material without permission is prohibited).