Farewell to a modern-day military icon

Rahul Kamble

(rahulkamble01433@gmail.com)

There are moments in a nation's history when time stands still. The unfortunate and untimely death of the country's first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Laxman Singh Rawat, his wife Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other defence personnel is one such occasion. There was heartfelt mourning pan-nation on Friday as the General, his wife, Brig L S Lidder were cremated with full military honours.

In his larger than life tenure, General Rawat served as a Brigade Commander, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-C) Southern Command, General Staff Officer Grade 2 at the Military Operations Directorate, Colonel Military Secretary and Deputy Military Secretary in the Military Secretary's Branch and Senior Instructor in the Junior Command Wing. He was also a part of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force and has commanded a multinational brigade in the Democratic Republic of Congo. During his career of nearly 43 years, he was awarded for gallantry and distinguished service with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Uttam Yudh Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Yudh Seva Medal, Sena Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal, the COAS Commendation on two occasions and the Army Commander's Commendation.

General Rawat was assessed as "too patriotic", "too tough" and "too outspoken" by many and was therefore conveniently branded. As the Chief of Army Staff, he had a 'tough-no nonsense' approach when it came to leadership. He walked the talk when it came to giving a "befitting reply to the enemy". He proved this when he led the Indian Army decisively and firmly during the Doklam crisis. The resultant withdrawal by the Chinese was a significant setback for them along the Northern borders for a long time. General Bipin Rawat was part of the team which planned and executed the Balakot airstrikes by the IAF. As the Chief of Defence Staff, he oversaw the robust response by the Indian armed forces against the Chinese misadventures in Eastern Ladakh. The response was not just limited to the Northern borders, but it was orchestrated in all domains including the sea, air and space. He understood hybrid warfare better than anyone else and minced no words when it came to the present-day role of civil society in the nation's security.

What he leaves behind is his glorious legacy, which will be remembered and talked of for years to come. A modern-day military icon, General Bipin Rawat deserves much more than just a tribute. We as a nation shall stress certain marks in his honour.

The immediate important step needed to be taken is appointing the new CDS and thus ensuring that the momentum of the post shall not be lost. India has been gifted by some excellent top-level military leadership with time. If seniority is kept in mind, then the frontrunner for the CDS post will be Army chief General M.M. Naravane, who took over the latter position from Gen. Rawat on 31 December 2019. However, this would affect the natural succession plan, since Gen. Naravane was due to retire only in April next year. If a new Army chief has to be appointed now, three officers will be in contention, based on seniority — Army Vice Chief Lt Gen. C.P. Mohanty, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen. V.K. Joshi and Lt Gen. Raj Shukla, who heads the Army Training Command. These officers would otherwise have retired before Gen. Naravane. Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen. Manoj Pande, who would be the senior-most officer when Gen. Naravane's retirement date arrived in April next year, would be the fourth in seniority if the latter were named CDS now.

The next big mark in his tribute shall be, completing his unfinished business. General Rawat was a visionary man. His most notable and most talked foresight was the Grand Theaterization of the Indian military. General Rawat was on mission mode to integrate the three services into one single fighting entity in the best interests of the nation. His no-nonsense approach and some plain speaking led to fierce criticism from within the services. General Rawat's duties as the CDS included bringing about jointness in the three services and carrying out reforms to augment the combat capabilities of the armed forces. As part of the reforms, General Rawat very vigorously pushed for the creation of integrated theatre commands. Currently, India has 17 service-specific commands, in addition to the tri-service Andaman and Nicobar Command and the Strategic Forces Command that is responsible for India's nuclear assets. General Rawat's plan for restructuring the military called for the creation of integrated theatre commands, which would have the necessary elements of all three services under its operational control. It was proposed to create a Western Theatre Command responsible for the western border, an Eastern Theatre Command responsible for the northern border, a Maritime Theatre Command to look after the maritime threat, and an Air Defence Command that would be responsible for the defence of India's airspace.

As we look at the security landscape, there are troubling signs. On our northern borders, a more aggressive Chinese military is turning the Line of Actual Control into a contested border. Pakistan remains an intractable foe engaged in a proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir. The situation in Afghanistan has the potential to spill over and impact the entire region. The growing presence of China in the Indian Ocean will at some stage challenge the current domination of the Indian Navy. In less than two years after he was appointed the CDS, General Rawat initiated a series of military reforms that are highly significant in scope. With his drive and determination, he would have ensured that the process is taken forward. Now that General Rawat is not at the helm, it must be ensured that the momentum is not lost.

Apart from this, completing the chopper crash probe on time, revising the VVIP security travel protocols, continuing with the modernization of the military and finally collectively looking after the loved ones left behind of all the martyrs, shall all aid in a perfect complete farewell to the loving General.

General Rawat's legacy will crystallize over time but what his worst critics accept is that he made the Integrated Theatre Commands and linked issues his key focus points, regardless of their final delivery shape. He will always be remembered as a fearless top brass general, who without daunting even a bit by all the criticism, continued to thrive in the national interest at the highest level. His heartfelt humanity will rise above the AI-fuelled, Internet of Things-driven warfighting to remind us that soldiers fight and win wars when handled with professional ability that is laced with a dash of essential humanity.