US president Barack Obama recently sacked his top commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal for remarks against the US administration in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine.
Media reports said General McChrystal was given his marching orders in just under 20 minutes following a one-on-one with Obama at the White House. While this piece goes to print, General Mchrystal’s items are being shipped out of Afghanistan.
While an efficient general was being given the boot for making headlines, back in India, many service heads were watching the events with interest. One senior IAF Air Marshal at AIR HQ, said that there are certain unwritten rules that the service chiefs fall under.
“Anything related to the security of the country, we can’t open our mouth about. We can’t speak on government policies, rules and regulations. It’s a strict ‘No, No’. We may express our thoughts privately, but it’s unethical to do so in public. But it happens quite often in the US. There have been many such instances there. In India, the one that has hit headlines was that of Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat,” the official said. On whether Obama’s decision was right, the official said: “Anything unethical needs to be punished.”
Former chief of naval staff Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat was removed by the Vajpayee government in 1998 after he refused to accept the Cabinet Committee on Appointments’ decision to make Vice-Admiral Harinder Singh his deputy. His displeasure became an open debate and the media made merry with the admiral’s displeasure. In the end, the admiral lost his job and title, and even the supreme court dismissed his plea.
According to I Ramamohan Rao, former Principal Information Officer (PIO) at the Centre, the service chiefs have to convey their views to the defence minister. “On general matters and issues of sensitivity, the chiefs are generally not supposed to talk. Neither can they comment on the relationship with our neighbours. At times, credibility demands that the person in uniform explain the developments during war and other conflicts. It’s an exception and Kargil is an example, when the media was briefed regularly,” says Rao, who has worked closely with four prime ministers.
Recalling an instance, Rao, now 76, says former army chief General KS Thimmaiah had briefly resigned from his post in 1959 following differences with then defence minister VK Krishna Menon. “Parliament objected to a statement made by the general, forcing him to quit. But, then PM Jawaharlal Nehru refused to accept the resignation letter.”
On occasions like Services’ Day, Commanders’ Conference and at historic armed forces’ events, the chiefs do speak to the media. According to Sitanshu Kar, additional director general (Media & Communication), Ministry of Defence, policy guidelines clearly mention that the services chiefs should not speak to the media often. “However, in some rare cases, if the chiefs need to interact, then the defence minister needs to be informed. I regularly brief the media on behalf of MoD,” says Kar, who is also the MoD’s official spokesperson.
Sources said that the service chiefs were recently told not to comment on issues that didn’t come directly under MoD, like the Naxal attacks in Dantewada when some opinions were expressed.
The Defence Technical Publicity Rules (DTPR), 1940, acts as the bluebook for interaction with the media. “This has undergone several changes over the years with the last being in 2004. This clearly specifies who can speak, under what circumstances, when, where, and why,” adds Kar. It is learnt that the Kargil war and the technological advancements of Indian defence establishments forced MoD to make amendments to DTPR in 2004.
The writer is the senior Aerospace and Defence correspondent
(India) for Aviation Week
Comments