The Indian military consists of the army, air force, and navy and plays several roles including external defense, internal security, and aid to civilian operations. It is one of the largest standing militaries in the world. Jawaharlal Nehru distrusted the military due to his dislike of it being used as a tool of British rule. This, along with India's size, diversity, and legitimacy helped prevent a military coup. However, the military now faces challenges including shortages, erosion of professionalism, and need for modernization. The Indian bureaucracy is headed by elite civil services recruited through a national exam. It was criticized for not being truly Indian but also praised for its competence and patriotism.

1. Indian Military
and
Bureaucracy
Namita Wahi , Harvard Law School
Oct 2010

2. Indian Military
Features
Composition
Roles

3. Features of the Indian MilitaryFeatures of the Indian Military
Consists of the Army, Air Force and the
Navy
President of India, Commander in Chief
Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Finance
Third largest standing military in the
world
9th
in the world in terms of total military
spending (2009: $36.3 billion)
Military spending 2.6% of the GDP

4. Composition of the MilitaryComposition of the Military
Martial Race theory
Diversification during wartime
Professional officer Corps
Social Mobility
Secular credentials

5. Army Camp, Sonamarg, Kashmir

6. Roles of the MilitaryRoles of the Military
Nation building
External Defence
Internal Security
Aid to civilian operations
UN peacekeeping operations

7. Nation BuildingNation Building
First Kashmir War, 1947
Inclusion of Hyderabad,1948
Liberation of Goa, Daman and Diu, 1961

8. External DefenceExternal Defence
Sino Indian conflict, 1962
Indo Pak conflict, 1965
Indo Pak conflict, 1971 (Creation of
Bangladesh)
Siachen conflict, 1984
Kargil conflict, 1999
Mumbai terror attack, 2008, “26/11”
(“Operation Black Tornado”)

9. Internal SecurityInternal Security
Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958
◦ Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland,Tripura
Operation Bluestar, 1984
Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir)
Special Powers Act, 1990

10. Political Map of IndiaPolitical Map of India

11. Aid to Civilian Relief OperationsAid to Civilian Relief Operations
Settlement of colonies
Strengthening communication networks,
railways, telegraph
Road repairs
Flood control
Disaster relief
Famine and epidemic relief

12. Why did India never have a militaryWhy did India never have a military
coup?coup?
Nehru’s distrust of the military
◦ Personal Dislike
◦ Military tool of the Raj
◦ 1958 Coup in Pakistan furthered distrust

13. Nehru’s Personal DislikeNehru’s Personal Dislike
The military man who, “stiffening to
attention, drops his humanity and, acting
as an automaton shoots and kills
inoffensive and harmless persons who
have done him no ill.”

14. Nehru’s PoliciesNehru’s Policies
Position of Army Chief as “equal” to Air
Force and Naval Chiefs
Abolished position of Joint Commander
of the Forces
Focus on economic growth, reduced
defence spending
Change following Sino Indian War, 1962

15. Size and Complexity of IndiaSize and Complexity of India
India too big to be run from the centre
India politically complex; no dominant
group
Legitimacy and integrity of the political
system until the 1970s

16. Military TraditionsMilitary Traditions
Ethnically diverse
Tradition of distaste for exercising
control over civilian population
High standards of professionalism
Good leadership

17. Future Challenges for the MilitaryFuture Challenges for the Military
Huge shortage of officers and staff
Erosion of professionalism and integrity
Erosion of legitimacy
Need for modernisation of equipment,
weaponry
Need for greater coordination amongst
the services
Gender issues

18. Bureaucracy
Indian Civil Service
Nehru
◦ “"The ICS was 'neither Indian, nor civil, nor a
service.'"
Patel:
◦ "In point of patriotism, in point of sincerity
and in point of ability, you cannot have a
substitute...”

19. All India Services
◦ Indian Administrative Service
◦ Indian Foreign Service
◦ Indian Police Service
Competitive national exam (UPSC)
Reservations for SC/ST and OBCs
Long institutional memory: the “file
system”

20. Politicisation of the bureaucracy during
Indira Gandhi’s regime
85/128 (Transparency International,
2009)
Ranked least efficient bureaucracy in Asia
(2009)