Launch of 'Svipja Civil - Military Relations Chair'

General

“Svipja Civil- Military Relations Chair” (or ‘Chair’, for short) has been set-up by Svipja Technologies with a view to harness Ideas from Intellectual Defence Community to promote Civil-Military Relations in India. Views from the International Community will also be welcome.

This work is needed in order to raise intellectual capital of the stakeholders in line with the values enshrined in the Indian Constitution. It would help reinforcing democratic values in the Defence Community with Military Ethos intact.

Objectives

The establishment of the Chair and Fellowships is expected to:

1. Promote healthy and meaningful exchange of ideas amongst the intellectual Defence Community on civil-military relations in the Indian Context.

2. Facilitate wider, deeper, and un-biased discussions / interactions amongst the intellectual Community, and Faculty / Moderator(s) appointed against the Chair or as Fellows, in particular.

Terms and Conditions

The creation and operation of the Chair and Fellowships will be subject to the terms enumerated in the succeeding paras.

Methodology Research work on the subject will be undertaken by a Team constituted by Svipja Technologies within the Objectives laid. Certain identified Blogs / Sites will be used to initiate discussions amongst the stakeholders. Once done, ‘finished product’ would be circulated to the stakeholders, and published in a transparent manner.

Donor(s) Svipja Technologies will meet all the expenses of the Chair as a Founder.

Founder Fellowship Brigadier (Retired) Sukhwindar Singh will be the first faculty against the Chair.

Guidelines for “Appointment” of Faculty Against the Chair To be approved by the Board of Governors established by Svipja Technologies / Trusts / Donors.

Eligibility Anyone with a track record in defence with independent, impartial & sound logical abilities would be eligible to be considered for “appointment” against the Chair. Individual(s) being considered would first be appointed as Moderator(s). The Chair has a Think Tank’s charter.

Duration of the Chair The “appointment” against the Chair will be made for a period of up to five years. However, continuation into the fourth and fifth years will be subject to a review at the end of the third year. Further, an individual may be eligible to be considered for re-appointment, together with other eligible candidates, for a period of up to 5 years (without a break) any number of times.

Designation Member(s) appointed against the Chair will be called “Svipja Civil-Military Relations Chair Emeritus Research Fellow / Research Fellow / Research Associate Fellow”.

Research Grant To be assigned by Svipja Technologies on need basis as the faculty / work expands.

Intellectual Property (IP) Rights As a result of the “appointment” against the Chair, there shall be no change in the rights applicable to the IP developed by the researchers / faculty members and/or his/her collaborators.

Strategic Alliance(s) Svipja Technologies would be willing to establish strategic alliance(s) with like-minded bodies.

Research Presentations Research Articles will be published on Media/Sites/Blogs identified for the purpose. In addition, as a result of the “appointment” against the Chair, the faculty would be expected to undertake Presentations of the research findings of the Chair to various targeted audience, organizations and institutions.

Conclusion

This work would enhance intellectual capital of the stakeholders for security of the country in environments unfolding in the 21st Century India. Dynamics of the Civil-Military relations needs to be captured routinely in the Indian Polity.

All Veterans are welcome to contribute their thoughts.

Sukhwindar

www.svipja.com

Civil-Military Relations: Why are These More Important in a Democracy?

There is a ‘rooted’ tendency amongst Us to narrow Civil-Military Relations to IAS-Military Top Brass. In wider sense it in fact relates to who governs the Country, Civil or Military leadership?

Civil is all encompassing - politicians, civil bureaucracy including allied civil services, police, State machinery, civil offices providing services like supplies, power, water, teles, transportation, roads, etc. Military and its personnel deal at various levels of ‘civil governance’ in official and personal capacities. Any aberrations to military personnel while on duty, off duty, or at home leaves them frustrated if not handled well. Military has expectations to be governed / handled diligently and in an orderly fashion. It is here that a soldier ‘grumbles’ when he is ‘towed’ to follow ethos alien to him.

First damage to civil-military relation stems when a soldier is handled shabbily, dishonestly, or indifferently in the Civil. And this could multiply manifold as he moves through his ‘life cycle’. In his frustration, he then uses ‘force’, the only ‘expertise’ developed in him to reach his objective, at least temporarily, willing to face its consequences subsequently.

Any nation has to be sensitive not to bruise soldiers’ pride in day-to-day interactions. Self-Pride, Self-Respect, Self-Reliance, High-Class Motivation, Professionalism, Ability to Lead by Example, etc are his inherent strengths. Any act that tends to lower it is damaging to the Forces, and Nation as a whole. Anyone including Armed Forces Leadership hurting/undermining these basic traits in any manner is doing disservice to the Nation as it may result in ‘mass grouse’, sometimes difficult to be handled by leadership. That’s why the Armed Forces handle cases of bad management, indiscipline or corruption strictly.

‘All Civil Institutions’ need to fully appreciate it in a democracy like India, where ‘ethos & personal examples’ tend to become casualty.

A Soldier is a Class by Itself and Should be treated as Such. He is then ‘fit’ to deliver optimally ensuring Your Freedom.

We are an established democracy now, it is time that we talked and discussed Civil-Military Relations openly, and organised ourselves on 'Systems Approach' both in thinking and action.


Sukhwindar
Svipja Technologies
[It is a stub, could be expanded to a full Article by some Researcher(s)]

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