Journal of Defence Studies

Roots of Moral Decline in the Armed Forces: Time to Reclaim our Izzat

The precipitate decline in moral and ethical values, as well as the steep fall in standards of private and public conduct, in recent years, has been accompanied by a concurrent erosion of values amongst India’s military personnel. Consequently, the armed forces, which were once considered exemplars of ethical conduct, discipline and decency, are rapidly slipping in the estimation of their countrymen.

Ethics and Morals in the Armed Forces: A Framework for Positive Action

Value systems form the spine of modern society, religion and every individual’s conscience with moral codes defining ‘appropriate’ and ‘expected’ activity. Ethics refer to an individual’s actions that are consistent with such value systems. While the former constitutes a basic human marker of right behaviour and conduct, the latter are a set of guidelines that define acceptable behaviour and practices for a certain group of individuals or society.

Needed: A Better Appraisal System for Better Leaders

There has been a palpable decline in the standards of morals, ethics and values as observed by officers in the armed forces and the bond between officers and men has weakened. This could be because officers with the requisite qualities are not adequately groomed to rise to the level of battalion commanders. The present appraisal system is largely to blame, it being based on a single Annual Confidential Report. A further drawback is that only superior officers report on a ratee. Inputs for appraisal need to be drawn from multiple sources geared towards a ‘360 degree evaluation’.

Ethics and Military Leadership

‘Ethics’ derived from the Greek word ‘Ethicos’, means character or manners and guide actions thereby becoming a ‘normative discipline’. Military Ethics applies to a specialized realm and has developed principles appropriate to it over time to help guide future operations. The armed forces must be always ethically led to uphold the defence of the nation and its national interests. Ethical leadership embodying the ideals of the profession of arms entails creating ethical command climates that set the conditions for positive outcomes and ethical behaviour.

Professional Ethics for the Armed Forces in War and Peace

This article looks at the current situation in the armed forces, which has been in the news for all wrong reasons recently. The author undertakes an analysis of the causes of this state of affairs and suggests that the armed forces, which were well known for their ethics and code of conduct, need to review the situation and take radical steps to ensure a return to their ethics, values and traditions.

Decoding the International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities by Ajey Lele (ed.)

After becoming the first country to oppose the annual non-binding UN resolution ‘Preventing an Arms Race in Outer Space’ in 2005, the US made it clear to the United Nations that it ‘will continue to consider the possible role that [S]pace-related weapons may play in protecting [its] [S]pace assets.’ This was only a precursor to the 2006 National Space Policy of the US that has cleared the way for the deployment of Spacebased weapons by the US.

IAF Equipment and Force Structure Requirements to Meet External Threats, 2032

In keeping with the theme ‘IAF Deep Multidimensional Change 2032: Imperatives and a Roadmap’, this article focuses on the responses to the external threat challenges that are likely to be face by IAF in 2032. The seexternal challenges have been identified to be the individual Chinese and Pakistani threats as well as a combined Sino-Pak threat. The article confines itself to developing a possible force structure only in terms of numbers of combat and support aircraft of various types for 2032.

Peace is Everybody’s Business by Arjun Ray

The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been ravaged by terror for over two decades. The scourge of terror, which was largely limited to the Kashmir valley and Jammu region, cast a shadow on Ladakh, the largest district of the state. In 1999, Ladakh, and in particular the area of Kargil, earned fame for the bloody battle that was fought between India and Pakistan. The inhabitants of Ladakh, largely Muslims of the Shia faith and Buddhists, were alienated, victims of apathy and neglect, living in abject poverty and denied governance.

A Soldier’s General: An Autobiography by General J.J. Singh

It is rare for Army officers to write their autobiographies and rarer still for those who have reached the very pinnacle of their careers. It is probably a mix of inertia and security concerns that stops the ink to make contact with paper. The autobiography of General J.J. Singh is therefore a welcome change to the trend. The publication is all the more creditable, as it has been written while the author continues to hold a constitutional appointment of Governor of Arunachal Pradesh.

India, to the South China Sea and Beyond

This commentary attempts to map out some of the salient options for India in the region east of the Indian Ocean, that is, from the South China Sea (SCS) extending to the South Pacific. A maritime debate, the role and function of the Indian Navy is thus central.