I would like to mention one or two points of detail here. Some Members mentioned the question about this NEFA inquiry. I am going to refer to it a little later. But some Members said, “ Are we still waiting to make our planning till the decisions of this NEFA committee are out ? What are we doing in between ? “ I can assure the honourable House that we are not just idly waiting for these recommendations to come and then to take lessons and then start learning them or learning them by heart etc. The Army Headquarters have already from their observations–there are competent people there, professionally very able persons–certainly made their own studies about the problems and they have drawn certain lessons and the efforts are being made on the basis of those lessons that are learnt. I would like to take this honorable House and the people into confidence because I do not want them to feel that we are not just letting them know what exactly we are doing about it. Certainly, this new experience of ours in the last campaign has something to teach us. There is no doubt about that. I am not speaking on the merits. I am not trying to judge the campaign, because some experts will have to do that. But the rapidity and the suddenness with which those events happened in those days have certainly some good lessons to teach us. We found that it will be necessary to improve the quality of planning for campaigns and those well-thought-out plans will have to be backed by logistic support, rather well-prepared in advance. Practically, every expected campaign, wherever that is going to he—I cannot say because that forms a part of the operational programme—but wherever it is, it will have to be well-thought out in advance, those logistic supports will have to be worked out in detail and I can assure the honourable House that such a planning has not only been undertaken, but in certain respects it is completed.
The other important point about the army is, the principles which are guiding us, that there ought to be some sort of a close understanding and collaboration and co-operation between the army and the air force. They have also to tally their own plans for that purpose. Much detailed thinking has been done in this respect as well. The question of acclimatisation on which much emphasis was given, that programme, has been undertaken in the mountain areas. Our troops have to go and stay there before they are sent there. Gradually, they are acclimatised from one height to the other height and so ultimately led to the areas where they will have to function. The standard of fitness is a very important factor because, traditionally, possibly, our army was trained and was taught to think in terms of fights on plains. When this difficult task has to be undertaken, naturally it will require a different training the basis of which will be physical fitness. So, much emphasis has been given to physical fitness.
The other important question is about the closest relationship between officers and men. That point also was mentioned by some Members. This is also very important. As we all know, as one great General said, there is no good army or bad army. There are only good officers or bad officers and the goodness or otherwise of the officers depends upon the confidence that he can create, the confidence that he can germinate in the men that he wants to lead. Therefore, it basically depends on the relationship of the men and the officers. Much care has been taken. I cannot say that it has been taken in all respects - much care has been taken to see that this tendency is cultivated and encouraged.
