A well written book – it takes a lot of courage to come out with the truth – and the author has successfully done it.  One could feel the conviction in the writing – not like the utterances of most veteran generals of today – as if the problems did not exist during their times.  My heartfelt compliments to the author.  I have neither served with the author nor interacted with him before and I consider it as my misfortune.

The language is simple and easy flowing.  The book contains worthwhile anecdotes and quotes, mostly from American and German Army and a few anecdotes about Sam Manekshaw.

Our Generals were Colonels and Commanding Officers before becoming a General.  The last place where one is in direct command of soldiers is as a Commanding Officer.

In the book, the word ‘General’  if replaced by ‘Colonel’ and if it is read by Lieutenant Colonels before being promoted to be a Commanding Officer, it  is sure to help them.  The contents are least likely to be of any value to the Generals as most may not accept what is written and their minds are already ‘hardwired.’ A Colonel’s mind can still be influenced.

The chapters 1 to 3 speaks about listening skills in details, but hardly about reading – ‘The Generals who command against me will never read it and the young men who read it will never command.’

The Conference syndrome begins at Battalion/ Regiment levels.  If a Commanding Officer needs to hold a conference, I feel there is something wrong with him – he surely does not know his job and is not clear about the way the task is to be executed.  It is more for finger pointing and to save his ass.  Conferences must be avoided at all costs and must be held only if inescapable.

The author speaks of thirty percent of Infantry Brigadiers being incompetent – thanks to the pro-rata system – in fact only 30 percent are fit.

Lack of moral courage is surely the cause of downfall of many Generals of the Indian Army and it did not happen because they got promoted beyond a Colonel, it was inherent in them during the Academy days itself. Moral values and the lack of it begin to be expressed in command – from battery/ company/ squadron commander days.

It is high time the Indian Army goes in for an objective performance assessment of officers and it got to begin with the Commanding Officers.  Peer evaluation by officers and Junior Commissioned Officers – selected at random, maintaining confidentiality – as suggested by the author will prove credible in the long run – though there may be a few aberrations, but would end more objective and accurate than the present appraisal system.

A must read for all officers of the Indian Army.

During a recent discussion with a Veteran Brigadier Azad Sameer of the Indian Army who was my mentor while I commanded our regiment, he was concerned about the spate of sudden deaths by heart attacks among number of middle level Indian Army officers (Majors / Lieutenant Colonels.) He attributed it to the increased stress level caused due to heavy operational commitments of the Indian Army.

Is it so?

I took my mind back to my Indian Army days – as a Second Lieutenant in 1982 to being a Commanding Officer  (Lieutenant Colonel) in 2004.  As the years rolled by, operational commitments did increase, but with it improved the availability of resources, life styles and more open interaction among officers at least at Battalion/ Regiment level.

The reasons for increased stress levels among Indian Army officers have been attributed by many to:-

• Lack of freedom among junior officers to give free feedback about work concerns.
• Incompetent senior officers.
• Lack of avenues to express domestic and marital concerns.
• Lack of support from senior level especially when situations went out of control.
• Difficult and emotionally demanding work,
• Uncomfortable management/leadership style of senior officers.
• Non-recognition of efforts.
• Complexity of performance review system – Annual Confidential Reports.
• Lack of mutual trust and unsupportive culture, especially while one is in command of a Company/ Battery/ Squadron – where the Annual Confidential Reports become critical for promotion to the rank of Colonel.

It was so when I joined in 1982 as a Second Lieutenant, but it did improve leaps and bounds as years passed by. To cite an example, when I was a Major, our General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Division passed an order that the entire Mechanical Transport of the Battalion/ Regiment to be jacked-up for a week in case of any vehicle accident.  Our neighbouring Regiment did have an accident and the Commanding Officer had to walk to the Divisional Headquarters for a dressing down by the GOC.  I always wondered as to whether that GOC knew how a Battalion/ Regiment functioned, especially its transport section.  Such Generals became a rarity as years went by and might even be extinct by now.

Another bugbear was the availability of married accommodation for officers and soldiers.  It improved tremendously over the years and Separated Family (SF) accommodation for those deployed in field areas too more than doubled. More married officers’ accommodation was available at training institutions where officers underwent various military courses.  During our young officer days, it was an anathema for any student officer to bring their spouse for a training course, but a lot had changed while I was in command at Devlali, co-located with School of Artillery.

Resources needed for executing operational tasks improved manifold with better weapon systems, equipment, vehicles, etc.  Grants and funds available at the disposal of the Commanding Officers multiplied  with each passing year, which tremendously improved operational efficiency.  There were marked improvements in the living condition of soldiers and officers in field areas, especially along the border and Line of Control.  The road communication network improved with time.  Soldiers and officers mostly travel today by air while proceeding on vacations – an unheard of luxury during my service days.

Improved communication with the advent of cellular phones have revolutionised the communication aspects of officers and soldiers.  Even the remotest posts have reliable communication systems and soldiers easily keep in touch with their family, spouse and children.  Gone are the days of the snail paced ‘Forces Letter.’

The better financial status of officers and soldiers coupled with modern banking facilities like credit/ debit cards, online banking, easy credit and advances have made life much more comfortable.  Gone are the days of ‘installments’ and being perpetually indebted to the Regimental Wet Canteen Contractor.  I remember buying Marina a Fashion Maker Sewing Machine, my first wedding anniversary gift to her on six monthly installments.

The lifestyles of today’s Indian army Officers and soldiers have gone up many a rung.  It was a rarity to find a Regimental officer other than the Commanding Officer owning a car during my young officer days.  While I commanded our Regiment, many soldiers were driving to the Regiment in their cars.

During our young officer days the common saying was “No one ever died because of work, but by the lack of it.”  It was also said that “It is better to be in a field area and carryout professional work than be in a peace station and carry out more administrative tasks.”

Taking into account the above two dictum to be true even today in the Indian Army, increased operational commitment should not result in over-stressed officers and soldiers.

Why there is increased stress among Officers and Soldiers?

Today’s military spouses – of both officers and soldiers – are better qualified with equal or greater aspirations than their spouses.  Many spouses prior to their marriage were working in managerial or high-end jobs and some had to leave their jobs to be with their spouses for a better family life. Those spouses continuing with their jobs remained separated, maintaining a long-distance relationship.

These factors causes work-family conflict which results in exhaustion, both physical and emotional.  Many a times this leads to depression, anxiety, frustration, anger and increased levels of psychological strain.  This work-family conflict adversely affects the quality of the officer’s/ soldier’s relationship with the spouse as well as the quality of time spent with children, family and friends.

Here I would again cite my personal example.  The evening the result of my promotion to the rank of Colonel was announced, Marina invited all our friends for a party at home.  Everyone trooped in and complimented me.  After everyone assembled, Marina said “This party is to celebrate my husband  not making it to a Colonel.  Now I can have my plans rolling and he can take a back seat.”  Marina emigrated to Canada and after two years the children followed and then I landed in Canada.  By then Marina was a licensed pharmacist and earning handsomely.  Thus, I became a house-husband taking care of our children and the household.  The turn of events may not be so for many Indian Army officers, especially those who do not make it in the deep selection to the rank of Colonel and then even deeper selection upwards.

Another major cause of concern for Indian Army is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  A study in Canadian Armed Forces showed that among those invalidated out or those who sought voluntary retirement due to medical disabilities, about 40 percent  were for mental health issues, about half of those were diagnosed as PTSD.  The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBCS) noted that military service meant moving often and spending time on duty far from family and was a major source of mental health risks – a standard practise for most Indian Army officers and soldiers.

Most Indian Army officers and soldiers suffer from PTSD due to the intense combat situations they face – Canadian Armed Forces hardly face any such situations. Luckily the military echelons never accepted the existence of PTSD in the Indian Army!  I had never even heard of PTSD while in service with the Indian Army until I read a paper by a US Military Doctor on the subject.  Now think of the PTSD suffered by the driver of the vehicle that met with an accident wherein the GOC jacked-up the entire Regimental fleet.  Did anyone address the PTSD suffered by that soldier driver?

Was I prepared to command the soldiers on being appointed the Commanding Officer?

I will emphatically say “NO.”  It was merely by observation of one’s Commanding Officers and analysis.  The Senior Command Course every officer underwent prior to taking over command was nothing but re-frying of what one learnt during Junior Command Course as a Major and also Staff College Course.

Our son when in Grade 12 worked at the city’s swimming pool as a swimming instructor and lifeguard.  One day he said “I teach the kids for thirty minute class and to become an instructor and lifeguard I had to undergo ten levels of swimming, three courses on leadership and swimming instructorship, first aid, Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), child psychology and obtain a life saving certificate. What qualifications did you  have to parent?”

I did not have any qualifications to be a parent.  It was all by trial and error and also by the knowledge gained through reading and interactions.  Now I asked myself – “What qualifications did I have to be a Commanding Officer? Was I trained for it?  Did I have any formal qualifications like first aid, CPR or soldier psychology?”

There was a suggestion to employ more psychiatrists and psychologists to help soldiers tide over the pressure situations they face.  Where will these psychiatrists and psychologists be located? Will they be available to the officers and soldiers in the field?

It would be prudent to train the officers during Junior/ Senior Command Courses in the psychological aspects of command and HR management to be effective Company/Squadron/ Battery Commanders and Commanding Officers.

The Draft That Never Came

While commanding the Regiment, I tasked our young officers with drafting a letter in reply to a query from higher headquarters on the deployment of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (drones). Two days later, I asked about the status of the draft.

One of them replied, “Sir, why don’t you write it yourself? You write much better than all of us.“

I did not like it one bit. But instead of my usual response, I curbed my irritation and took a different approach. I sat down with them to analyse the root of the problem.

Where Did Our Creativity Go?

“We all came through the Services Selection Board (SSB),” I began. “We were shown nine caricature images – each impossible to make head or tail of – and we wrote nine convincing stories. The tenth was a blank card, and still we wrote a story. We were flashed a hundred words at the rate of two words per minute, and we wrote a hundred sentences. Had what we written not made sense or lacked creativity, none of us would be here today.“

I paused, letting the weight of the words settle.

“Where did we lose all that critical thinking, analytical power, and creative thinking?“

A Case Study in Creative Decline

To illustrate my point, I presented them with a case study: an infantry section capturing two militants in a hideout.

The same situation was posed to four groups:

• Ten Gentleman Cadets (GCs)
• Ten Young Officers (YO) Course qualified officers
• Ten Junior Command (JC) Course qualified officers
• Ten Staff College qualified officers

The results, I explained, followed a predictable pattern:

• The ten GCs would generate nine solutions, of which eight would work.
• The ten YOs would generate seven solutions, of which five would work.
• The ten JC officers would generate four solutions, of which two would work.
• The ten Staff College qualified officers would generate one solution – which would fail at its very first step.

The Culprit: Over-Structured Training

This decline, I told them, is the direct result of over-structured training in the Army. With each stage of professional development, the level of structuring increases, and creative thinking diminishes correspondingly.

It begins with the first document most of us created as young officers in our regiments: a Court of Inquiry, usually to regularise an injury suffered by a soldier while playing. The Adjutant would hand down the task with a caveat: “Refer to a previous Court of Inquiry and do the needful.”

From that moment onward, we learn to look backward and copy forward. Original thought becomes an anomaly.

A Failed Attempt at Reform

A decade ago, a friend of mine – Brigadier Azad Sameer, who served as Colonel General Staff at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) – was tasked with suggesting methodologies to make tactical exercises more creative. I offered him a suggestion drawn from my experience in Canada with the Gifted Children Programme which our children went through.

In Canada, gifted children – who constitute about two percent of the student population – possess an advanced degree of general intellectual ability that requires differentiated learning experiences beyond what is normally provided. They are identified through a written examination in Grade 4 and placed in self-contained programmes designed to meet their unique needs, characteristics, and interests.

These programmes, run by teachers with additional qualifications in special education, offer:

• Learning content more relevant to their interests and abilities
• The opportunity to work with intellectual peers of similar or higher aptitude
• The ability to collaborate with like-minded individuals who share creative and complex ways of thinking
• A space to relate with others who have similar interests

Applying the Model to DSSC

I noted the parallel between gifted children and the student officers at DSSC. Both groups, I argued, thrive on intellectual stimulation beyond the conventional.

My suggestion was simple: for one tactical exercise, give the students a blank map sheet with minimal inputs – force levels, weapons, logistics – and let them begin by marking the International Boundary themselves. Let them create the exercise and devise its solution.

In this approach, no pre-made solutions would be available. Each map sheet would be unique, requiring original thought. Instructors would need to work overtime to correct and assess each solution. Perhaps one or two of the resulting exercises could be conducted for the entire course.

The Faculty’s Response

The idea was presented to the DSSC Commandant, who asked Brigadier Sameer to share it with the entire faculty. At the end of the presentation, a senior faculty member posed the question that sealed its fate:

“How will we assess the students?”

The Baby Thrown Out

The proposal was rejected. Not gently, but decisively – the baby thrown out with the bathwater, loofah, and soap.

It became painfully clear that in military training, the ultimate aim is not to teach or to nurture creativity, but to assess. To measure. To fit every solution into a predetermined mould.

And in that process, somewhere along the journey from Gentleman Cadet to Staff College graduate, the creative thinking that got us through the SSB is systematically extinguished.

The young officers who asked me to write their draft for them were not lazy. They were products of a system that had trained them, over years, to look backward for answers rather than forward for possibilities.

That, I realised, was the greatest tragedy of all.

On my blog on Z – The Commanding Officer’s Jeep,  was a comment by Veteran Colonel BIS Cheema as appended below.

‘How things have Changed with use of Public Property? I was commissioned in 1948, and joined 1 DOGRA, at Jalandhar. No one including the Commanding officer ever used any public transport for any private or personal use, unless, it was specifically hired, on payment of 8 Ana, equal to 50 Paisa, per mile. The duty slip was made out in Red Ink. All offers, including the Commanding Officer, used to come from the residence to Office/ Unit lines in their personal transport, that was mostly cycles. Sahayaks were allowed only in field units, and on payment of Rs. 30/- per Month. The same was deducted by CDA from pay. Ladies and Children were not allowed access to Officers Mess, except a specially dedicated room, that was marked as Ladies Room.

Officers never used any Government item, of clothing and equipment. we purchased cloth from Officer’s Shop, got our uniforms stitched to fit each individual at his own cost. One never saw an officer using regular Government issued Shoes for Other Ranks. We got our Service Pattern Boots made by cobblers under own arrangements. There were no free rations for officers at peace stations. Officers Messes were run on the basis of No-Profit-No-Loss. Daily Messing costs were equally shared by all dining members. Such was concern shown by officers towards use of Public property, to be able to earn the respect of the all ranks under their Command.’

How did these aspects change?  When did these change?

Has any officer ever paid for using government vehicle? I never paid for it during my service (1982-2004).

When was the practise of allowing ladies and children into officers’ mess commence?  When I joined our Regiment, the practise was in vogue. Ladies and children had access to ante-room, dining room and even the bar.

When was a Sahayak/ helper/ buddy/ orderly authorised for officers? When was the system of payment for the same discontinued? I was never charged a penny for the same.

Our Regiment was deployed in our operational area in  Rajasthan deserts for Op PARAKRAM when I assumed command.

In the first week I passed directions regarding day-to-day administration of the Regiment.  For sure, a Havildar (Sergeant) Clerk was the first one to flout one of my directions.

I instructed the Adjutant, Capt Subhash, that  the Havildar Clerk  be chargesheeted.

Subhash came to my office in the CO’s Caravan with the charge sheet which I approved.  He asked me ” Sir,Can I march him up tomorrow morning?  It’s already 8 PM now.”

“No.  March him up now,” I replied.

“Now Sir? At night Sir?” He asked.

“Yes. Now. Remember we are in our operational area, ready for a war any minute,” I affirmed.

On taking over command, I realised that there were lots of gaps in the documentation of our soldiers.  Most data was either outdated or was missing.  I got into designing and coding a software for capture and analysis of soldiers’ information, soon after I took over command.  My initial two weeks were fully devoted to automating the entire system.

During the designing and coding stage, I used to work day and night, mostly sitting in my comfortable Lungi.  That evening too I was dressed in my Lungi and vest.

Subhash looked at me and said “Sir, if you want him to be marched up now,  you need to change into uniform.“

“Give me five minutes and I will be back,” I said, and walked into the bedroom space of the Caravan and changed into uniform.

The Havildar was duly reprimanded for his minor offence.  It had a great impact on the soldiers – not because it was the first punishment I awarded, but more because the recipient was a Havildar Clerk.

After two years in command, I hung up my boots, to migrate to Canada.  During my dining out, Subhash narrated what happened in the five minutes I took to change into uniform that day.

“After you said ‘Give me five minutes,’ I went out of your office and realised the gravity of what I said to you.  I rushed to Major Suresh, our Second-in-Command and narrated what happened. 

Major Suresh gave a smile and said ‘Don’t worry. The old man will never take you wrong.  I know him very well from our Academy days.‘”

Now Subhash’s question to me was “Why did you not admonish me for what I said?  Before coming to this Regiment, I served in a Field Regiment for four years.  There if I had said so, you can well imagine my plight.  Even Major Suresh didn’t seem perturbed over my conduct with our CO.  That hurt me even more and I have been carrying this guilt with me for the past two years.”

Looking at Subhash I said “If you felt guilty for something you did in good faith, you should have confided in me then and there.  You would not have had to carry the burden this far.”

“But that day why did you act the way I told you to, and not admonish me,” was his next question.

“If I had said anything to you or admonished you for an act done in good faith, you would have lost your self-confidence and self-esteem.  Later, you would not have had the courage and conviction to advise the Commanding Officer and point out any error or folly in my decisions or directions,” I philosophised.

In 2002, our SATA Regiment was designated to be equipped with Unarmed Aerial Vehicles  (UAV).  Having experienced as to how our Medium Regiment was equipped with Bofors Gun, I realised that there is a critical need for complete infrastructure to house and operate the UAV and the crew.

In 1987, our Regiment received Bofors Gun while located in the Kashmir Valley.  The Guns and the Gun Towing Vehicles were parked in the open, with these costly and high-tech equipment wizening in the vagaries of weather.  It was in true sense proving an old Malayalam adage ആനയെ മേടിക്കുവാൻ കാശുണ്ട്, തോട്ടിമേടിക്കുവാൻ കാശില്ല  meaning ‘You have enough money to buy an elephant, but not enough to buy a hook (ankus) to control the elephant.’  It was a similar case – Indian Army had spent crores for procuring the equipment, but did not have a few lakh to build the sheds to house them.

Whatever it was, I got down to working out the infrastructure requirement as specified by the manufacturer- that too by someone who had hardly any clue of aircraft operation and avionics.  The UAV Base was to come up in Rajasthan, which already had an Aviation Squadron operating from a small airbase.  The UAV infrastructure was to be created there which involved extending the existing runway – both in length and in width and also reinforcing it to facilitate UAV operation.

Luckily for me, the Commanding Officer of the Aviation Base was our course mate from NDA – Colonel Kesar Shekhawat.  He provided all technical and aviation inputs and extended all out cooperation in planning the UAV base.  I made many trips to his Base and he always provided me transport and accommodation and also looked after me very well.

I visited many UAV Bases in all corners of the country – operated both by Indian Army and Air Force – interacted with the crew operating the UAVs and learnt their needs and the deficiencies they had.  They suggested many modifications to the existing infrastructure they had and also provided lot of valuable inputs.  Most of these bases operated UAVs with existing infrastructure the base had and they had very few of the infrastructure as specified by the equipment manufacturer. 

After two months of detailed planning, we came out with an extensive document regarding the layout of the augmented Base, buildings, accommodation for crew, housing for all technical equipment, hangars for UAVs, and so on.  The entire project cost ran over ten Crore.

Project report did raise shackles of the higher Headquarters who wanted me to scale down the project so that the project could be sanctioned by the Army Headquarters.  With this high-cost project, sanction of Ministry of Defence was needed.  I refused to budge and held on and advised them to scale it down if they felt so.  The other option offered was to phase out the entire project, which I again refused and advised the higher Headquarters  to do so if they deemed so.

No one wanted to bell the proverbial cat.   The file moved at a snail’s pace through the corridors of power to be ultimately sanctioned.  Now Indian Army had enough money to buy the hook for the elephant.

Immediately on sanctioning of the project, work commenced in full swing.  Every month I had to fly to Jodhpur from Devlali for a day or two to oversee the progress of the  work.  

Why did the Commanding Officer had to travel every month for a task that could have been executed by any Major in the Regiment?  It was all because in those good old days, Majors were not allowed to fly even on Temporary Duties.  The backchat (apparently emanated from our Second-in-Command) among the junior officers were that in case someone displayed a sad face early in the morning, the Commanding Officer will send him to Agolai to oversee the progress of the work.   The officer detailed will end up spending at least three days on the train – from Devlali in Maharashtra to Jodhpur in Rajasthan.

I took a cue from it and during a Regimental Officers’ Mess event declared that in case I see any officer with a long face, I will despatch him to Agolai.  Our Regimental Ladies understood what it meant.  After that the mere mention of the word Agolai by me to any officer of the Regiment  would be followed by the officer’s reply “Sir, She is really taking care of me.  There is no problem.“

I hung my boots a year after the project commenced in full swing, duly supervised by Colonel Kesar Shekhawat.  A complete UAV Base as envisaged in my project report was completed in two years.   Then only our Regiment took over the UAVs and made them operational. 

This must be the first time in the history of the Indian Army that the complete infrastructure as specified by the equipment manufacturer,  including air-conditioned living accommodation for the crew came up well before the induction of high-tech UAVs. I am told that this base is the best UAV Base of the Indian Army today.

The Evening Before the Olive Green World : A Dinner with Gentleman Cadets

For the Passing Out Parade of our nephew, I landed at the Officers’ Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, two days in advance, to be a guest of Major Subash, our regimental officer. That evening, Major Subash’s Company Commander had invited all passing-out Gentleman Cadets (GCs) for a customary dinner. Despite my best efforts to wriggle out of it, Major Subash – a Platoon Commander – insisted that I accompany him. He wanted me to interact with the soon-to-be-commissioned officers.

Throughout the event, I remained fairly reticent, keeping to myself. I had hung up my boots some sixteen years ago and had been living in Canada ever since. What could I possibly share with these youngsters? Yet, some of the GCs persisted, prodding me for advice.

Five Pages and a Page

The advice I finally offered was simple: “Every day, ensure that you read five pages and write one page.“

A GC immediately asked, “What should we read?”

“Anything and everything – newspapers, magazines, military pamphlets, user manuals, or even porn. Just ensure you read every day.“

The cadets seemed a bit bewildered by my unexpected answer. One of them then asked, “What about saving money? Many have been advising us about it.” This, I suspected, came from senior veterans now employed by banks as Defence Accounts Specialists – catching them young, indeed.

When they persisted, I elaborated: “On joining your regiments, learn to be part of them. Be a soldier first. Learn about your soldiers, your equipment, and so on. Remember to enjoy your life. Pursue your passions, hobbies, and interests. Participate in adventure activities. Use your vacations to travel around the country – and around the world.“

“But what about savings?” persisted some who might have joined the service for a few dollars more.

The financial genius in me surfaced. “You don’t need to worry much about savings for the first three years of your service. Contribute to your Provident Fund – it will save you some taxes.”

Gifted, but Diminishing

Reflecting on that conversation, I can state confidently that every officer of the Indian Armed Forces can be classified as Gifted. Most of us came through Sainik or Military Schools, where admission required a test in Grade 4 or 5 similar to the one used in Canada to identify gifted children. If I recall correctly, ours was tougher.

After school, we all faced a fiercely competitive entrance examination for the Academy, where the qualifying percentage was a fraction of one percent. Then came the five-day ordeal of the Services Selection Board (SSB) interview – far more rigorous than anything before. Anyone who qualified through that process is genuinely super-gifted. Training at the Academies was no easy feat, especially the need to qualify in academic subjects alongside strenuous physical activities and tests.

And yet, on commissioning, the problem begins. Creativity starts to diminish.

Studying vs Learning

Officers tend not to learn – they study. Let me define the difference: what you study, you forget soon after the exam; what you learn, you retain for life. The tendency to study can be attributed largely to the grading system in most courses.

I recall an incident from my command days. We were tasked to write a paper on the tactical employment of modern surveillance devices for Army Headquarters. I asked the junior officers to produce a draft. One of them replied, “Sir, you write well. This paper is for Army Headquarters – why don’t you write it? Our efforts may not be good or creative enough.“

I pointed out how they had closed their minds to creativity. “You all went through the SSB,” I reminded them. “You were shown nine caricature images – head or tail impossible to make out – yet each of you wrote nine good, creative stories. The tenth was a blank card, but you still wrote a credible story. One hundred words were flashed at you with thirty-second intervals, and you wrote one hundred sensible sentences. Now you say you’re incapable of writing a creative paper?”

The Death of Creativity

The death of creativity begins when a young officer is given a task and told to go through an old file, paper, or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to see how it was done previously – and then accomplish the new task in a similar manner. Many military units have SOPs even for the most mundane activities, like organising an Officers’ Mess function. These SOPs, while efficient, are also creativity killers.

One of the first documentation tasks for a young officer is usually a Court of Inquiry (C of I), most often pertaining to a severe injury suffered by a soldier. The Adjutant invariably says, “Refer to a previous one. Carry out the C of I in a similar manner.”

If you want a young officer to be creative, you must first help him understand the purpose of the C of I: what evidence is, how to adduce it, and how to reach a finding based on evidence – not precedent. The manner in which proceedings are recorded on paper is perhaps the only thing an old court of inquiry might reveal.

The Blind Copy Syndrome

The trend of  blind copying, cut and paste begins here. It continues throughout service, steadily culling all the creativity one possessed at the time of the SSB.

Reading five pages and writing one page every day are the very first baby steps toward professional creativity and competence. As the youngsters anxiously awaited their entry into the mysterious olive-green world, what better piece of advice could I have given them?

The question is not whether they will remember my words. The question is whether they will have the courage to resist the system that slowly, steadily, silently extinguishes the creative spark that brought them there in the first place.