INDIAN ARMY: INSTRUMENT OF NATIONAL POWER

To the man whose only tool is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. We
shouldnt be afraid to use other tools, but that there will be times when the nation
will need to drive a nail and the military provides that option.
-

.Gen Martin E Dempsey

Intro
1.
National power is defined as the sum of all resources available to a nation in the
pursuit of national obj. National power stems from various elements, also called instr or
attributes; these may be put into two gps based on their applicability and origin
national and social. National includes Geography, Resources, and Population. Social
includes Economic, Political, Mil, Psy and Info.
2.
The phrase Instruments of National Power refers to the tools a country uses to
influence other countries or international org or even non-state actors. In the American
perspective, the instr of national power are: Diplomacy, Information, Military, and
Economic (DIME). The ability of any govt to advance its national interests is dependent
on its eff in employing the instr of national power to achieve national strat obj. The
appropriate govt officials coordinate the employment of instr of national power.

Instr of National Power

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IA as an Instr of National Power
3.
Mil power is a vitally imp part of national power of a state. The imp of mil factor
as an element of national power can be judged from the fact that many pers regard
these synonymous. Mil power is not national power; nevertheless it is an imp part of
national power which contributes to its str and eff.
4.
Mi preparedness is a background factor for the success of a foreign policy and it
is a tangible factor capb of sp the foreign policy and promoting national interest. It
influences the level of success of foreign policy. The super powers and other maj
powers of our times have been big mil powers. By virtue of being a maj mil power, India,
besides other factors, is considered to be a maj power having a potential to be a super
power in the next 20 years or so.
Factors Affecting Mil Preparedness
5.
While evaluating mil preparedness as a factor of national power, we have to take
into account the fwg three factors:(a)
War Tech. War tech refers to the nature and type of wpn sys that is
available with the army. Modern warfare is sophisticated tech warfare. The
quantity and tech quality of wpns and mil eqpt is a maj factor that determines the
level of mil power of a nation. Adv mil tech is always a source of str and strat
advantage.
(b)
Quality of Mil Leadership.
War tech is an imp factor but it can be
fruitful only when backed by efficient plg, sys and eff use. This brings into focus
the role of mil leadership. Mil plg is a valuable factor of mil action in a war.
Skilled, trained, experienced, dedicated, energetic and discp mil leadership alone
can make the best use of available wpns, eqpt and manpower. A war victory can
be possible only under eff and eff mil leadership.
(c)
Quantity and Quality of Soldiers.
In a war, wpns & eqpts play a key
role but their role and eff is dependent upon the quantity and quality of soldiers.
Mil eqpt and wpn sys is imp, but not as much as the soldiers who actually use
these wpns and eqpt. The number, skill, trg, discp, dedication and morale of the
soldiers are essential factors which can make possible an eff and successful use
of mil wpns and machines.

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6.
Pakistan had superior wpn sys, tks and ac in both the 1965 and 1971 wars with
India. However, it failed to use this to its advantage because of inadequately trained and
less skilled men behind these machines. Indian soldiers could provide a decisive and
befitting answer to Pakistani aggressions because of their superior qualities. Kargil
Victory was also the outcome of the qualities of discp, trg and dedication of Indians
Offrs, JCOs and OR.
7.
We have to take into account these three factors for judging the level of mil
preparedness as an element of national power. However, mil preparedness is directly
dependent upon such factors as tech, industrial capacity, economic devp, state of
economy, policies of the govt, and strat factors. Hence, it is not an indep determinant of
national power.
Mil Instr: The Most Potent Resort
8.
As much as the imp of the three instr of mil power has been greatly relevant in
every scenario, its the mil instr that keeps the edge over the others. The Indian Govt
employs the mil instr of national power at home and abroad in sp of its national security
goals. The ultimate purpose of any mil force around the world is to fight and win the
Nations wars, and India is no exception.
9.
Fundamentally, the mil instr is coercive in nature, to incl the integral aspect of mil
capb that opposes external coercion. Coercion generates effects through the application
of force (to incl the threat of force) to compel an adversary or prevent our being
compelled. The mil has various capb that are useful in non-conflict situations (such as in
foreign relief). Regardless of when or where employed, the IA abides by its core values,
constitutional principles, and stds for the profession of arms.

10.
The routine interaction of the mil instr of national power is fundamental to our
activities in the strat security envt. The mil instrs role incr relative to the other instr, as
the need to compel a potential adversary through force incr automatically. The Indian
govts ability to achieve its national strat obj depends on employing the instr of national
power discussed herein in eff combinations and all possible situations from peace to
war.

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11.
The mil power is integrated with other instr of national power to advance and
defend our values, interests, and obj. To accomplish this integration, the IA must interact
with the other depts and agencies to develop a mutual understanding of the capb, lim,
and consequences of mil and civ actions. They must also iden the ways in which mil
and non-mil capb can best complement each other. The NSC plays key roles in the
integration of all instr of national power, facilitating the govts dirn, cooperation, and unity
of effort i.e. unified action.
Conclusion
12.
Political and military ldrs must consider the employment of mil force in ops
characterized by a complex, interconnected, and global op envt that affect the
employment of capb and bear on the decisions of the cdr. The addition of mil force to
coerce an adversary should be carefully integrated with the other instr of national power
to achieve our obj.
13.
The mil instr of national power can be used in a wide variety of ways that vary in
purpose, scale, risk, and comb intensity. These various ways can be understood to
occur across a continuum of conflict ranging from peace to war. Inside this continuum, it
is useful from a strat perspective to delineate the use of the mil instr of national power
into three broad cat. Mindful that the operational level of warfare connects the tac to the
strat, and ops and campaigns are themselves scalable, we must formulize the ways and
means to provide insight into the various broad usages of military power from a strategic
perspective.