How would you rate an organisation where the main machines which produce the output are more than 3 decades old, a small group in the organisation is more than equal in stature as compared to others, an organisation where ’casteism’ is rampant? But if the organisation is one of the most respected one in the country, can it attributed to the lack of awareness amongst the public or can it be attributed to the public not ready to gaze through the fog. The organisation in discussion is the Indian Air Force
I do not lack patriotism as it may appear from this review. As a person who has served in this organisation for years, my patriotism may not be questionable.
Let us first look at the structure of the IAF. It is commanded by the Chief of Air Staff of the rank of Air Chief Marshall. He has 6 Principal Staff Officers under him, all of the rank of Air Marshall. Out of 6, 4 belong to the flying branch(pilots), 1 is from the technical branch and one could be either from flying branch or non technical ground duty branch. There are 5 operational commands in the IAF which are headed by Air Marshals of the flying branch. Further his deputy is also from the same branch and of the same rank. The Traning command also has 2 Air Marshals of the flying branch. The other command Training Command is headed by a ground duty Air Marshal and his deputy is also from the same branch and the same rank. So at eh highest level of Air Marshals, 16 are from the flying branches, 3 from and ground duty and one could be from either flying or ground duty. This implies a ratio of 4:1 in favour of the flying branch. However the proportion of the ground duty officers to flying duty officers is 3:1. Hence the chances of making it to the rank of Air Marshal is highly skewed in favour of the pilots.
An argument in favour of the promotional policies which have resulted in highly skewed distribution could be that the people who take risk which flying are rewarded. This argument would be valid if the rewards commensurate with the risks. The amount of rewards is also highly skewed in favour of the pilots. They are
faster promotion
higher salary(an officer of the ground duty with 16 years of services draws the salary equal to a pilot with less than 1 year of salary)
additional ration called as flying ration
more chances of commanding units
less hours of work
better visibility
other privileges which are extended to pilots, though not official(example - only a pilot can command any republic day parade, guard of honor)
The places of posting in IAF which entitle a person posted there to a choice of his next posting are Adampur, Srinagar, Leh and Car Nicobar. All these places are connected by air and have sufficient infrastructure for supporting the personnel. However there are some places like Singharsi where even the basic facilities like telephones and electricity do not exist, but a person posted there is not entiled for a choice for his next posting. The first group has a large contingent of flying branch personnel, but the second group has a barely visible presence of flying branch officers. WOULD IT BE AN EXAGERAGTION TO SAY THAT CASTEISM OF THE HIGHEST ORDER IS PRACTICED IN TEH IAF.
Try answering these questions :
an organisation which still has third generation computers(apart from museums)
an organisation with the oldest fleet of aircraft in teh country
an organisation where some communications have been rigged up with the discarded equipment of BSNL
a fighting force whose weapons are of world war -II vintage(Lee Enfield .303)
The answer to all these questions is the IAF.
CAN THE DEFENCE OF THIS COUNTRY BE ENTRUSTED WITH SUCH AN ORGANISATION?
The answer is YES, primarily because of the men behind and on the machines.
Upgradation of the equipment is the need for the day. Upgradation does not mean buying a single squadron of Su-30 or grounding of the flying coffins. A squadron of modern aircraft can win a battle, but the need is to win the war. Upgradation should be done in all the fields viz. aircraft, radars, missiles, communication, office equipment, human resource planning, administration.
Why is the IAF in such a bad state? What are the uniformed men doing about these? What is stopping them from asking for better conditions? Is it the sense of discipline which is instilled in them or is it the question of who will bell the cat or is it a careless attitude about the future? The answer is YES to all. This is further worsened by the babus in suits and politicians in khadi. Any demand of the force lands up in Ministry of Defence, shuttles between various desks before any decision could be taken. If in this chain any babu or neta changes, the process starts from once agin from start.
Will the organisation learn from the repeated wars of the middle east that technology is the most vital need for a force. A fighting force with obsolete technology is a good as one fighting with an empty stomach, without one hand and leg!
Nevertheless, full credit must be given to the chaps in uniform. If not for their grit, determination, disciple, the geography of the country, which exists today would have been history.
I am afraid to answer the question ’how safe our country is after seeing the equipment in use in IAF’. However I do wonder how these men can keep the system working with such old technology which at best can be place in museums. It is only these men who ensure that the country can think of future and not because of the equipment they posses