Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers (review)

South Asia's prominence, especially the troubled India-Pakistan relationship, has increased dramatically over the past decade. Highlighted by nuclear tests in 1998, a miniwar in 1999, the "war on terrorism," and a near-war crisis during 2001–2002, military developments in the India-Pakistan security dynamic have been in sharp focus. Yet the military history of these countries since independence has often been neglected or treated superficially, especially outside the subcontinent. Even within India and Pakistan, archival material is almost totally off limits, so historians have to rely heavily on interviews, memoirs, and other personal accounts.

Works such as Maj. Gen. (retired) V. K. Singh's collection of short biographies are thus welcome as they provide some glimpses into the histories of these two large military establishments. Working with interviews and a few sets of private papers, in addition to published sources, Singh's well-written narrative sketches the lives and careers of twelve Indian Army generals, capturing their experiences as officers in the British Indian Army, the transition to independence, and the four wars that marked the first quarter century of Indian statehood. Unfortunately, only one of these men entered service after India's independence, so we do not learn much about differences between pre- and post-1947 generations of officers. Among the strengths of the book, however, are the nuances with which Singh conveys the relationship between young Indian officers and their colonial masters. The book also reflects the struggle between young India's military leaders and the powerful civilian bureaucracy, particularly the bitter infighting that contributed to disastrous defeat in the 1962 war with China. Furthermore, the reader benefits from Singh's portrayal of some lesser-known officers, most notably Lt. Gen. Sagat Singh, whose energy and innovation were central to India's success in the 1971 Bangladesh war.

On the debit side of the ledger, the book is thin on analysis. Singh misses the opportunity to draw larger conclusions from his research. Although he describes the life of one Muslim officer, for example, he does not explain why this individual chose India over Pakistan at partition or explore how Muslims, Sikhs, and other minorities have fared in the army since independence. Nor does he relate the careers of these twelve officers to the evolution of strategy, tactics, and doctrine in India. Topics such as civil-military relations and interservice rivalry are touched on but deserve some additional evaluation. For example, the Indian Army's dedication to democracy and culture of obedience to the nation's political leadership are evident in all of these sketches, but several of the subjects are praised for exceeding or disobeying instructions. Such behavior may have had limited impact during the 1960s, but could bear serious consequences in the globalized context of the twenty-first century. It was not Singh's intention to produce a comprehensive study of the Indian Army, but a summary of key conclusions on questions such as these would have enhanced the value of his effort considerably. The book also suffers from some technical weaknesses. Chief among these is the lack of maps. As is the case with many South Asian military histories, tactical operations are described in intimate detail without the requisite cartographic support.

Although this is not a stand-alone work, it serves as a useful appendix to other studies of the Indian Army, filling in the characters and careers of several key figures. One can hope that General Singh will continue to chronicle the lives of more recent Indian generals, drawing comparisons with their predecessors to promote a deeper understanding of this institution's senior leadership across multiple generations.