Alas, you misunderstand my line of thinking. When (and not even if), the next war happens, we will need a strong army, navy, and air force.Dmurphy wrote:^^
With due respect, who are the ones actually in the line of fire right now and dying by enemy bullets each day? Navy? Air Force? Spare a thought for the poor CRPF guys and COBRAs who're fighting a cunning enemy in harsh jungles.
It hardly helps us to create a 700000 strong 'army' of poorly trained non-infantrymen, which will be of zero use in war (except BSF/ITBP/AR). And training will remain sub-par, so long as senior posts such as DG/ADG/IG/DIG rest largely in the hands of the Indian Police Service, who are trained largely as police administrators for peaceful towns and villages, and not at all for war like situations.
And secondly, these policemen are of dubious efficacy in the COIN role as well. Already, the results of the CRPF training being pitted against an even moderately committed, and definitely inferiorly equipped naxal adversary is resulting in heavy losses for the CRPF.
If nothing else, let the Anti-Naxal-CRPF/BSF/ITBP/SSB (those CPO's who are likely to have a more 'military' role), be placed under the Army, and given a DG/ADG's/IG's/DIG's from the Army. At least then, the training, recruitment, and survivability of these forces will increase! Otherwise, we are sending these boys into the jungle, without a chance. Look to the Assam Rifles, a CPO adminsitered by the army. They fight a more dangerous set of adversaries, in the north east rebels, who have been trained and aided by the chinese and banglas for the last 60 years. Yet, they are not picked off like chaff, like the CRPF men are. Look, even to the RR. Manned and officered by the army, they are a well trained and battle hardened force.
Training, and a toughened outlook are most essential. A soft civil police force, used to weilding lathis and taming a restive civil populace cannot fight desperados with guns.
My submission is, that as long as the CPO's are led by policemen, and imbued with a police spirit, they will remain incapable of resolute and efficient action against insurgents, and the young men of those forces will fall victim to the bad guys bullets. Till that basic fallacy of leadership is fixed, money poured into CPO's will be a waste, to my mind.