The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : “Politicians must be trained in security matters”

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Thursday, Sep 25, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

“Politicians must be trained in security matters”

Special Correspondent

— Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

Union Minister of State for Defence Pallam Raju (third from left) conferring the M. Phil. degree at the University of Madras on Wednesday. Vice-Chancellor S. Ramachandran (second from left) is in the picture.

CHENNAI: Minister of State for Defence M. M. Pallam Raju on Wednesday called for a university-led structured training programme that would equip the emerging political leadership, especially those of smaller regional parties, to develop a sharper, broader and long-term understanding of India’s complex security needs.

In his valedictory address at a function to mark the awarding of M. Phil. degrees to qualifying officers of the 47th course of the National Defence College (NDC), Delhi, Mr. Pallam Raju said the political scenario in which governments were being formed with the support of small parties had led to a “shortage of capacity” to appreciate the larger issues and the country’s long-term interests.

Digressing from a prepared speech to officers of the armed forces, Mr. Raju said a university such as the University of Madras could develop a curriculum for the political leaders of small and regional parties on the lines of the M. Phil. degree programme in defence and strategic studies for civilian and military officers. This would help to bridge the emerging political leadership and the civilian-military security structures.

Noting that the security dynamics had undergone a fundamental shift in recent times as a result of the information revolution, the Minister said future conflicts in a complex defence and security environment would require a more integrated and multi-agency approach.

Military and civilian officers dealing with national security matters at any level will be faced with new challenges requiring innovative response and depth of understanding. It would require officers to be “intellectually agile, militarily adept and technologically aware.”

Pointing out that the academia and the military could never exist in mutually exclusive preserves, Mr. Pallam Raju said cross-fertilisation of ideas between the two establishments was imperative. The recognition of professional military education by the academia through their inputs in ensuring standards and the infusion of military precepts into the academia kept both institutions focussed on national security challenges, as exemplified in the NDC-Madras University partnership.

Such partnerships in professional military education that maintained a healthy civilian-military mix and engaged the participation of officers from friendly countries would help to develop greater capability, through re-engineering of security structures or formulating policies, in dealing with complex security issues.

The political leadership would immensely benefit from professional advice in finding the delicate balance between idealism and self-interest—the essence of all policies, he said.

The Minister presented parchments to 68 senior defence and civilian officers, including 10 from foreign countries, who qualified for the M. Phil. degree.

University of Madras Vice-Chancellor S. Ramachandran said the university was considering grant of research status to the NDC. The university was looking into the possibility of conferring M.Phil. degrees on officers of the pre-2006 batch.

Vice Admiral S. Bhasin, Commandant, NDC, said the M.Phil. programme, with its unique mix of political, economic and strategic learning, was pivotal to the training needs of officers at senior positions.

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