GOD SAVE THE ARMY FROM THE SOUTH BLOCK MANDARINS
As a director, in the directorate general
of military training in 2002, in the erstwhile Army HQ and the present
Integrated HQ of Defence (Army), dealing with policy, control, implementation
and review/revision of all aspects dealing with the physical fitness and
wellness of all cadets, gentlemen cadets, recruits, soldiers and officers of
the Indian Army; it was my brief to upgrade, initiate and recommend modernisation
in such aspects of training, equipment and clothing, including kit / PT shoes
as was considered essential and in keeping with the demand of the times. The
rampant cases of stress related injuries in the lower limbs of cadets and
recruits, was adversely impinging upon the training time of such persons, owing
to long periods of rest and recovery, which was necessitated as a part of the
management of the injury. This had become a worst case scenario, which was
spreading like wild fire in training establishments and demanded an appropriate
response to the affliction that had gripped the trainees. The reasons for this
were several, from relatively weak human resource at the time of induction,
which was not adequately exposed to running/ load bearing fitness/ sports
activities, hard running surfaces which abound these days in most training
areas, poor quality of running / PT shoes, greater focus in the priority given
to cardio vascular running activity in the construct and design of PT table
cards etc. By the turn of the century, the situation had become alarming, in so
far as loss of training time, owing to painful stress in the tibia and fibula
bones of the legs was concerned, and it threw up a challenge for the Military
Training Directorate in the Army HQ to arrest the situation from further
deteriorating. We ordered surveys to be taken in the matter in all pre
commission and recruit training establishments, with the intent to collate and
study relevant data, and arrive at informed conclusions in the matter. All
surveys, without exception, conclusively established the presence of stress
related injury among trainees and the extent varied from 13% to 16%. The
figures were a cause of serious concern for all involved in the process of
training and preparing young men to become soldiers and take their rightful
place at the next stage, of either their training or else the rank and file of
their units. Given the variables which
contributed to the malady of stress related injury, the design and quality of
the running / PT shoe in use was a major cause and was also that, which could
be manipulated, to bring about relief to the afflicted individuals.
Aware as we all were (are), of the
bureaucratic red tape and mental clutter, which is a pronounced feature of the
staff at all levels in the army as also the ministry of defence, our
directorate took a conscious decision to issue a directive to all pre commission
training establishments to immediately allow use of white coloured branded
Reebok / Addidas / Power shoes in place of the white rubber soled canvas PT
shoes, which is a part of the ordnance issue personal kit items. These of
course were to be purchased at cost to the individual cadet / gentleman cadet.
For the recruits and the soldiers, we worked on a statement of case, giving the
data which had been collated from various training institutions /establishments
regarding the pathetic condition of the fleet shoes in use and its adverse
affect on the lower limbs of the personnel, wearing and using it. Our
recommendations were premised on a general staff qualitative requirement
(GSQR), giving the exact details of the design of the shoe, which should replace
the existing one. The design included features such as the tread, toe box, toe
cushioning, saddle, arch support, midsole, outer sole, heel wedge, heel counter
and the collar, which would all enable comfort, sturdiness and ability to last
for about 2000 to 3000 kms of running use. We visited the Reebok factory in
Sonepat (Haryana), and confirmed our recommendations as also the design.
Thereafter, we interacted with the Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) and forwarded the statement of case, duly approved by the
general staff in the Army HQ, to their equipment laboratory in Kanpur (Uttar
Pradesh) for doing the needful. However, after about six months of being in
limbo on the matter, a letter was received from the designated laboratory in Kanpur,
asking us to pursue the matter with the equipment procurement cell of the
ordnance branch, in Army HQ. The cell, in a manner typical of what we
understand red tape as, wrote back to say that it was the prerogative of the
ordnance branch to procure the subject item and in their collective wisdom,
thought it best to ask Bata shoe company to provide the item for use in the
Army. But, before the item could be introduced in bulk, it was necessary to
hold trials among a substantial population of troops and a decision arrived at
only after a report was compiled, which suggested that the item was acceptable
and should be introduced. This, was a time taking process and my posting out
from my appointment in Army HQ, overtook events and it was for those who followed
me in office, to take the matter to its logical conclusion.
The story in the Times of India, dated 27
Sept 2012, about the Army running around for sneakers for at least a decade,
brought back memories about our effort to equip the soldiers with appropriate
shoes, commensurate to their training requirement and propelled me to dig deep
into the cobwebs of my mind; wondering about the bureaucratic delays that
stymie procurement and purchase for the Army. If this is the state of affairs
in the up gradation of an innocuous item of personal kit of a soldier, wherein
it takes a decade to finalise its introduction into the Army; and which is
still being debated and questioned, and is likely to get dumped in favour of
another pattern of shoe, which the Air Force has shortlisted for use by its air
warriors – then God save the Armed Forces from the breed of South Block
mandarins who decide on, what the military should and should not have?
Brigadier (retd) S D Dangwal
+919410900051
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