Kargil Review Committee Report -A Reality Check

INTRODUCTION

A quarter of the century ago, in early May 1999, Kargil a sleepy town, then a part of Jammu and Kashmir at an elevation of 8,780 ft. suddenly got propelled into the world’s limelight as the Kargil War was triggered by the infiltration of Pakistani irregular and regular forces. This brought war into the living room of millions of Indians as India’s first televised war.

The complete eviction of Pakistani forces was affected on 26th July 1999 and the Government on 29th July 1999 constituted the Kargil Review Committee. The Terms of Reference were:
(a) To review the events leading up to the Pakistani aggression in the Kargil District of Ladakh in Jammu & Kashmir; and
(b) To recommend such measures as are considered necessary to safeguard national security against such armed intrusions.

The Committee comprised four members namely K Subrahmanyam (Chairman), Lieutenant General KK Hazari’ PVSM, AVSM (Retd), BG Verghese and Satish Chandra, Secretary, National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) who was also designated as Member-Secretary.

This article brings out the recommendations of the Committee and also then sheds light on their implementation and the road travelled beyond.

THE REPORT

The Committee reviewed the events leading up to Pakistani incursions and suggested measures considered necessary to safeguard national security against such armed intrusions. They held discussions with key functionaries in Government and knowledgeable persons outside the government. The report was tabled in Parliament on 23rd Feb. 2000.

The Committee’s Report comprised of the findings and recommendations. The Major findings were on the under mentioned topics:
(a) Developments leading to the Pakistani aggression at Kargil.
(b) Intelligence.
(c) The Nuclear Factor.
(d) CI Operations, Kargil and Integrated Manpower Policy
(e) The Technological Dimension
(f) Media Relations and Information
(g)Was Kargil Avoidable?

The recommendations were broadly summarised as:

1. National Security Council: Its role to be increased to include all aspects of National Security, including dissemination of relevant inputs to all Senior stake holders.
2. Intelligence: Increase nation’s surveillance capability, particularly through satellite imagery and UAV’s etc.
3. Counter-Terrorist Operations: CAPF command and control and leadership improvement and the possibility of adopting an integrated manpower policy for the Armed Forces and the Central Armed Police Forces.
4. Border Management: Effective and secure border management.
5. National Security Management and Apex Decision-Making: Requirement of a National Defence Headquarters.
6. India’s Nuclear Policy: Elected representatives to take the Armed Forces and senior civil servants into confidence.
7. Media relations and information: Revive and upgrade war correspondents course so that there is a cadre of trained war correspondents at any time. Media relations, information war and perception management to form a distinct and important module at all levels of military training.
8. Technology: Procurement Policy in 1995 liberalised the procedures for the import of equipment as against its indigenous development. However, this policy needs periodic review in the light of changing circumstances. A true partnership must be established between the Services and the DRDO.
9. Civil Military Liaison: The establishment of a civil-military liaison mechanism at various levels to smoothen relationships during times of emergency and stress, like war and proxy war, to ensure non-alienation of the local population.
10. Declaratory Policy for LoC: Misperceptions and ambiguities about the LoC need to be dispelled and the facts of “cartographic aggression” made known. The fallacy of showing the LOC as running northeast to the Karakoram Pass must be exposed.

Subsequently a Group of Ministers (GoM) was constituted by the Government on 17th April, 2000 to thoroughly review the national security system, in particular to consider the recommendations of the Kargil Review Committee and formulate specific proposals for implementation. The GoM under the Chairmanship of Shri L K Advani also included the Defence Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister. It held twenty seven meetings in all. The GoM in order to facilitate its work set up four Task Forces one each on Intelligence Apparatus, Internal Security, Border Management and Management of Defence. A comprehensive Report titled ‘Reforming the National Security System’ was presented to the Prime Minister on 26th Feb. 2001. The major recommendations of the GoM were:

1. Redesignation of Service Headquarters as ‘Integrated Headquarters’.
2. Creation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
3. Creation of a Defence Procurement Board.
4. Creation of the Defence Intelligence Agency.
5. Establishment of a National Defence University.
6. Preparation of a holistic integrated Defence Perspective Plans for 15 to 20 years.
7. Strengthening the mechanism for gathering and dissemination of intelligence.
8. Rejuvenation of State Police Forces/Central Para military Forces.
9. National Service for youth.
10. Expanding NCC and service in the Territorial Army.
11. Upgradation of the efficacy of the civil defence organization.
12. Setting up of village defence committees in rural areas.
13. Revamp of the criminal justice system and
14. Strengthening, training and equipping of Border Guarding Forces etc.

The recommendations made by the GoM were approved by the Government on 11th May 2001 with the modification that a view on the recommendation relating to the institution of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) will be taken after consultation with various political parties. Immediately the implementations of the recommendations were set in motion.

IMPLEMENTATIONS

One of the first things to be implemented during the five years that followed was the re-designation of Service Headquarters as Integrated Headquarters of Defence Services [for e.g. Army H.Q was re-designated as IHQ (Army)], followed by the formation of Defence Procurement Board (DPB), greater delegation of financial powers to CFAs, accounting and budgetary reforms, computerization of accounting, personnel and inventory management. The HQ Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) was created in October 2001, this was followed by the creation of The Andaman & Nicobar Command (ANC) to exercise command and control over tri-Service and Coast Guard assets deployed in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The Defence Intelligence Agency was created in Mar 2002 and The Strategic Forces Command in Jan 2003. The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) was set up in 2004.

Due to a change in the government the implementation of the recommendations slowed down during the subsequent years. In 2008 the National Security Council Secretariat encompassed the role of Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) and started performing its primary role of long-term planning. This was preceded by bifurcation of Principal Secretary to Prime Minister and the National Security Advisor roles in Jun 2004.

As of May 2012, 63 of the 75 recommendations had been implemented, action on four recommendations were in progress. Eight recommendations related to the establishment of CDS were kept pending due to ongoing consultations with political parties. National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) under the NTRO started functioning in Jan 2014.

RECENT INITIATIVES

With the formation of the NDA government in May 2014, the implementation of the left over recommendations of the GoM was put in motion. This started by promoting indigenous design and development of defence equipment ‘Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)}’ category in 2016 and it was accorded top most priority for procurement of capital equipment. The Army Design Bureau in August that year. The same year for ensuring balanced development of border areas through development of infrastructure and promotion of a sense of security among the border population, Border Area Development Programme was implemented.

Government notified the ‘Strategic Partnership (SP)’ Model in May, 2017, under which Indian entities could establish long-term strategic partnerships with global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to seek technology transfers to set up domestic manufacturing infrastructure and supply chains.

Defence Investor Cell was created in February, 2018 to provide all necessary information including addressing queries related to investment opportunities, procedures and regulatory requirements for investment in the Defence Sector. An innovation ecosystem for Defence titled Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) was launched in April, 2018. Funding to Defence Attaches for Export Promotion was stared in May 2019.

Close to two decades after the recommendation of the GoM, the first Chief of Defence Staff was appointed in Dec 2019. A string of path breaking decisions were taken by the government following this which reflected the governments intent on going beyond recommendations to truly revolutionise the Military Affairs in India. The decisions include conducting of a three week Defence Correspondents Course, incorporation of media relations, Information War and Perception Management in military training, a new Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) in 2020, which is driven by the tenets of Defence Reforms announced as part of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’, allocation of Geographical Region to Defence Public Sector Unites for enhancement of Defence Exports w.e.f 09 Oct 2020 and revised on 04 Jul 2022 to incorporate the new seven Defence Public Sector Undertakings converted from the production units of Ordnance Factory Board on the occasion of ‘Vijayadashami’ on 15 October 2021.

Apart from these other important decisions taken by the government are closure or scaling down of over 270 logistic installations of the Indian Army in order to enhance Combat Capability and balance defence expenditure, increasing the “Teeth to Tail” ratio. A holistic review of the training methodology to modernise, integrate and rationalise training, as also to ensure optimal utilisation of infrastructure and resources. In line withthe goal of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, Department of Military Affairs released the First Positive Indigenisation List of 101 items in August 2020 and the Second Positive Indigenisati on List comprising of 108 items on 31st May 21. These items will only be procured from indigenous industry.

A ‘Tri–Services Joint Working Group’ has also been setup to study and work out the nuances of integrating Communication Networks between the Services. In addition to this Military procedures are being worked out to integrate Defence Planning, Procurement and Operations including optimal utilisation of Infrastructure and rationalise it through Jointness among the Services. A push to promote greater Jointness and Standardisation between the Services is by conducting of joint training among the three Services on 10 subjects and formulating Joint Promotion Policy for the Services, promulgating Joint Staff Assignments for Career Progression. The government’s commitment to building impenetrable borders has been demonstrated by the setting up of state of the art Integrated Check Posts at international land borders of the country and also by building a border fence with paved patrol track integrated with Hybrid Surveillance System. This would facilitate crossborder trade and movement of passengers. The revamp of the criminal justice system in Dec 2023 by passing Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam Bills for implementation in mid 2024 are a true indicator of the important decisions towards implementation of recommendations of the GoM