Offensive Defence and Other Ideas in Sync with Reality

A military biography of Lt Gen (Retd) Rostum K Nanavatty presents his bold assertions about defence and security issues that continue to be relevant

- Sujan Chinoy

Military historian Arjun Subramaniam's meticulously researched book, Shooting Straight, is a gripping biography of Lt Gen (Retd) Rustom K Nanavatty of the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army. The subject hung up his boots in 2001 as Northern Army Commander, having earned encomiums, as the book's introduction puts it, for his "operational acumen, stellar leadership qualities, and the ability to speak truth to power". The book could not have been written but for access to the rich trove of personal papers and notes and the punctilious diaries kept by Lt Gen Nanavatty, covering assignments in areas ranging from Nagaland and Sri Lanka (IPKF) to Siachen and J&K.

There are several examples in the book of General Nanavatty's vision and far-sightedness, which have a direct bearing on contemporary threats and challenges faced by India today. At the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) in Wellington, Tamil Nadu, the paper prepared by his syndicate recommended that offensive formations in the Western theatre be based on brigade-size battle groups. Today, decades on, the Army is contemplating the formation of Integrated Battle Groups (IBGs). Nanavatty was prescient in suggesting that India should have many field firing ranges. Today, India needs many more facilities akin to the acclaimed Mahajan Firing Range in Rajasthan. Given the forward deployments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), there is a need to enhance such facilities while balancing them with burgeoning border infrastructure, bases and habitations.