A file photo of the Army Base Hospital in New Delhi. | Photo:

New Delhi: In a move that has surprised many, the commandant of the Army Base Hospital in the national capital has been transferred out even as the establishment is in the thick of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Major General Vasu Vardhan was moved out to the Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi as additional officer on 10 May.

Major General S.K. Singh, who was the deputy commandant at the Army Medical Corps Centre and College in Lucknow, has replaced Vardhan at the Army Base Hospital.

The transfer order, issued by the Directorate General of Medical Services (Army), came as a surprise since Maj Gen Vardhan had service until August this year. He is a pulmonologist, who is considered within the military’s medical fraternity as a very able officer.

Senior Army sources termed the transfer as a routine posting carried out as part of a larger plan of HR management within the Armed Forces Medical Services. They also pointed out the officer has completed tenure of 18 months. However, speculation persisted on the nature of the move.

Also read: These soldiers are serving 24×7 to cremate veterans, dependents succumbing to Covid

Unexpected move

Serving and retired officers ThePrint spoke to said the decision was unexpected in the middle of the Covid crisis when the Base Hospital has been performing well.

A former Army commander also expressed shock, saying that the transfer just months before his retirement as “additional officer” showed that the move was not routine. “You don’t change the Captain of the ship in the middle of a war or a Corps Commander when he is in confrontation with the enemy,” the ex-officer said on condition of anonymity.

The Base Hospital is one of the most sought after Covid care centres and all admissions are given on the basis of criticality of the patient.

Also read: General Naravane speaks to US Army chief on Covid situation, expanding military cooperation

Both Iran and China are today on the same page on Chabahar, where India was once perceived to be a weighty player. Of course, India still retains its position and visibility in the Persian Gulf; nevertheless, Beijing has marched a step ahead owing to New Delhi’s seasonal foreign power play. Chabahar is part of an important Iranian pivot, with the region adjacent to it accounting for 70% of the world’s proven oil reserves and 40% of its natural gas reserves.

LARGER SCOPE: China’s role in Chabahar should be seen beyond the Delhi-Beijing tug of war. Reuters

ABHIJIT BHATTACHARYYA

Commentator and Author

IN hindsight, the recent statement of Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif wasn’t unexpected: “China wants to play a role in the Chabahar (port) project”. It’s Iran’s nudge to India about the arrival of Beijing in a territory where New Delhi enjoyed prime privilege for some time. Does it constitute a major breakthrough by the Communist Party of China (CPC) by creating a coveted space for itself to counter and confront India in a strategic seaport in a third country? Can India avoid future pressure and tensions in a long, connected terrain spanning Pakistan, Iran and Turkey?

Indeed, true to its fresh understanding of geography, the CPC has posed an extremely challenging task to India, dealing with which could be an arduous long haul, with unprecedented situations likely to emerge. What thus far appeared to have been trumpeted by India — that the India-Iran Chabahar project was New Delhi’s answer to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor’s (CPEC) fulcrum, the Gwadar port — now constitutes an acid test of India’s ability to continue with its avowed power play beyond South Asia.

Although ‘unfriendly’ China started late, it learnt the geography of the sea fast. That subject has rarely been the forte of Indian rulers since time immemorial. Else, how does one explain the constantly changing political maps of India with virtually no naval tradition and an uninterrupted loss of territory from 1947 to 2021?

Hence, compulsively, it’s time to learn from China the supreme importance of geography for a sovereign nation’s self-interest. Else, India will continue to be projected as a ‘future potential power’, which shows no sign of shedding its tag of laggard.

Coming back to Chabahar, Iran has been forthright. It has given India the signal that the Chinese are more than welcome in Chabahar. “Chabahar is open to cooperation for everybody. It’s not against China or the Gwadar port. It’s a place where we can all come together to help Afghanistan… the Chinese are interested in playing a role elsewhere in Iran and also in Chabahar,” the Iranian Foreign Minister said. The choice of words is aimed at assuring China and Pakistan. But no mention of India means no assurance to India as such.

The message is loud and clear: China looms larger than all South Asian nations taken together because Beijing is “interested in playing a role elsewhere in Iran” and “also Chabahar”. Chabahar may be a late addition to Chinese ‘interest’ in Iran, but its overall importance in Tehran’s eyes is long-term. And, why not? When India, owing to US pressure, stopped Iranian oil import in 2019, Tehran’s anxiety of dealing with traditionally friendly India was understandable. India couldn’t go on its own in the Delhi-Tehran bilateral. Rather, it’s been following instructions of the US. Little wonder, China wholeheartedly grabbed the opportunity for long-term fuel supply at financially favourable terms. Holding cold and calculated ‘national interest’ above everything else. Consequently, both Iran and China are today on the same page on Chabahar, where India was once perceived to be a weighty player.

Of course, India still retains its position and visibility in the Persian Gulf; nevertheless, Beijing has marched a step ahead owing to New Delhi’s seasonal foreign power play.

Chabahar is part of an important Iranian pivot, with the region adjacent to it accounting for 70 per cent of the world’s proven oil reserves and 40 per cent of its natural gas reserves. That one country-bridge connects the great Eurasian space, South Asia, western highlands of China, the great arc of the Sunni world with unrestricted access to the Indian Ocean after crossing through a narrow channel of a virtually landlocked water body called the Persian Gulf.

Hence, what’s unique is the Chinese ‘sea sense’ of ‘forward deployment’. With mounting tensions in the eastern and south seas surrounding mainland China, it’s time to switch flanks for a fresh, flexible frontier. Chabahar opens up options for mobilisation during a crisis. In a straight east-west coastline of 365 nautical miles, the Chinese navy, mercantile marine and fishing vessels have attained advantage over others. From Pakistan’s Karachi-Gwadar stretch (289 nautical miles), it has now 76 nautical miles of the Iran-Pakistan Chabahar-Gwadar connect.

The history of ‘forward deployment’ by the British at the height of European imperialism and the US command and control of oceans in the 20th century comes alive with 21st-century Chinese understanding of geography. No doubt Chabahar is prima facie projected for economics, commerce and trade. Nevertheless, no port in a strategic location can only be for economics. That’s highly unlikely, especially once China comes to the fore.

China’s role in Chabahar should be seen beyond the Delhi-Beijing tug of war, as its span and scope are much larger and deeper than that. It’s a first step towards a Chinese navy foothold deep inside US Central Command territorial jurisdiction which has its headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. The Chinese urgently need more than Djibouti for its expanding armada as its naval competition with the US becomes fiercer.

It has to be admitted that the US Navy is no longer the force that it was at the turn of the 20th century. Today, the gap between strategy and resources is a stark challenge to the US in the West Pacific, arguably the most sensitive and strategic region. China, therefore, definitely proposes to create a fresh seafront in the Persian Gulf-Indian Ocean to expand and consolidate. China has already scaled up its naval inventory to more than 350 combat ships, thereby leaving the US stuck at around 300 vessels. The strategic US goal for 355 combatants remains unrealised. Hence, with three ports (Karachi, Gwadar, Chabahar) in a straight line of 365 km, China has laid the foundation for multiple options and opportunities for a multi-front crisis in the sea along with fresh availability of the Persian Gulf to the Beijing-Shanghai landline, thereby avoiding the potentially turbulent and choppy Indian Ocean-Singapore Strait-Pacific Ocean sealane. It’s real-time geography and economics of sea and port craft.

No vaccination was held at the Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences in Phase 6, Mohali, on Thursday. Vicky

Tribune News Service
Mohali, May 13

To augment the health infrastructure, officers of the district administration and the Western Command today jointly conducted a recce of a site for setting up a 100-bed facility for Covid-19 patients in Mohali.

Divulging details, Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said: “The initial plan is of setting up a makeshift facility. Till the pre-fabricated structure arrives, we intend to commence the facility on the second/third floor of the Civil Hospital in Phase 6, Mohali, in order to provide early respite in the raging pandemic”.

Dayalan said the exercise for joint needs assessment had begun and pooling of resources with the Western Command was being worked out so that a well-equipped L2 facility for holistic treatment to Covid-19 patients as per the ICMR guidelines could be set up.

Various aspects of the set-up, including site, deployment of doctors, nurses, paramedics, ambulance service, trained personnel for administration and management of the facility and uninterrupted oxygen supply, were being looked into, he said.

Dayalan said with the availability of L2/L3 beds hovering around saturation, they seek to make available as many oxygen beds as possible to Covid-19 patients.

Rubbishing aside the reports that due to non-commissioning of makeshift hospital in Mohali, the Western Command is now extending support to the Covid facility at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, which will be a loss to natives of Mohali, Dayalan said: “Rajindra Hospital is the government L3 facility attached officially with Mohali and any critical Covid-19 patient from Mohali can be referred to Rajindra Hospital. So, by no means Army supporting Rajindra Hospital is a loss to the people of Mohali. In the meanwhile, we are working towards operationalising a civil-Army joint venture.”

Col Jasdeep Sandhu, Director, Civil and Military Affairs, Western Command, also ruled out the idea of sending staff earmarked for one district to another and said the Army would work to provide support to the civil authorities in combating the Covid surge, wherever the need be.

The decision to agree to the 2003 ceasefire agreement was announced on February 26

ndian Army and Pakistan Army personnel exchange sweets. Tribune photo

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 13

Less than three months after Indian Army and Pakistan Army agreed to hold the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LOC), the two armies on Thursday exchanged sweets to mark Eid-ul-Fitr.

The decision to agree to the 2003 ceasefire agreement was announced on February 26.

Indian Army and Pakistan Army celebrated Eid-ul-Fitr on the LoC at Poonch-Rawalakot crossing point and Mendhar-Hotspring crossing point in Poonch district of Jammu & Kashmir, a spokesperson of the Northern Command of the Indian Army said.

Sweets and compliments were exchanged by the representatives of both the armies in an atmosphere of bonhomie and festivities.   

The ceremony is seen as a confidence building measure in the backdrop of recently agreed ceasefire between both the countries.

The gesture was appreciated by both the armies and expected to promote goodwill and mutual trust, said the spokesperson.

The UK and WHO recommended an interval of over 12 weeks between the two doses of Covishield.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 13

India today increased the interval between the two doses of the Covishield vaccine from 6-8 weeks to 12-16 weeks after an expert panel recommended changes based on the experience in the UK.

“The Health Ministry has accepted this recommendation of the Covid Working Group for extension of the gap between the first and second doses of Covishield vaccine to 12-16 weeks,” an official statement said.

The group chaired by leading vaccinologist NK Arora relied on studies from the UK that established the efficacy of AstraZeneca vaccine reached 82.4 per cent after the second dose in people with a dosing interval of 12 weeks or more. If the two doses were given less than six weeks apart, the efficacy was only 54.9 pc. “It’s a science-based decision. We started with a dosing interval of 4-6 weeks for Covishield which was raised to 6-8 weeks. The UK and WHO recommended an interval of over 12 weeks between the two doses of Covishield. In the UK, millions have been inoculated with the second dose at 12-16 weeks apart from the first,” said VK Paul, chairman, National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration.

No changes were recommended for Covaxin dosing with two shots still to be taken 28 days apart.

The working group is also learnt to have recommended that Covid-positive patients defer their vaccinations for six months after recovery instead of the present protocol of 4-8 weeks post recovery.

It suggested that pregnant women be given an option to inoculate and lactating women be allowed to get vaccines any time after the delivery. These two suggestions are still under deliberations.

Last rites being performed at the Brar Square Crematorium in the Delhi Cantonment | By special arrangementText Size: A- A+

New Delhi: The last time Lt Col Vishal Sharma and his team of three military personnel caught six hours of sleep was on 18 April.

The officer from the Army Air Defence Corps and his team, which is in-charge of the Brar Square cremation ground in the Delhi cantonment, have since been working round the clock to ensure last rites to veterans and dependents succumbing to the deadly second wave of Covid-19.

The Brar Square crematorium caters to the personnel of the Army, Air Force and the Navy.

Such has been the rush here that from its capacity of four pyres until 19 April, the ground now has 15 cremation spots. This is being further raised to 20.

But even this is not enough. Lt Col Sharma has had to coordinate even with civil crematoriums to cater to the extra rush.

“We soldiers stay strong and are trained to not break emotionally. But this time it is troubling to see so many succumbing to the virus. We are trying to ensure that at least the final rites of the members of our military family pass off peacefully,” Lt Col Sharma told ThePrint.

The last two weeks were physically demanding and emotionally draining, he said.

Also read: ‘Oxygen crisis to attacks on doctors, who is going to control this’: IMA asks govt to ‘wake up’

‘This time is very different’

Appointed as the Staff Officer (Administration), Headquarter, Delhi Area in October 2019, the officer handles the Brar Square crematorium.

Last year, he was involved in setting up of the quarantine facility of the Army in Manesar to cater to incoming passengers from Wuhan and the United Kingdom.https://bbb7a0ddb036397d634ea21eebf33b9d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

“Last time, there were not many casualties. However, this time it is very different. Casualties are mainly veterans with co-morbidities and dependents besides few serving soldiers,” he said.

For Lt Col Sharma and his team, the task does not mean just carrying out cremation but also coordinating with hospitals for release of body, transport and even liasoning with police in case the body is coming in from the National Capital Region and beyond.

To cater to the rising demands, the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Delhi Area, Lieutenant Gen Vijay Kumar Mishra, has ordered hiring of civilian staff and more hearse vehicles.

ThePrint reported last month that the Army has set up a special cell in the Delhi cantonment to provide “decent last rites” to members of its own family.

Also read: DCGI approves anti-Covid drug developed by DRDO for emergency use

5:30 am start, 3 am finish

Lt Col Sharma said his day begins at about 5:30 in the morning as families come to take away the remains because the bodies burn for about 15-16 hours.

“I am usually on calls till about 2:30 in the night as various people call to help with not just cremation but also movement of remains. I had this case of a veteran dying and his entire family being down with Covid. We had to arrange vehicles and men to bring his body and cremate while his son watched the proceedings from the US on video,” he said.

Another moving case was when the wife of a serving soldier brought his body from Palwal to the Brar Square without any intimation. The soldier had died due to Covid.

“The team ensured that all help was extended and there was a ceremonial wreath-laying also. There was certain other help that was needed and I called up my GOC to seek permission and he said I had the full freedom to take a decision as deemed fit and he will sign it off,” Lt Col Sharma said.

Besides the civilian staff hired, there is a military team for ceremonial wreath-laying when the body is that of a serving soldier or veteran.

‘First come first serve’ only

Asked if he gets calls from senior serving and retired officers to rush particular cases, he said everyone is aware that it is a ‘first come first serve’ basis.

“It does not matter if the veteran is a three star officer or an NCO. The military has its own culture and everyone is aware,” he said.

Asked about non-Hindu cases, he said his team liaisons with the families for all formalities and movement of body to their choice of burial ground.

Also read: Doctors red-flag rising fungal infection cases in Covid patients, warn against steroid overuse

Dear Readers,

American withdrawal from Afghanistan will bring the Taliban back and this may mark the beginning of a possible “new great game” where there are non-state actors and state actors. American withdrawal has effectively opened up space for states like Pakistan, Turkey, Russia and China. Read the detailed report below.

Shattering yet another glass ceiling in the overwhelmingly male-dominated armed forces, the first-ever batch of 83 women jawans have now been inducted into the Corps of Military Police (CMP) in the 13-lakh strong Army.

There was a minor fire on board India’s aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya on Saturday morning.

Saudi Arabia has emphasised the importance of dialogue between Pakistan and India to resolve their outstanding matters, including the Kashmir issue.

The Defence Ministry said on Sunday it has issued an order to the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) to recruit 400 retired medical officers of the Army Medical Corps (AMC) and the Short Service Commission (SSC) on a contract basis.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday announced an ex-gratia compensation of Rs 50 lakh and a government job to the next of kin of a soldier who laid down his life in the line of duty.

President Vladimir Putin reviewed Russia’s traditional World War Two victory parade on Sunday, a patriotic display of raw military power that this year coincides with soaring tensions with the West.

South Korea’s leader said Monday he’ll use his upcoming summit with President Joe Biden to push to restart diplomacy with North Korea, saying that the US has opted for a diplomatic, phased approach to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis.

The Taliban on Monday declared a three-day ceasefire for this week’s Eid al-Fitr holiday, following a sharp spike in violence as Washington goes about withdrawing its remaining troops from Afghanistan.

German defence projects with a total value of several billion euros are at risk of being scrapped as the necessary budget has not been secured yet, according to a confidential paper by the defence ministry in Berlin.

US President Joe Biden will join a meeting by video link of presidents of countries on NATO’s eastern flank being held Monday in the Romanian capital.

A suicide bomber killed six police officers in front of a district police station in the Somali capital Mogadishu late on Sunday, police said, in an attack claimed by the al Shabaab Islamist group.

With uniformed officers being given joint secretary ranks, all files will no longer need to be moved to the Secretary of Dept of Military Affairs for decisions.

ice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, Gen Rawat and Lt Gen Anil Puri | ThePrintText Size: A- A+

New Delhi: With formal appointment orders coming in last week, the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), under the Defence Ministry, is now staffed with designated senior officers, including uniformed personnel as Additional Secretary and Joint Secretaries.

Gen. Rawat holds the rank of both Secretary, DMA and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
The Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC), Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain, will be the Vice CDS, but formal orders for the same are yet to come.https://40d484cdf6811186d367671bccdccd9d.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Lt Gen. Anil Puri has been appointed as the Additional Secretary in the DMA. He is the first uniformed officer to take over this position in a formal capacity, following his appointment by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. This position has been traditionally held by IAS officers.

Maj. Gen. K. Narayanan has been appointed as the Joint Secretary (Army) and Rear Admiral Kapil Mohan Dhir as Joint Secretary (Navy). Air Vice Marshal Hardeep Bains has been appointed as Joint Secretary (Air Force).

The government had earlier appointed Shantanu as Joint Secretary (Parliament and Works) and Rajeev Singh Thakur as Joint Secretary (Establishment and Coordination).

Till now, uniformed officers were holding positions only in officiating capacity. This meant that all files had to be moved to Secretary, DMA for decisions.

This is no longer needed because each appointment can now dispose of files according to powers delegated.

Also read: These soldiers are serving 24×7 to cremate veterans, dependents succumbing to Covid

Duties of the DMA

As reported by ThePrint in 2019, the DMA will be in charge of the affairs of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. At the moment, the CDS will have no operational control over individual organisations, which will remain with the respective service chiefs.

The DMA will look after all procurement exclusive to the three services — barring capital acquisitions besides the Territorial Army and various functions relating to the Services.
Its mandate includes promoting ‘jointness’ in procurement, training and staffing for the services through joint planning and integration of their requirements.

(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)

Also read: Army, CAPFs, ITBP—all reported on Covid duty. Where is NDRF, India’s disaster response force?

100-bed facility established in Panjab University’s Sector 25 campus under Operation Namaste

Chandigarh, May 10

As part of the continued fight against the unprecedented rise in COVID-19 cases, the Western Command on Monday operationalised a dedicated hospital in Chandigarh for catering to civilian patients.

The 100-bed hospital, established in Panjab University’s Sector 25 campus under Operation Namaste, was inaugurated by the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh, VP Singh Badnore, who went around the facilities and discussed its functional modalities with the doctors and staff.

The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen RP Singh, who was also present on the occasion, highlighted the efforts put in by both, the Indian Army as well as the civil administration, in the early operationalisation of these Hospitals.  He assured the governments of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh of continued support of the Armed Forces in the fight against COVID-19.

In addition to this, similar 100-bed facilities will also be operationalised by the Army under Operation Namaste at the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College in Faridabad and the Rajindra Government Hospital in Patiala on May 11 and May 12, respectively.

The three COVID care facilities, which will treat patients with mild to moderate symptoms, have been set up on a war footing in coordination with the civil administration of respective states and union territory. The Army has temporarily relocated its field hospitals for the purpose.

The Army has deployed its doctors, nursing officers and paramedics for holistic treatment to patients as per ICMR guidelines, provided service ambulances and trained personnel for administration and management of the hospitals.

The civil administration, on the other hand, is facilitating essential amenities, service management, uninterrupted oxygen supply, patient admission and discharge processes and ambulance services at these hospitals.

The hospitals will also cater for basic laboratory, X-ray, pharmacy and catering for patients. The admission to these Hospitals is open for all affected citizens and coordinated by the chief medical officers of the respective districts. On admission, ISO numbers will be issued to patients by the respective hospital management and the discharge will be on recommendation of the Army medical officer treating the patient.  Patients requiring higher grade of treatment will be shifted to other hospitals, coordinated by the CMO as per availability of ICU facilities. 

The scourge of the second wave of Covid 19 has brought our ill-prepared nation to its knees. The heart-rending images of the overcrowded hospitals bereft of fundamental necessities, particularly medical oxygen, the hapless citizens begging for care and mass cremations/burials have all exposed our governments and institutions. Yet the State seems to be shy of optimally utilising its instrument of last resort — the armed forces — to make the dysfunctional healthcare system perform more efficiently through better management.

In my view, there are two reasons for this reluctance. First, the government seems apprehensive about its incompetency getting exposed. Second, the military hierarchy has itself failed to advise the government about its capabilities/core competencies, and on how best to utilise the resources of the armed forces. It appears to have mechanically followed the directions it has received from various empowered committees, which ironically have no military representatives.

Experience of the first wave


In the first wave, the armed forces remained on the fringes, merely transporting Indians stranded abroad and constructing/managing the isolation centres for them. The government failed to use the Army to manage its most serious crisis for which the latter was most suited for – migrant labourers exodus. This added to virus spread.

The armed forces’ infamous contribution last year was to organise the spectacle of fly pasts, band displays, sailing ships and showering of petals on 3 May to honour the Covid warriors. Ironically, the timing coincided with the People’s Liberation Army’s preemptive offensive manoeuvres in Eastern Ladakh. Thereafter, national security became the priority. It is worthwhile to recall that we fought the 1947-48 Jammu and Kashmir War while simultaneously handling the Partition refugee crisis.

The armed forces have done exceptionally well to preserve their force through good management. Bulk of the personnel have already been vaccinated.

Armed forces must not be left out of the battle

In fighting the second Covid wave, the armed forces must not be LOB — Left Out of Battle — an archaic military term wherein anticipating heavy casualties, units would leave five per cent of key personnel out of the battle to re-raise the unit. Valuable time has already been lost. The magnitude of the second wave was obvious by 15 April and I would have liked to see the armed forces standing by to swing into action, executing contingency plans to take over as crisis managers in major cities and districts with poor medical cover.

So far, the actions have been knee jerk, without a holistic plan. Indeed the armed forces have earmarked 10-15 per cent of the beds in selected hospitals for civilians. But this has brought it into conflict with its “own” as the hospitals were already choked with soldiers, their dependents and veterans who cannot utilise the civilian hospitals empaneled with Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme due to overcrowding. There are many reports on social media about dependents/veterans facing serious problems in hospital admission. On Tuesday, there were reports that were later denied by the Army, of Base Hospital, Delhi Cantonment facing O2 crisis.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Navy have done well to post-haste transport O2 containers and tankers from abroad and within India. But the organisational skills and transport facilities of the military have not been utilised for the critical last mile distribution.

The DRDO, through out-sourcing, has constructed four Covid hospitals in Ahmedabad, Varanasi, Lucknow and Delhi. Except the one in Delhi, the other three are in the constituencies of the top three politicians of the ruling party. These facilities are being managed by the armed forces and have sucked in disproportionate resources of doctors/ medical support personnel and medical equipment. The armed forces have very limited reserves of personnel left for the crisis which is still unfolding.

In my view, the full potential of the armed forces is not being utilised. The armed forces are not in the decision-making loop and military representatives have not been consulted. This is evident from the absence of their representation in the 11 empowered groups set up last year to coordinate the management and control of the Covid-19 pandemic across India. This is when the armed forces have the capacity to directly influence almost all domains of the empowered groups. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the Services Chiefs have held much publicised face-to-face meetings with the Prime Minister. One wonders what purpose such meetings would serve in the absence of formal minutes being recorded or directions being given.

How best to utilise the armed forces

The disturbing reports being flashed on TV screens and newspapers everyday showcase the scale of the crisis India faces today. What they also suggest is that no one is in charge to coordinate the fight against Covid. Governments work in watertight compartments and are overtaken by events in a crisis. This is true the world over.

India’s armed forces have 1.5 million trained personnel and, by now, they are Covid vaccinated, spread across the length and breadth of the country. The primary strength of the military is in the field of organisation and crisis management. It has a large workforce and vast resources for transportation. In critical cities/towns/areas, the management of the fight against Covid must be taken over by the military. War rooms must be set up to coordinate the battle.

Procurement/transportation/allocation of O2, other critical medical resources, allocation of hospital beds, transportation of patients and dead can be coordinated and augmented by the armed forces. I see no reason as to why the situation, for example, in Delhi cannot be turned around in 48 hours. However, the government will have to formally authorise the Army and allocate the resources.

The armed forces have approximately 13,000 officers (doctors/specialists/nursing officers) and one lakh medical support staff. Veteran officers and medical personnel can nearly double the existing resources. 130 military hospitals are already committed, taking care of soldiers, dependents and veterans and can do little more than the 10-15 per cent capacity already committed for civilian patients.

However, the armed forces have the capacity to create 100 field hospitals with 100 beds each. With the help of private doctors, medical students and additional medical equipment, many more temporary facilities can be made operational in a short span of time. It is these resources which can be superimposed on the civilian hospitals to take on the overload. War rooms can coordinate the deployment of the field hospitals in critical areas. It is counter-productive to commit military resources to standalone large facilities like the DRDO-constructed hospitals.

Military engineers can convert requisitioned buildings/sheds/factories into hospitals and also construct new ones using prefabricated material. All that the armed forces will require will be funds, ICU equipment, ventilators, medicines and other essential equipment. War rooms can also coordinate and augment the door-to-door vaccination programme.

Our war on Covid is hampered by lack of organisation, coordination and management. The government must press into service its instrument of last resort, which has proven capability for the same. India needs an honest, disciplined and swift response of a scale as large as the crisis. Only one institution’s name comes to the mind — the Indian Armed Forces.