Admiral DK Joshi Takes Moral Responsibility
Maj Gen (Retd) Ravi Arora
Following a naval accident involving
submarine INS Sindhuratna, on 26 February, Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi
submitted his resignation taking moral responsibility. His resignation was
accepted with immediate effect.
Defence minsiter AK Antony's rather quick
acceptance of Admiral Joshi's resignation was widely criticized, especially by
serving and retired defence personnel. Antony told top navy commanders last
year, "It is the responsibility of the Navy to optimally operate and
maintain (warships), as well as train its personnel suitably so that such
national resources are optimally utilised and not frittered away."
Joshi is the first Navy Chief to quit the
job. Earlier, on 30 December 1998, Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat was sacked mid way
through his tenure by the BJP-led NDA government for defying government orders.
Vice-Admiral RK Dhowan, the vice chief of
naval staff, was appointed as the officiating Navy Chief, pending appointment
of a regular Chief, according to a Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement said.
"I have the honour to refer to recent
incidents/accidents during the past few months that have impacted the
professional image of the navy. While the government has continued to repose
its fullest trust and confidence in the Service, I consider my continuation as
the chief of naval staff as untenable," he said in the resignation, adding
that he accepts "fullest moral responsibility in the interests of
accountability".
Admiral DK Joshi, who was to serve as the
Navy chief till August 2015, was a hard taskmaster who always ran "tight
ships". He was unforgiving as a commanding officer wherever he served,
"tightening screws" wherever he went.
Many in the Navy feel he has lived up to
his own exacting standards by putting in his papers. "He did not forgive,
held officers and sailors accountable. He has now also held himself
accountable," said a senior officer.
The resignation followed a spate of
accidents involving Naval warships. The trigger was a mishap with INS
Sindhuratna submarine off the Mumbai coast in which seven sailors were taken
seriously ill and two officers were killed. The Sindhuratna mishap was the 10th
involving an Indian Navy warship and the third involving a submarine in the
last seven months since the sinking of INS Sindhurakshak, in August 2013, in
which all 18 personnel on board were killed.
Admiral Joshi, a specialised anti-submarine
warfare officer, took over as the Navy Chief on August 31, 2012. He was
scheduled to take over as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee on
August 1, 2014.
Joshi served in a variety of command, staff
and instructional appointments during his 41-year career including the
captainship of guided missile corvette INS Kuthar, guided missile destroyer INS
Ranvir and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat.
In senior ranks, Joshi served as Assistant
Chief of Personnel (Human Resource Development), in Warship Production and
Acquisition as the Assistant Controller of the Aircraft Carrier Programme
(ACCP), and thereafter in the Operations Branch both as Assistant Chief of
Naval Staff (Information Warfare and Operations) and as the Deputy Chief of
Naval Staff.
The accidents under Admiral Joshi's watch
had not only tarnished his track record as navy chief but also complicated his
relationship with the defence ministry.
The ministry was upset with Joshi's
inability to reduce mishaps. Much to the ministry's chagrin, the navy had been
in a state of denial under Joshi and had even argued that its safety record was
respectable, dismissing a few accidents as "non incidents."
Three months after the INS Sindhurakshak
accident, defence minister AK Antony had asked the navy brass to
"optimally operate" the country's assets and ensure these were not
"frittered away." Joshi is said to have resented this perceived
insinuation that the force wasn't conducting itself professionally.
Massive Response
The admiral's action evoked a massive
response. Former Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said that accidents were a
way of life when it came to submarines and aircraft. "The chief is not
responsible for them. There are other people who are directly involved in day
to day activities," he said.
"Not surprised to hear this as Admiral
Joshi is a man of honour and is known for leading an austere life. If the
government had slightest decency it would have turned down his
resignation," said Rear Admiral (Retd.) Raja Menon.
Brahma Chellaney, a defence analyst, said
Joshi had "done well to resign" since in India few people in senior
positions in government or the military take moral responsibility for anything.
"Even the defence minister should go because why should the navy chief
alone be quitting. The defence minister should be emulating Joshi. Moral
responsibility cannot stop there (with Joshi's resignation). It goes right up
to the political person in-charge," Chellaney said.
Chellaney said that the way the government
had acted, it appeared that it was making Joshi the "sacrificial
lamb". He added that the safety and security of Indian ships and
submarines lies with the defence minister and the prime minister.
Vice Admiral Madanjit Singh (Retired)
added, "Adm Joshi resigning is sad, and not a pleasant thing to face. I
think this is the most honourable thing to do when you are at the helm of
affairs and such incidents happen on your watch. I am sure he must have thought
the same and resigned. I would have done the same if I had been in his place.
The new chief should ensure that the force's morale remains high."
"Just blaming one person is not right
and I believe it is a systematic failure. When you are operating with machines
which are 20 years old and need to be replaced, the risk of such accidents
happening is always there. Concerned departments and officials responsible for
ensuring timely sanction to purchase new machines should be held accountable as
well," Singh said.
At Odds With the Defence Ministry
It is no secret that relations between the
defence ministry and the Admiral were complicated. He had been asked to pull up
his socks after a spate of incidents.
The ministry was upset with Joshi's
inability to reduce mishaps, at a time when the navy's safety record had been
blemished by 10 accidents since India's Russian-built submarine INS
Sindhurakshak exploded and sank at a Mumbai harbour last August.
Much to the ministry's chagrin, the navy
had been in a state of denial under Joshi and even argued that its safety
record was respectable, dismissing a few accidents as
"non-incidents".
Three months after the INS Sindhurakshak
accident, defence minister AK Antony had on November 20, 2013, asked the navy
brass to "optimally operate" the country's assets and ensure these
were not "frittered away". Joshi is believed to have resented the
"perceived insinuation" that the force was not conducting itself
professionally.
Antony also reportedly sought an
explanation from Joshi on glitches on board INS Vikramaditya on its voyage from
Russia.
Antony had also asked the navy to
"strictly follow" standard operating procedures to combat preventable
accidents that cost the country dearly."
When another officer lost his life, on
board INS Kolkata, there were strong calls for Antony to resign for the state
of the Indian Navy. All accidents had taken place when Antony is at the helm.
“The Naval Chief has resigned. In reality
the buck stops at the door of the Defence Minister. The nation is asking the
Prime Minister and the Defence Minister why they are not disturbed by the loss
of life and property as well as loss of face of the nation. The Defence
Minister must take moral responsibility and resign," BJP leader Prakash
Javadekar said.
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Former navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash
echoed Chellaney's views. Joshi's resignation, he agreed, sent a positive
message to a country where few people in positions of authority took
responsibility. That defence minister Antony had not made use of the funds
provided by the government to modernize India's military hardware would have
"added to the problems for which Joshi has resigned", Prakash said.
Admiral Prakash said, "He has done the
honourable thing. The buck stops with him. The tradition in India is not to own
up moral responsibility. Most of the accidents were trivial incidents, like a
ship touching a jetty or a submarine being caught in low tide, for which a
chief cannot be held responsible. Our politicians and bureaucrats should take a
hint from Admiral Joshi's conduct."
"Admiral Joshi need not have resigned.
By following the dictates of his conscience and 'judging himself by the same
yardstick' - to use his own words - as he used for others, he has sent an
exemplary message to the whole country. Remember, the concept of 'moral
responsibility' has disappeared in India and, until recently, even convicted
criminals could remain in Parliament and become ministers," wrote Admiral
Prakash.
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Who Will Be the Next Navy Chief?
For the first time in the Indian Navy's
history an acting chief was appointed on the resignation of Admiral DK Joshi.
Navy vice-chief Vice Admiral RK Dhowan, who will retire on May 31, was
temporarily put in charge till the government announced the new chief. Dhowan,
who was commissioned in January 1975, has not led a fighting command, either
the Western or the Eastern.
Successive governments largely backed the
seniority principle in appointment of a military chief. Western Naval Command
chief Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha is the senior-most officer, commissioned in
June 1974. But most of the warship mishaps have happened in his area of
responsibility.
If Admiral Joshi had continued in office,
Southern Naval Command chief Vice Admiral Satish Soni, who was commissioned in
July 1976, was slated to replace him as the Navy chief in August 2015.
Eastern Naval Command chief Vice Admiral
Anil Chopra, commissioned in July 1975, is also being considered. Many see him
as the dark horse. As DG Coast Guard, he was closely associated with
implementing the post-26/11 revamp of coastal security and is well regarded by
the defence minister.
Sinha may step down if he were to serve
under a junior officer.
Though defence minister AK Antony is known
for being a staunch backer of service chiefs, Antony sent a clear signal that
he could not be taken for granted.
Antony had put his foot down when his some of his Cabinet colleagues had
favoured the sacking of former army chief General VK Singh, who had dragged the
government to court over his age issue.
The defence ministry has asked the naval
headquarters to provide their dossiers for a thorough examination before
selecting the new chief. The ministry is likely to make its choice soon and
send the name for clearance to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet,
headed by the prime minister.
Chiefs are appointed for a period of three
years or till they attain 62 years of age, whichever is earlier. Vice-Admirals
retire at the age of 60; hence age matters for officers to become Navy Chief.
Appointment of the Navy Chief is the
government's call. In the past, decision on a succession line in the armed
force has occurred rarely since Independence. Lt General SK Sinha was
overlooked to appoint General AS Vaidya as Army Chief and he quit.
Admiral Bhagwat was sacked midway. Army
Chief General BC Joshi died leading to the elevation of General Shankar Roy
Chowdhry, the senior-most Lt General.
Though Admiral Joshi has gone down in
history as the first Navy Chief to resign, Admiral Arun Prakash had in the past
offered to quit, but was persuaded by then Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to
stay. In the early 1960s, General KS Thimmaya quit but was persuaded by Jawahar
Lal Nehru to withdraw his resignation.
The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has started
vetting the probable candidates. After the IB verification, a panel of names
will be prepared by the Ministry of Defence, and the selection will be made by
the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister.
Whatever choice the government makes in
selecting the new Navy chief, it will be a controversial call. In view of
Dhowan’s impending retirement on 31 May and the state of affairs, the decision
brooks no delay.
