Following Spate of Naval Accidents Navy Chief Steps Down

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.