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TRG AND GROOMING OF JNR LDRS
Intro
1. History is replete with examples of battles which were won or lost not due
to any other factor but the quality of ldrship. Success of a well thought out plan
conceived at the top largely depends upon its proper exec at lower lvl. Hence
when an effort is made to improve the ldrship stds of Army, an equal emphasis
would be req at both higher and lower lvls. The jnr ldrship forms the backbone of
an army and constitutes an extremely imp link in the chain of comd. The
spectrum of war, in future, would range from low to high intensity conflict and
from conven to info and nuc warfare, in multiple dimensions of land, sea and air.
All such dev would render the B fd envmt rather complex and would encumber
the ldrship of tomorrow with extra-ordinary challenges, both in peace and war.
2. The trg methodology for preparing ldrs to efficiently acquit them in the
future envmt must, therefore, take into account the battle space of the future, the
emerging challenges and related ldrship traits req to meet these challenges.
Aim
3. To critically analyze present ldrship trg sys viz-a-viz the reqs of jnr ldrs in
future B fd envmt with a view to offer recommendations to make them
professionally more effective and competent.
Scope
4. The paper encompasses fol imp aspects:-
a. Characteristics of jnr ldrship and their trg sys.
b. Reqs of jnr ldrship in the future B fd envmt.
c. Analysis.
d. Recommendations.
5. Chars of Jnr Ldrs. Some of the strengths and weaknesses of our jnr ldrs
are: -

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a. Strengths
(1) Our sldrs belong to the society where soldiering and wpn
handling has always been a popular and respected vocation
as is evident from the history of Muslim era of our region.
(2) Being predominantly drawn from rural backgr, our sldrs are
hardy, rugged, phy fit, simple and straight fwd. They are
disciplined, obedient, respectful, God fearing and have a
better sense of religious values. They are highly motivated
and can live under adverse conds.
(3) The sldrs come from every caste, creed and sect with vastly
diff lingual, cultural and family backgr. This diversity
notwithstanding, common cultural heritage and deep roots in
the jt family sys, instill in them spirit of tolerance,
coexistence, mutual respect and close gp affinity.
b. Weaknesses
(1) The jnr ldrs lack fundamental battle winning ldrship attributes
of initiative, self sufficiency and independence of thought and
action.
(2) The std of edn and gen awareness amongst sldrs is gen not
very high. Because of this, we find that, in the initial stages,
they are less perceptive to ldrship traits and lack adm,
managerial and instr skills. Glaring disparity in lvls of edn of
offrs and men also accounts for a wide gap in their outlook
and professional competence.
(3) Estb of JLA notwithstanding, bulk of JCOs and NCOs is
without any formal comprehensive ldrship trg. They are not
properly equipped with the requisite ldrship traits needed to
undertake imp and sensitive resp at unit / sub unit lvls.
(4) Imp of phy fitness for jnr ldrs cannot be over-emphasized. By
the time the sldrs are promoted to the rank of Hav and

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JCOs, they are already past their prime youth. Hence they
are not phy as fit as they are req to be.
6. Present Ldrship Trg Sys
a. Basic Trg at Cen. The basic trg in the cen encompasses fol:-
(1) Provide a firm character base in the form of detailed
knowledge on character traits and religious injunctions.
(2) Motivation trg that shall produce short term and long term
effs.
(3) Enhance vision and knowledge through regular studies.
(4) Phy trg.
(5) Broad based and introductory knowledge of mil subjs.
b. Unit Trg. At this stage they undergo further trg, which is a cont
process till retirement. In the unit, they are exposed to a vast variety
of formal/informal trg which incl:-
(1) Adv knowledge in mil subjs.
(2) Stamina building and endurance trg.
(3) Acquisition of skills and mastering over mil subjs.
(4) Character building, motivation and dev of esprit-de-corps.
c. Trg at DBS / Edn Schools. DBS are imparting ldrship trg to
non commissioned offrs to some extent in the form of ldrship
courses such as ALC etc. Fmn edn schools/ HRDCs are performing
a great role in enhancing the educational base of sldrs.
d. Trg at JLA. The academy was estb in 1988 and is trg the young
sldrs as eff jnr ldrs in a good manner. Its mandate is to train sldrs to
be “effective sec and pl comds”.
e. Fmn Trg
(1) ITC. The Army has adopted the intensive trg cycle
concept for trg of the units and young ldrs.
(2) Collective Trg. The prime trg activity in the fmn/unit is
the conduct of Collective Trg. These are normally conducted

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on the principle of progressive trg, starting from pl, coy, bn lvl
and culminating into fmn lvl exs.
(3) FF and BI. These exs may rg from a sec to bn ex where
the tps are made to undergo attk op and are trained to
undertake ops under live firing.
7. Weaknesses of Our Ldrship Trg Sys
a. Disparity in Freq and No of Courses. There is a clear disparity in
the freq and no of courses availed by JCOs and NCOs. Analysis of
the data collected at Army lvl reveals that a large percentage of
JCOs and NCOs had not attended even a single Army lvl course,
during their svc.
b. Inadequate Progressive Trg. There is no sys of ident, trg and
grooming seps and NCOs as potential ldrs.
c. Lack of Concept of Self Dev. There is no institutionalized
concept of self dev, where an indl could be inspired or burdened to
pers seek higher edn, acquire professional knowledge. This
concept is in vogue in all the modern armies.
d. Awareness Lvl. The increased exposure to global elec media,
newspaper and info tech has made the lower ranks mentally more
alert with better comprehension lvl and socially more ambitious in
terms of material progression. However, the trg and promotion sys
does not groom them to go beyond JCO rank.
Reqs Of Jnr Ldrship In The Future B Fd
8. Fol are the salient features of the obtaining envmt to which jnr leaders are
likely to be exposed:-
a. Geo-Strat Enmt
(1) Geo has placed Pakistan in a peculiar sit. We have to
defend 1500 miles long eastern border against a
quantitatively superior adversary.

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(2) The border encompasses varied terrain and weather conds
under which the Army will be expected to op. It incls desert,
plains, mtns and snow bound high peaks.
(3) The overt nuclearization of South Asia and a host of other
factors have given rise to complex battle grs. LIC has
become more relevant wherein the jnr ldrs will be expected
to play a more active role.
(4) Quantitative superiority of the adversary places hy demands
on the jnr ldrship as one of the means to offset this
superiority is through improving the quality of jnr ldrs.
(5) The current domestic sit of law and order, conduct of ops in
the tribal belt along western border and coop extended by
Pakistan to US in her war against terrorism has forced the
Army to fight on inner front thereby enhancing the role of jnr
ldrs.
b. Future B Fd Envmt. Modern B fd signifies speed, fluidity,
lethality, rapid dispersion and conc. Such envmt would req more
decentralization of comd and, therefore, initiative at jnr lvl. Few of
the chars of the projected future B fd are:-
(1) Short and Intense War. Future wars are likely to be short
and intense. The sit will be uncertain and rapidly changing.
The en will try to muster all aval means to achieve her goals
in the min possible time.
(2) Fluid Sit. The future wars will be dominated by mob and
mech forces causing the sit to change rapidly. This will
demand quick response and would expect more dynamism
and agility from jnr ldrs.
(3) Isolation. Reduction in the comd effectiveness through
elec warfare will induce a sense of isolation, thus ldrs will
find it difficult to maintain desired degree of contact with their
UCs.

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(4) Initiative. Absence of a reliable comm coupled with little
time aval to get the orders from the higher HQs will req more
initiative and resp at jnr lvl.
(5) Knowledge. Survival on the future B fd will depend upon
superior knowledge and its scientific application. Capabilities
of wpns and complexity of resources and sys will req a great
deg of competence and tech expertise.
(6) Info Tech. Application of modern cptr sys has significantly
altered the complexion of future B fd. The cyber warfare and
net centric warfare are more of a reality than fiction.
(7) Psychological Ops. The impact of psychological
warfare is well estb. In a future B fd scenario our tps will be
subj to extensive psychological warfare techs. Such an
envmt with psychological stress will have multiple problems
for our jnr ldrs.
(8) Tech Trends. Tech would be the main driving force of
the future warfare and any nation dominating in tech is likely
to have an edge over its adversary. Thus jnr ldrs would be
req to know about the tech advancements to survive in the
future battle space.
(9) UN Msns. Pakistan is one of the largest tps contributor to
UN Msns. Seeing her cont involvement in such msn in
future, the role of jnr lders would be enhanced further.
c. Expectations from Jnr Ldrs. Our mil sys must identify the type of
jnr ldrship which is commensurate with the Army’s org, structural
and doctrinal thrust of the future. However, we must identify the min
basic ldrship attributes req of our future jnr ldrs. Some of these are
given in the succeeding paras:-
(1) Indepe and Self Reliance. It is one of the basic qualities of
good jnr ldrship. It implies self confidence, initiative and

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flexibility to do things and take actions in the absence of
explicit instrs and supervision.
(2) Professionalism. Professionalism in the jnr ldrs context
must not be limited to narrow confines of mastery over wpns
and eqpt but must also encompass man mgmt and gen
awareness of small unit tac.
(3) Decisiveness. The jnr ldrs must dev decisiveness for
which they ought to possess the ability of quick mental aprc
in battle sit, where they could weigh pros and cons of diff
options and adopt a considered course of action after a
deliberate thought process. As it is req in ops in FATA.
(4) Understanding of the Broader Picture. A jnr ldr must
fully understand the role of his outfit or det both in the unit
context and in relation to the overall scheme of things.
(5) Tech Adv. Future jnr ldrs should possess the mental
capacity to absorb tech adv trg which is commensurating
with their mandate and must also possess requisite instr
ability to impart such trg downward to the sldrs.
(6) Phy Fitness. It is a ‘must have’ attribute for jnr ldrs. There
capacity to bear the hardships of the future B fd and be able
to del under adversity will play a decisive role in any future
conflict.
(7) Role Model. An ideal jnr ldr should be a role model for the
led. He must be able to inspire his UCs through self example
and should elicit a willing response from them.
Analysis
9. Analysis of the Existing Jnr Ldrship Sys. The sys of trg of jnr ldrs
was restructured in 2003. Since this change has taken place recently, it will take
sometime to carry out a detailed eval and improve it further. Some of the
inadequacies of jnr ldrship sys which need to be addsd are:-

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a. Lack of Initiative. Due to a host of reasons, our jnr ldrs are gen
devoid of this essential ldrship trait. They are good sub-ordinates
and are able to produce satisfactory results under predictable
conds and elaborate guidance. However, in the absence of orders
and insts their performance is not up to the mark. Lack of
delegation of resp by offrs to lower tiers is a cause of lack of
initiative on part of jnr ldrs. Even small scale routine tasks, in the
unit, are performed by offrs. Resultantly, the offrs are over-
committed and the NCOs are not properly groomed.
b. Ldrship Trg Sys. Although with recent restructuring of jnr ldrship
trg sys, the emphasis on inculcating ldrship traits has inc, yet a
need is felt to cont review this sys and eff nec changes and
improvements.
c. Lack of Incentive. The incentives offered to the jnr ldrs in terms
of fin benefits and other perks are not commensurating with the wt
and volume of resp that they are expected to shoulder. Growing
needs and materialistic apch of the society further adds to their
frustration. This seriously affects their performance as jnr ldrs.
d. Over Centralized Comd Structure. The prevalent over
centralized arng for ex of comd in the units leaves very little room
for jnr ldrs to groom themselves and contribute positively towards
the overall betterment of the outfit. Hence there latent talents
remain unrealized.
e. Quality of Intake. The quality of intake of sldrs is not as good as it
should be. Despite raising the edn stds for recruitment in the ranks,
the results are not very encouraging. The edn sys in the civ is
mainly resp for this problem as it is not properly catering for the
reqs of modern times. The jnr ldrs are intellectually ill-equipped to
grasp the broader picture and peace and wartime reqs of modern
age.

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f. JCO’s Rank. The JCO’s rank is a legacy of colonial era. Although
it offers an incentive for other ranks to rise to the middle of mil
hierarchy, but at the same time, it acts as a stumbling block in the
growth of other ranks as good junior leaders. It prevents the NCOs
from undertaking imp and sensitive resp in the unit and also acts as
an obs to free comm b/w offrs and NCOs. Although the JCOs have
a lot of experience but they are not phy fit due to their age and are
not receptive to new ideas.
g. Ldrship Reqs of Modern B Fd. Our jnr ldrs ideally fitted into the
type of warfare of 20th Century as they were uneducated,
motivated and rugged. The same indls, however, appear sadly out
of place on the complex, highly fluid and technology intensive B fd
of 21 Century. The existing ldrship trg model does not fully aprc this
change.
Recommendations
10. After having ascertained the reqs of modern times and the structures of
current of jnr ldrship trg sys, here are few imp recommendations:-
a. Abolition of JCO’s Rank. As is the case with most of the
contemporary armies, the JCO’s rank may be abolished. It may be
done in a ph progm in order to get the feed back from the units and
to allow a smooth transition. The adv that this arng is likely to yield
are:-
(1) Better comm b/w two imp tiers of comd i.e. jnr offrs and
NCOs.
(2) Better grooming of NCOs as they will be expected to
undertake more imp asg indep.
b. Dir Induction of NCOs. The Army may consider dir induction
of some proportion of NCOs based on their edn qual. The induction
sys may be similar to that of offrs. A modified sel bd may be
institutionalized on the lines of ISSB. After elementary ldrship and
professional trg at JLA for a pd of one yr, these NCOs can be

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posted to the units. In add to offering them attractive pay package
and svc conds, they can be offered promotion prospects to officer’s
rank on the basis of their performance. Such NCOs can offer a
solution to the ldrship problems at lower tiers. The expected results
are:-
(1) The NCOs will be young, energetic, phy fit and with min
domestic obligations.
(2) The quality of jnr ldrship will improve manifold.
(3) Due to their better edn std and subsequent trg, comm gap
b/w offrs and NCOs will reduce.
(4) Due to more incentives their motivation lvl will be high.
c. Initiative. For inculcation of one of the most imp ldrship attributes,
suggested measures are:-
(1) ‘Msn Oriented Comd Trg Sys’ being fol in German Army may
be thoroughly studied and implemented.
(2) It must be realized by middle and higher echelons of comd
that initiative is difficult to inculcate without expecting /
accepting mistakes from the jnrs.
(3) The jnr ldrs, on the other hand, should be made to realize
that initiative and liberty of action is meaningless without
acceptance of resp on their part.
(4) All trg activities should have a sharp focus on this particular
aspect.
(5) Resp like range org, conduct of firing prac and org games
and phy trg in the unit may be asg to JCOs and NCOs. Offrs
may only periodically monitor this.
d. Familiarization with the Modern Trends . In order to ensure that
our jnr ldrs remain abreast with the modern trends and the changes
taking place around them, the subjs which may be suitably injected
into various courses/cadres planned for them are:-

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(1) LIC.
(2) NBCW.
(3) UN peace keeping ops.
(4) Cptr handling.
(5) GPS handling.
e. Collective Trg. Our present sys of collective trg does not provide
sufficient opportunities to the jnr ldrs as most of the time is utilized
for Bde, Div and sometimes Corps lvl exs. It is, therefore,
suggested that max time, at least 50% should be res for sec, pl and
coy lvl trg without any interference from the snr comds.
f. Asg of Res. The jnr ldrs should be asg specific resp for handling
the affairs of their men and in the planning and conduct of various
trg and non trng events at unit/fmn lvl e.g. preparing a team for a
competition, adm projects and org of unit/sub unit lvl functions. This
will give them confidence and enable them to initiate actions on
their own. Unless JCOs and NCOs are asg clear resp and held
accountable for their actions, they will neither dev requisite
confidence nor a sense of resp.
g. Promotion Sys. Promotion of jnr ldrs is a sensitive issue and
must be handled with lot of care and resp. It should be done purely
on the basis of displayed performance and qual attained. The
tendency of promoting NCOs in accordance with their seniority
should be curbed. Offrs should be discouraged to give inflated
ACRs to the NCOs.
h. Enhancement of Edn Stds. . Majority of JCOs and NCOs belong
to lower middle class with low edn stds. Because of this backgr, it is
almost impossible for them to comprehend the complexity of
modern mil envmt. Therefore, it is imperative to enhance the edn
stds to matric and FA. In order to ascertain their actual academic
profile, an edn test should be held at the time of their enrollment. In

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order to attract indls with better edn std, there is also a req to offer
them better svc conds and a reasonable pay package.
j. Higher Tech Competence. Since JCOs and NCOs will be
dealing with high tech eqpt on modern B fd, their tech competence
and handling must be of a very high order. They must gain
proficiency in handling high tech eqpt. For this purpose, spec
cadres and smls may be arng.
k. Greater Flexibility and Adaptability. Because there are greater
chances of getting surprised in the modern B fd, jnr lds must dev
greater flexibility to adjust quickly to the changing sits. In this regard
more time may be devoted to two sided exs with tps. Full liberty of
action and latitude may be given to jnr ldrs to undertake asg msn.
l. Incentives. Under the prevailing socio-economic envmt, there is a
need to offer more incentives to the jnr ldrs in order to improve their
lot and ensure that they are well motivated. Some of the incentives
are:-
(1) Better pay package and more fin incentives commensurating
with the expectations from them.
(2) Provision of more married accn.
(3) Estb of separate NCOs messes.
Concl
11. The perception of the future threat scenario and the search for a viable
response to guarantee our national security and sovereignty, manifest
themselves in the need for a dedicated and high caliber mil ldrship at all tiers of
comd, in gen, and at lower lvl, in particular. Therefore, it is imp that such a ldrship
be carefully sel and properly trained to act as deterrence in peace, and a potent
force in war. The recommendations put forth are aimed at providing some basis
for revitalizing the sys to meet the challenges that are unfolding today. Constant
review is essential and exhaustive efforts, at all lvls, must cont to improve the
quality of our ldrship. Only then can we be prepared for the battles in the coming
years.

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