Battle book lays down drill for Govt, Army

With war clouds gathering, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has pulled out the Union War Book, a voluminous document listing the charter of dut...

With war clouds gathering, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has pulled out the Union War Book, a voluminous document listing the charter of duty of various government organs in times of war. Dubbed the ‘sacred text’ in military circles, the war book guides a new generation through procedures of mobilisation and sustenance of troops and logistics.

The confidential document, in existence since the British Raj, was till recently with the Cabinet Secretariat. It will now be handled by the newly-created integrated defence staff. The war book cites instances from the past to guide the new generation of officers. Wars fought by India in 1948, 1965 and 1971 against Pakistan and the Chinese aggression of 1962 find mention in the book.

‘‘The armed forces (Army, Navy and Air Force) go in for mobilisation. But a war is fought by the nation and the entire government machinery has to be mobilised. The Union War Book spells the role to be played by different ministries in the government, including the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for internal security, railways, surface transport, shipping and civil aviation for movement, post and telegraph for communication, health for medical facilities,’’ says a senior Army official.

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‘‘The war book even lays down the role of the district magistrates and police officials in war time and also in times of natural and man-made disasters,’’ explains another official.

Lt Gen (retd) Satish Nambiar says the war book lays out the standard operating procedure for different government departments to avoid friction and ensure smooth functioning during emergencies.