AFVOA Newsletter 03 of 2020

Section 5 - Memoirs CV 2 No. 03 / 2020 Page 120 of 167 History has taught us over and over again that freedom is not free. When push comes to shove, the ultimate protectors of freedom and liberty are the brave men and women in our armed forces. Throughout our history, they've answered the call-in bravery and sacrifice. Tim Pawlenty There are a few points of interest and some lessons for all of us. For one, the RM believed in participative management. He wished to directly interact with the Chiefs as well as the secretaries. This is quite unlike today, when the chiefs have been relegated and seldom meet the Minister. By his methods, Babuji ensured that the Armed Forces functioned as an integrated one, without being formally called as today, where they are ‘integrated’ only in name! Babuji was a good listener and placed the interests of the Nation above politics. As he dealt directly with the Chiefs and secretaries in one forum, he was able to take decisions without wasting much time. He built a team, which fostered team spirit. He did not allow differences between the three wings of the Armed Forces to simmer and boil, as he was meeting all of them on a weekly basis and thus was able to snip problems before they spun out of control.