Peacetime Stress in Indian Army
PEACETIME STRESS IN INDIAN ARMY
BKGRND
1. Gen. No human being is exempted from stress and so is the case with indian soldiers. The only exception is that the soldiers stay in a particularly stress breeding envt due to frequent and unpredictable uncertainties and their comrades facing the same conditions leading to lack of adequate imdt sp. These are few of the many reasons leading to alarming rates of suicides and fratricides which has been a major but neglected issue of the Tri-services.
2. Soldiers and Stress. A No of studies have been carried out to identify reasons for unacceptable levels of stress felt by Indian soldiers. Unfortunately, the emphasis has always been on mtrl, obvious and well-known reasons – prolonged dply in highly dangerous envts protracted separation from families, financial inequalities and lack of liberty (as enjoyed by other civilians). These are all very relevant factors and do contribute in generating considerable stress. However, as mentioned earlier, these factors have always been in existence and soldiers have been braving them with fortitude. Therefore, there ought to be other reasons that generate stress which crosses the threshold of endurance of some soldiers and makes them break-down.
AIM
3. To identify various reasons causing stress in soldiers and suggest remedial actions so as to achieve the intended goals of peacetime postings.
PARTS
4. For critical analysis, assimilation and understanding, the paper has been divided into fwg parts :- a. Part 1 - Soldiers, Stress and Identifying Stress b. Part 2 - Longer Wk Hrs and Shorter Respites c. Part 3 - Ambitious Ldrs and Comn Gaps d. Part 4 - Peacetime Miseries f. Part 5 - Non-availability of Quick Appellate Mechanism and Reluctance to Help g. Part 6 - Recommendations
PART 1 - SOLDIERS, STRESS AND IDENTIFYING STRESS
5. Although stress is a biological term, it is commonly used in a metaphorical sense. It has also come to be accepted as a euphemism for
BKGRND
1. Gen. No human being is exempted from stress and so is the case with indian soldiers. The only exception is that the soldiers stay in a particularly stress breeding envt due to frequent and unpredictable uncertainties and their comrades facing the same conditions leading to lack of adequate imdt sp. These are few of the many reasons leading to alarming rates of suicides and fratricides which has been a major but neglected issue of the Tri-services.
2. Soldiers and Stress. A No of studies have been carried out to identify reasons for unacceptable levels of stress felt by Indian soldiers. Unfortunately, the emphasis has always been on mtrl, obvious and well-known reasons – prolonged dply in highly dangerous envts protracted separation from families, financial inequalities and lack of liberty (as enjoyed by other civilians). These are all very relevant factors and do contribute in generating considerable stress. However, as mentioned earlier, these factors have always been in existence and soldiers have been braving them with fortitude. Therefore, there ought to be other reasons that generate stress which crosses the threshold of endurance of some soldiers and makes them break-down.
AIM
3. To identify various reasons causing stress in soldiers and suggest remedial actions so as to achieve the intended goals of peacetime postings.
PARTS
4. For critical analysis, assimilation and understanding, the paper has been divided into fwg parts :- a. Part 1 - Soldiers, Stress and Identifying Stress b. Part 2 - Longer Wk Hrs and Shorter Respites c. Part 3 - Ambitious Ldrs and Comn Gaps d. Part 4 - Peacetime Miseries f. Part 5 - Non-availability of Quick Appellate Mechanism and Reluctance to Help g. Part 6 - Recommendations
PART 1 - SOLDIERS, STRESS AND IDENTIFYING STRESS
5. Although stress is a biological term, it is commonly used in a metaphorical sense. It has also come to be accepted as a euphemism for