Managing the 3Ms of Military Readiness
Author: Harinder Singh
Publisher:
Published: 2011
Total Pages: 12
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOKMoney, manpower and material (3Ms) determine a state's capacity to leverage its hard power for fulfilling its national security objectives. A deficiency or an over dose of any of these elements could create a structural imbalance and impact the development of desired military capabilities, and in turn, the desired levels of operational and structural readiness. India's historical experience is replete with instances when a single or combination of inadequacies in these elements had a catastrophic effect on the military outcome(s). While the historical assessment of India's "un-readiness" for war can be the subject of a separate examination, this issue brief focuses on the significance of three important elements of military readiness, namely, money, manpower and material, and broadly outlines an approach for their efficacious management in the future. The author argues that each factor plays a crucial role in the operational and structural readiness of the armed forces, and more importantly in concert with each other for delivery of readiness needs. However, in the Indian context, there is often a tendency to evaluate them in isolation and draw conclusions that might not be holistic and appropriate for addressing the military's readiness deficiencies.