A Soldier’s General

Joginder Jaswant Singh, a third-generation soldier from his family to join the army, was only fifteen years old when he enrolled in the National Defence Academy. And thus started the eventful journey of a simple and straightforward soldier born without a silver spoon in his mouth; his grandfather was a sepoy and his father a colonel in the Indian Army, who reached the top of his profession. India’s first Sikh army chief, and the first from the elite Maratha Light Infantry Regiment to reach this rank, General J.J. Singh gave his hundred per cent even though he got more than his fair share of operationalarea assignments. During his forty-seven-year stint in the army, he commanded two infantry battalions, and was closely associated with the planning and execution of the Kargil war at the Army HQ. In this engrossing book, General Singh gives us insights into how decisions about the nation’s security are taken at the highest levels of government, whether it is Siachen, the conduct of war (Kargil) or the massing of troops on the border (Operation Parakram). He also addresses some controversial issues, including the irresponsible ‘communal spin’ given to a case linked to the ‘age issue’ of the previous army chief, which had the potential to rupture the secular and apolitical fabric of the armed forces. Bringing alive the charm and adventure of an army life lived to the full, General Singh also gives us astute analyses of many critical issues: the challenges from Pakistan and China, the threats of terrorism, insurgency and Naxalism, the importance of military diplomacy, and the way forward for the armed forces in a rapidly changing world.