Indian military’s poor PR skills & theatre command ‘controversy’

NEW DELHI: In a recent story that appeared in Hindustan Times on June 21, the Indian Air Force was called out for playing a “lone ranger” against the proposed reorganisation of Indian forces into theatre commands foreign media reported.

The clickbait title ‘Indian Army and Navy favour theatre commands, Air Force plays the lone ranger‘ leads the reader into a hyperbolic account of differences that have cropped up in the restructuring being led by the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) and Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat. IAF has been marked out, almost like a petulant child, while the other two services are portrayed in complete harmony with the proceedings. Many military observers, including serving personnel and veterans, have taken umbrage to the story. While the story lives out its short life cycle in cyberspace, it comes as a good reminder of the leaky and porous ‘perception management’ around such a sensitive issue.