Dear Editor,
Not a day passes without a mention of the surgical strikes, with some giving a political colour to an apolitical event. In a democratic setup, there is a laid down chain of command for ordering a military operation that flows from the civil political head to the Army Chief and the troops down the line. After getting the go-ahead, the army has full freedom to execute the operation in its own way. While the army gets due credit for the success of the operation, a large share goes to the political head who takes the final decision. He also takes the blame if anything goes wrong. The sign, ‘The buck stops here’ was on former US President Harry Truman’s desk in the White House, signifying that he takes the ultimate responsibility for his
decisions.
WG CDR C. L Sehgal (Retd),
Jalandhar
