New beginnings at Naval War College: Implications for professional military education

In the last few months, the Indian Navy has garnered considerable media attention. Its exploits at sea, especially in ‘Op Sankalp’, the steady accretions of assets and enhancement of infrastructure has earned acclaim and appreciation from many quarters, be it our own citizens or foreign observers.

The blistering pace of activities sometimes tend to obscure ‘less glamorous’ events and one such was seen in the first week of March when the Navy commissioned the MH 60R helicopter squadron in Kochi, commissioned INS Jatayu in Minicoy, conducted the Naval Commanders Conference on board the indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant and maintained its maritime security operations, in the north west Arabian Sea, at high tempo.

Hidden amidst this was the news of Rajnath Singh, the Raksha Mantri (RM), inaugurating the new training and administrative complex, the Chola Bhavan, at the Naval War College (NWC), Goa, on March 05, 2024.

Raksha Mantri with other dignitaries after the inauguration in front of the Chola Building

Ordinarily, the inauguration of a building or a facility need not elicit much interest for anyone else other than those directly concerned. What then is the significance of the Chola Bhavan? This writer is of the view that this development is the Indian Navy’s equivalent of ‘one modest step for infrastructure, one giant leap for Professional Military Education (PME)’. But to truly understand its import we first need to unpack a few aspects about PME.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the Armed Forces is that academic studies and warfighting are on the opposing ends of the spectrum. Nothing could be farther from the truth. While most people would readily associate courage, dash, protocol and even flamboyance with the Military, they would be surprised if they are told that life in the Armed Forces involves deep and continuous study. That’s why we often have well intended but incorrect phrases such as ‘Thinking General’ or ‘Scholar Warrior’ implying that such species are rare or need to be specifically mentioned.

What is Professional Military Education ?

It must, therefore, be emphasised that a career in the Military involves both ‘reflex action’ and ‘reflection’. While split second response is the very essence of warriorship especially in the battlefield, a huge amount of learning and thought undergirds the responses that we develop for a variety of situations. That’s why it is said that when a soldier (or sailor) is not fighting a war he is preparing for it. And the best way to prepare is to constantly train for war. That’s the reason the Armed Forces stress a great deal on training. Much of this training happens in terms of domain specialisation across different disciplines, skill development for specific trades and warfighting at the sub tactical or unit level. At the same time, equally cognisant of the fact that the development of critical thinking and creative mindset needs one to go beyond training, there is a great degree of attention paid to education too. That sphere is referred to as Professional Military Education.

PME is particularly important to Armed Forces of democratic nations. There is a need for formal programmes, which ensure that the Armed Forces remain resolutely apolitical and fiercely professional. This requires that Military leaders have a clear understanding on a range of issues such as statecraft and where they fit in, political-military relations, knowledge of the society and country they are sworn to protect and of the affairs in humankind that may bring to bear upon their profession. It’s also important that those outside the Military – the political leadership, bureaucrats and diplomats, media and think tanks as well as the enlightened citizen, realise the need for PME and how it serves the cause of the nation.

The main PME endeavours in our Armed Forces happen at three different stages – at tactical/operational level – called the Staff Course – for officers in the service bracket of 10 to 15 years, viz. Major/Lt Colonel equivalent, at the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington; at the operational/strategic levels, for officers in the service bracket of 20 to 25 years, viz. Colonel equivalent – called the Higher Command Course – at the respective War Colleges and the College of Defence Management (CDM); and for officers in the service bracket of 25 to 30 years, viz. Brigadier equivalent, at the National Defence College (NDC), Delhi.

All courses are about a year long and it may be noted that while the DSSC, CDM and NDC are tri-service institutions with joint participation, the three War Colleges are Service specific with majority participants belonging to that particular service. This peculiarity is because of the need for in-depth understanding of all aspects of one’s individual service, as the participant (Colonel equivalent) officers would be providing future – one star and above – leadership to their respective service. The curriculum too is tailored accordingly to have a distinctive orientation towards the particular service. That, however, does not imply lack of jointness; in NWC’s case, for example, officers from Army, Air Force and Coast Guard form part of faculty and/or students and joint service subjects form a substantial part of the syllabus.

Other shorter duration courses, exchange programmes, individual service courses or equivalent courses of the above three main programmes are not touched upon here. However, suffice it to say that all the three Services place great premium on PME and all these colleges and institutions are Category A establishments of the Armed Forces. They may be seen on par with IITs, ISB, IIMs or NITs in terms of not only the quality of education but also the high ranks to which many of the alumni rise.

Naval War College – A Brief History

This is the background in which the history of the Naval War College must be viewed. One of the unique attributes of the Indian Navy is that when it is convinced about an idea it starts implementing the same without waiting for the full infrastructure or complete staffing or formal government sanction, all of which can take years. Arguably, this is made possible by the, relatively, lesser decision-making echelons and more flexibility that the service shows in such situations. Projects or institutions are flagged off by ingenuously repurposing assets and human ware from within the service and incremental additions and improvements are made over a period of time. The slight downside to this is that such projects work under certain constraints and cramped circumstances.

Another unique aspect about the Navy obtains from the medium that it operates on. As the Oceans are global commons, Navies inherently work in a multilateral environment. This makes the Navy a strategic force and, therefore, the syllabus at the Naval War College has to be designed to include aspects of polity and society, foreign policy, diplomacy, international law, area studies, strategy and such like in addition to warfighting, campaign studies, doctrines, operational art and technology that is the standard mix for such courses.

The Navy made a modest beginning when the College of Naval Warfare (CNW) was inaugurated on 17 Sep 1988, by the then Defence Minister KC Pant. Karanja, in Mumbai, was chosen for the space it provided and its remote location – away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A small single building was repurposed and the first Naval Higher Command Course (NHCC) commenced soon after.

Over the years, more courses came to be added, scope of syllabus widened, strength of course expanded and linkages established with Mumbai University, all while operating from within the same building. On August 18, 2010, another significant development took place – the College of Naval Warfare was rechristened as the Naval War College (NWC). This was not merely a cosmetic name change but a marker of a broader outlook to learning and wider coverage of issues pertaining to war and conflict. The NWC shifted to Goa on September 11 and turn of the year 2012 saw the upgradation of the head of institution from one star to two-star rank and the appointment of the first Commandant, Rear Admiral R Hari Kumar, who, incidentally, is the present Chief of the Naval Staff.

Navy’s PME Vision

Even within the uniformly high quality of the three services, the Navy prides itself on its PME enterprise. Analogous to what CLR James said about cricket, the Indian Navy believes in the dictum “what do they know of Navy who only Navy know” and its training methodologies stress on the intellectual as much as on the physical right from the bootcamp phase. Arguably, this emphasis on scholarship derives from various elements – technology intensive equipment that demands high technical competence, Navy’s unique diplomatic role which mandates understanding of social sciences, the early exposure to cosmopolitan culture that pervades in port cities which bring the flavour of commerce and fine arts and, above all, the advantage of being a relatively small service where bureaucratic hierarchies and rigidities are less pronounced.

Therefore, the shift to Goa was not simply a change of location but the fulfilment of a desire to give this institution of highest learning in the Navy the necessary physical space and infrastructure to grow to its full potential. While extant courses and PME programmes commenced in the new environs in full earnest, a road map was drawn for the future aiming at concurrent creation of intellectual capital and material infrastructure. It was envisaged that the full range of transformational changes would take around ten years to reach fruition. Each of the Commandants and their Staff went along with the vision while adding their own special touches. Purposefulness of approach and zeal in execution remained a common thread throughout.

The vision, or call it a cherished dream if you will, of the Naval leadership had three broad objectives. First, that the NWC should be an institution facilitating higher education, wargaming and high-quality research on maritime security and warfare at strategic and operational levels. Second, it must prepare select officers for leadership at these levels by developing critical thinking, analytical ability, strategic vision and proficiency in operational art. Third, the future configuration of NWC should factor the growing stature and size of our navy, the enhanced value that the Service places on doctrinal and strategic aspects which in turn needs a high and multi-disciplinary academic throughput, the increasing foreign cooperation most manifest in educational and training exchange programmes and the fact that infrastructure once created must have the inherent flexibility to accommodate changes and surges in strength or duration of courses mandated by more contemporary imperatives.

Axiomatically, this vision realised that infrastructure commensurate with a premier training naval institution needed to be created de novo and there could be nothing makeshift about this.

A wargame in progress at the new wargaming centre

Chola Bhavan and Its Significance

It was this wait of ten plus years that bore fruit on March 5, when the Raksha Mantri inaugurated the new state-of-the-art ‘Chola’ building named after the famous Tamil Dynasty which ruled over an expansive maritime empire around 1,000 years ago.

An aerial view of the imposing Chola Building in the background. Reis Magos Fort in the foreground

In line with the name, the building celebrates various facets of the Cholas. A magnificent statue of Raja Raja Chola depicting him in three facades as a warrior, scholar and administrator highlights the entrance.

Statue of Raja Raja Chola at the entrance of Chola Building

The expedition by his son Rajendra Chola to the Srivijaya Empire has been showcased in the form of a tiled mural. An impressive model of the flagship of the Chola Navy Cozhayendium (Colandia) has also been installed at the main entrance of the NWC Campus. The location is both picturesque and historic. The large College precinct, of nearly 19000 sqm, is built around a 240-year-old Banyan tree and situated within the 244 acres of INS Mandovi campus situated at Verem Village, Goa. This new building stands atop the Verem Hill overlooking the confluence of Arabian Sea and Mandovi River giving it the necessary maritime flavour. In a nice touch of history, the imposing NWC structure towers over a remnant of the Portuguese colonisation in the vicinity, the Reis Magos Fort. Built over five levels to maintain the original topography of the Verem Hill, the interiors of the building, its many facilities and various installations reflect multihued aspects of ancient Indian thought and statecraft. Green norms and eco friendliness have also been factored in.

That’s not all though. Numerous well-appointed syndicate rooms, auditoria and smaller breakout spaces have been made available to enable debate and discussions among the participants (as the students are called) and Directing Staff (as teachers are referred to). The pedagogy is a combination of eminent visiting faculty interacting on their domain expertise, subject matter experts within the service holding forth on operational issues, field visits to forward areas and other institutions of excellence, exchanges with Foreign Institutions, a Joint Capsule (or JOCAP) with other war colleges and in-depth studies on ‘Core issues’ facing the Navy or Armed Forces. One of NWC’s noteworthy facilities is a high-tech wargaming centre which enables both strategic and operational level wargaming. A well-equipped library, cafeteria and other facilities complement in creating an atmosphere of learning and education.

Verily put, the new building is meant to represent three ideas simultaneously. First, a commemoration of India’s legacy of maritime excellence; second, a marker of India’s resurgence as a maritime power; and third, a symbol of the future aspirations of the Navy and the nation. Underscoring the transformative strategic thinking of ‘New India’, Rajnath Singh made a pointed statement at the inauguration that “we were once known as a ‘landlocked country with sea shores’, but now we can be seen as an ‘island country with land borders’”.

Thus, this event can be seen as a significant milestone in the history of the Navy, reinforcing its commitment to excellence in military education and nurturing maritime thought. How does NWC shape its future course of action? The Navy expects that this world-class training facility will not only enhance the warfighting capabilities of the participants, but also contribute to the intellectual capital of the nation. The Navy Chief, Admiral R Hari Kumar, sees higher military education having an indispensable role in countering maritime security challenges. He also envisions that the new facility could serve “as a ‘Gurukul’ for learning and sharing maritime perspectives, not only for the officers of Indian forces but also for maritime neighbours”.

If the past is any indication, we can be optimistic that this could be a world class institution with an identity and brand equity of its own. In the 12 years it has been at Goa, it has already made impressive strides. Apart from the many courses it conducts, it has won recognition as an independent PhD centre – the first among our PME institutions to do so. Even more commendably, many scholars have registered for – and a few even completed – the Doctoral programme. Few years ago, the Indian Naval Despatch (INDES) , a quarterly professional journal was launched and it has already won repute for its content. NWC also hosts the Goa Maritime Conclave (GMC) and Goa Maritime Symposium (GMS) every alternate year. These two forums provide a platform for regional navies to cogitate upon common security challenges and have won appreciation from our regional partners. They also act as informal mechanisms to enhance country to country relationships. The Maritime Security Course (MSC), which has wide foreign participation, further adds to the repertoire of the College. In another recent welcome development, the Naval History Division has been shifted from Delhi to Goa, in the vicinity of NWC. It is expected that this will be mutually beneficial – while archival information will be available to research scholars and enable more rigorous work, their studies, in turn, will contribute more to understanding naval history. With theatre commands on the anvil, greater thrust on jointness can also be expected in future. We may also foresee enhanced collaboration with other institutions of eminence whether in India or abroad.

Conclusion

Over the years, beginning in Sep 1988, NWC had established itself as an entity of repute, which promoted a scholarly outlook with strong foundations in the fields of international affairs, maritime strategy, wargaming, operational art and leadership development. Its professionally designed curriculum provided a conducive environment for nurturing research-oriented thinking and contributing to doctrinal issues. Consistency and continuity were the key to its excellence despite the modest facilities. However, the lack of complete academic and administrative infrastructure imposed certain constraints that did not allow for the full range of intellectual articulation. That void has been filled by the creation of state-of-the art infrastructure in the form of the Chola Bhavan. The building, steeped in Indian traditions and history, is also emblematic of maritime renaissance in the country.

For the NWC, this marks an important step in fulfilling the vision of being the institution of choice for future military leaders. For the Navy, its PME ecosystem is now at the take off stage. Much has been achieved but much work still awaits; excellence has to be a constant quest. The Chola Bhavan is not merely a structure of steel and concrete but the academic soul of Navy finding new avenues of expression. The framework for the future growth of NWC is already in place and aligns with our stature as a rising power which will see a growing and crucial role for the Indian Navy. The new beginnings at NWC are a happy augury for the Navy and for India. Having completed building the institution, the Navy is well poised to undertake institution building.

The author is a navy veteran and writes on maritime issues. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.