What is the ultimate test for a weapon system?
Catch hold of a soldier going out for a patrol or ambush and tell him to pick up a weapon from AK and INSAS. What will the soldier pick up?
It is not the intellectual discussion but the faith of soldiers that matters. That faith has not been thrust down on them by the officers and the generals but by themselves. In fact it is that faith which shakes the generals and they then are forces to ask for better.
Anything wrong in that !
I think there is a misconception.
Having been a soldier, I reckon I should know.
And what is more I was recently at the border in J&K (where we are in eyeball to eyeball contact and there was firing going on, just to inform you) even though I am not wearing the uniform now. So, even when not in uniform, we identify with our troops and our units and their hardships and travails. Danger be damned is what normally an officer should feel! I feel that danger is no big deal and so do the vast majority!
I am sure you will agree that officers body is not ordained by God to be bullet proof. As also that the officer is known to lead from the front.
So, they are equally concerned and so none should go by any wrong impression that soldiers alone brave the dangers!
And Generals are no fools either to equip the Army with junk. If an operation fails, then his head will be up at the chopping block. They also have ambition as the next man Jack and also have mouths to feed back at home!
These populist ideas of
jawans being the only one getting the wrong end of the stick is OK for political brownie points for the media and the citizenry fed on all these populist ideas. In our army we share and share alike the dangers and discomforts. Ranks play no role.
What shakes the Generals is will the weapon translate the requirements of the Doctrine that is formulated to meet the Threat Perception.