Virtue of the Uniform: Why Mark Esper Spoke Up

ByCmde G Prakash (Retd)

Jun 17, 2020

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When Defence Secretary Mark T. Esper said that he did not support President Trump’s plan to use the Insurrection Act of 1807 to quell the current protests in the US, he set a sterling example of the virtues of selfless soldiering.

Military training, upbringing and ethos are unique. They have to be, because they cater to the needs of preparing and maintaining an entire system for fitting into its unique role in the national security spectrum. The depth to which military training, upbringing and ethos change the DNA of those who receive this training and honourably spend time in uniform, determines the utility of the process to their respective countries, especially, to functional democracies. Events of the last two weeks in the US, a large democracy, merit attention in this regard.

By Cmde G Prakash (Retd)

Commodore G Prakash, Nau Sena Medal, (Rtd,IN) served the Indian Navy for 36 years. He is a specialist in Air Warfare and Anti Submarine Warfare. He has had the honour of commanding three war ships and four naval bases. He has served at the Naval Headquarters, New Delhi, in the field of Naval Aviation Future Plans and Strategy, Concepts and Transformation. He has vast experience in Operations, Training, Policy Making and Human Resource Management. He has been lecturing over fifteen years at the national level on National Security, Doctrine & Strategy, Military History, Leadership etc and has lectured at the National Defence College, the War Colleges, at the College of Defence Management, Corporate bodies, Universities and Colleges. He is also a keen writer on a variety of topics.