Should service chiefs publicly comment on policy matters?

While the Centre is weighing its military options to to get rid of Naxals from their jungle bastions, some service chiefs have expressed their disagreement to the move in public. Leading the pack is Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, who said last week that the time was not yet ripe for such a move.

General V K Singh, the chief of the army, jumped into the ring saying, "The CRPF was deficient while dealing with Naxalism and the army was much better in such situations.

Going further, Naik on Monday said, ""We have the capability to conduct strikes with utmost precision. However, it must be understood that if a 250 kg bomb is dropped at a spot, its impact will be in a radius of at least 800 metres and that may affect many people who may not themselves be insurgents."

Though the government has not yet reacted to the seemingly unwarranted comments from the top brass, it seems like the armed forces are singing a different tune to that of the government.

The question is: Is it appropriate for the service chiefs to publicly comment on such critical policy decisions? Should they maintain the tradition of remaining silent? Or should they speak out?

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