MY THOUGHTS ON FEAR- WHAT I UNDERSTAND OF ITS MYRIAD DIMENSIONS

AND MY ROAD MAP FOR OVERCOMING THESE FOR MYSELF AND MY MEN.
Fear makes men forget, and skill which cannot fight, is useless.
Phormio of Athens
Intro
1.
The intro of the then modern British Mk I tks during WW-I against the Germans
had a maj impact on the psy of the soldiers, than the amount of destr it could have
imparted. The panic that the mere sounds of churning tr and engines of the tk forced the
Germans to surrender and runaways for their lives. Similar effects were imparted by our
tks during the great battle of Phillora, during Indo-Pak war 1965. While such examples
use the tech supremacy as a catalyst of fear in opponents minds, many tangible and
intangible factors also contributes to the fear, which in turn, is used as a wpn, especially
in asymmetrical warfare. Thus, it is eminent to sensationalize its imp and effects on indl
or unit as well as its impacts on mil org as a whole. Fear must be ch, so its cont
becomes the first step in becoming an eff soldier.
Fear & its types.
2.
Warfare has always been a human endeavor. What battles or even militaries
across the world have in common is human: their behavior of men struggling to
reconcile their instinct of self preservation, their sense of honour and the achievement of
some aim over which other men is ready to do their work, even to kill. However, the
study of fear has been given less imp by the mil professionals, their maj focus remains
on tac and tech acumen of their men.
3.
Fear, defined as a physical and emotional response to a perceived threat or
danger, can decay offn spirit. On the other hand, courage is a temp domination of will
over that instinct, which is imperative for victory. Soldiers must be encouraged to
overcome fear while moderating the effect of fear- a task all mil leaders must always
keep in mind. But, encouragement and inspiration on the battlefield or otherwise has
become a more difficult task in the present world. Earlier, soldiers standing shoulder to
shoulder gained str from close physical contact and from their offrs, whose definition or
courage reqd them to face en fire unperturbed. The nature of urban trn with its walls,
compartmentalization and ltd vis enforces isolation.
4.
Be it battlefields tac replacement from close order to fire & mov, or present
working envt in peace scenarios, the soldiers have become a lot lonlier, working in
isolation or smaller gps. This has resulted in a state of uncertainty and trust issues
amongst them, also reducing aggressiveness and offn spirit in them.
5.
Fear is ubiquitous and its source may be directly or indirectly identifiable. Many
envt and op factors conspire to create a psy effects on a soldier that reduces its comb
eff. These often lead to cognitive deficits and catatonia.

6.
With the adv of tech, there have been various aids on battlefield. But, these aids
are practically not eff because these soldiers are forced to fight a ni. The net result of
this incr activity a ni has been to deprive the soldier of sleep, already physically and
mentally tired after a day of marching, fighting or digging. This in turn, reduces his and
orgs eff to resist fear.
7.
Active imagination is also a maj cause of fear amongst men. Me n with lively
imaginations are prey to fear. Te best soldiers in war are usually unimaginative men who
dont feel afraid until there was any obvious reason. During WW-I, many offrs believed
that conscripts with lower intellects made better fighting men, arguing that they were
less susceptible to fear.
8.
One of the maj reasons of fear is the arbitrary nature of events. The randomness
that exists on a battlefield frightens even the most intelligent soldiers. The events taking
place beyond ones cont creates a negative impact and loss of ones faith over himself
and his surroundings.
9.
Forced inactivity is another reason that can diminish a mans spirit is forced and
prolonged inactivity. A soldier, pinned to the ground by hostile fire, with no form of
activity to divert his thought from the whistling flails of lead that lash the grnd about him,
soon devps an over whelming sense of inferiority. He feels alone and deserted. He feels
inability to protect himself.
10.
Every man has a different capacity and capb to handle stress. A soldier who can
face any odds on one day, might brk down under strain the next day. Also, other factors
like death, wounding, and etc produces anxiety over anticipated physical harm.
11.
These adversaries form another central cat of fear, i.e. the fear of the en. World
War II British Field Marshal William Slim, slogging through the Burmese jungles, fought
to overcome his soldiers belief that Japanese soldiers were superior jungle fighters. Not
until experiencing tactical victories were the soldiers able to conquer their fears of the
enemy and perform on a more equal level with their rivals.
Measures to Overcome Fear
12.
Not all soldiers magnify en soldiers capb; many see the en as being like
themselves soldiers facing the stress associated with having to take other mens lives. A
survey of wounded comb veterans in the European Theater during WW-II states that of
the 277 soldiers interviewed, 65% having had at least one experience in comb in which
they were unable to perform adequately because of intense fear.
13. Hence, it is necessary to address ways to counteract fear. While there is not
absolute remedy of fear, a set of tools can applied to mitigate the same. German
Captain Adolph von Schell said of his World War I battlefield experiences, Soldiers can
be brave one day and afraid the next. Soldiers are not machines but human beings who
must be led in war. Each one of them reacts differently. Therefore, each must be
handled differently. To sense this and arrive at a correct psychological solution is part of
the art of leadership.

14.
Fwg measures can be taken to integrate fears effects into the units prep for
comb, thereby reducing its effects on men and on the complete team or org:(a)

Trg.
(i)
Realistic trg helps soldier overcome his natural instincts for self
preservation against real or perceived threat.
(ii)
Instilling Battle drills into men incr their conf and helps them
reducing the random nature of battle.
(iii)
While trg on eqpt, wpn sys and tac is necessary, trg to handle
frightening and unforeseen situation helps them to overcome their fear
and handle sit in a better way.
(iv)
Measures like incorporating battlefield stimuli, the sights, sound and
smells of a firefight to make it more realistic prep soldiers physically and
psychologically.
(v)
Sensitization amongst tps is essential to make them aware how
their minds and bodies will react to fear and help them devp a mindset to
mitigate psy and physiological effects of fear. Learning via experiments is
essential.
(vi)
We must teach our men in peace that battles differ greatly from
maneuvers and that there will often be critical periods when everything
seems to be going wrong.
(vii) Soldiers must get trained in sit where they can learn how to
respond to stress and anxiety. Thus must also be given the opportunity to
discuss their emotional responses in after action reviews and de-briefs.

(b)

Leadership.
(i)
It is said that we should never underestimate the need to obey, and
in times of extreme stress, me look to be led. Offrs taking a strong
paternal role can exert great influence on men and their eff in comb. The
father must be strong, decisive, and tech competent, for this would make
men under him calm and safe. And in time of distress, they turn as
children do to grownups to clear the confusion in their minds.
(ii)
British Field Marshal A.P. (Earl) Wavell contended, There is one
quality above all else essential for a good cdr, the ability to express
himself clearly, confidently and concisely, in speech and on paper. Thus, it
is as imp for a leader to articulate gp norms as est them. A gp of pers is
always dominated by a pers who sees most clearly and can best explain
the issue.
(v)
Leadership entails a pers to understand his men, their capb and
limits, and train them accordingly. They must manage their fear and more

imp, must also cope with subordinates fear. Leaders have a responsibility
in training to understand and prepare for the human aspects of war.
(vi)
Providing info to men creates an envt of trust. Also, it keeps him
certain and fearless. He remains less anxious and more conf.
(c)

Devpg unit bonds.

(i)
Apart from the leader, soldiers themselves help each other in
reducing fear. Comradeship has been a driving force behind since ancient
times. Fighting for a cause has lesser influence than fighting for
messmates.
(ii)
Self Esteem is another motivation factor that keeps a check on a
soldiers performance. Gp pressure can validate norms set by leaders, but
leaders must also ensure that org expectations match the goals &
aspirations.
(iii)
Mil historian S.L.A. Marshall asserts that though pers honor is a
powerful motivator, either through physical or social isolation, men fall prey
to their fears and provide no comb value to the org. They inherit
unwillingness to risk danger whom he has no social bonding. Thus, leader
must ensure that the bonding amongst tps be on indl basis for every pers
to feel affiliated with others in peace and fd. Isolated indls act quite dif
once they rejoin their original gps. In building unit trg eff, leaders must
realize that individual proficiency, while critical to battlefield successes,
does not guarantee sanctuary from the effects of fear. Collective trg must
focus on mastering tac, tech, and procedures and understanding the
human aspect of fighting within a gp. A cdrs goal should be to devp bonds
that provide a sense of cohesion.

(d)
Human Endeavor. Even though modernization is taking place, warfare
will always have a central character of human endeavor. Thus, fear will also be
an everlasting phenomenon of battlefield. Thus, leaders at all level must realize
this and start working out ways to eff comb fear and its effects. The aspects of
fear must also be incorporated in regtl trg plans and train indls on various
spontaneous sit changes. They must feel the urgency of integrating aspects of
dealing with fear along with regts msn essential trg plans.
Conclusion
15.
There is a great need of realization of fear at all lvls. Moreover, rather than
thinking, it is better to wk upon a gradual action plan against the same. The goal of
integrated trg should be to incr each soldiers threshold, which will in turn incr units
threshold. If Napoleon was correct in stating that In war, the morale to the physical is as
three is to one, than preparing soldiers to deal with fear is indispensable fors maint unit
comb readiness.