In fact, the army seems to be losing more men to suicide and fratricide than to enemy bullets.
During a mission, being a matter of life and death , there is no end to problems faced by Indian soldiers. Still, in an ordinary jawan perspective, following would be the biggest ones:
1. Weaponry : INSAS had been shoved on us due to various reasons. Blocking, braking of body parts, magazine jams..there is no end to problems that this weapon has. Still, we have to fight with it. This by far, for me is the biggest problem in any mission. If you cannot fire effectively, if you cannot trust your weapons, you already are at big disadvantage. Now there are lot of AKs also, but still lomg way to go before everyone can be equipped with them.
2. Bullet Proofs equipment : we still do not have adequate BP protection for our soldiers. The older ones are immensely heavy and cause lot of exhaustion during patrols in jungles and climbing mountains. this leads to lack of focus And alertness. We really need light weight good equipment for every soldier
3. Rations - our emergency rations suck !! So either you have to cook in operational area or carry pre cooked food for days. Army marches on it's belly isn't taken too seriously here. We need good quality, nutritious and better packed food for long operations.
4. Clothing - Indian army is fighting against terrorists in jungles and mountains. And we still wear the clothing that was designed as normal high altitude clothing. Noting special. Jackets are too big and noisy. Try putting an ammo pouch around it. To get rid of it, you compromise the warmth in sub zero temperature. Shoes, honestly, are only too big or too small. helmets of WW2 vintage. The less I say the better. Trust me, it's grit and determination of indian soldiers that they just keep going against all odds.
5. Terrain and Weather - The biggest fight is against terrain and weather. Mountains full of jungles covered with snow with cliff faces all around. No respite from any angle. temperature sub zero. Uncomfortable clothing and heavy equipment. Blizzards, snow storms, even avalanches. It's just not easy carrying out operations there.
6. Local support - Indian Army is fighting a strange war where we have to fight on our own territory. That means lot of locals support the insurgents and terrorists because they see Army as unjust occupation force. Which is so ironic. We are there on orders
