The added experience should be of great use, as he takes over the reins of the Indian Army from the retiring General Ved Prakash Malik. Gen. Padmanabhan's high profile postings in the 90s make possible some predictions about his style of managing the routine work of a COAS, and the substance of the changes he is likely to bring about. The bitter experience of the capable, but abrasive, Admiral Bhagwat shows that both style and substance are equally important in the realm of higher defense management. Gen. Padmanabhan's record of accomplishment in Kashmir attests that he brings to the office formidable negotiation skills to help him champion the cause of the army. Unlike the army generals up to the 1980s who led careers secluded from the rough and tumble of Indian governance, he and Gen. Malik have earned their spurs in an environment which calls for close cooperation with politicians, bureaucrats, intelligence agencies, paramilitary forces, police, and the mass media.
All officers are products of their times and their professional experience.
Gen. Padmanabhan, on the other hand, has thrived in the convoluted battleground of Kashmir. Dirty counter-insurgency battles produce pragmatic and politically perceptive generals who are comfortable with the constraints of limited wars and peace keeping. Modern limited wars place much greater demands on training, equipment, and motivation of small units, as opposed to mass maneuver and heavy mechanization required by total wars. This means that Lt. Gen. Padmanabhan will pay close attention to preparing the Indian soldier for the kinds of conflicts he is likely to encounter. Gen. Padmanabhan epitomizes the growing divergence between the post-independence crop of generals and the current bunch.