1IDSA Issue Brief
Managing the 3Ms of Military
Readiness
Harinder Singh
Harinder Singh is Research Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and
Analyses, New Delhi
January 28, 2011
Summary
Money, manpower and material (3Ms) determine a state's capacity to leverage its hard
power for fulfilling its national security objectives. A deficiency or an over dose of any
of these elements could create a structural imbalance and impact the development of
desired military capabilities, and in turn, the desired levels of operational and structural
readiness. India's historical experience is replete with instances when a single or
combination of inadequacies in these elements had a catastrophic effect on the military
outcome(s). While the historical assessment of India's "un-readiness" for war can be the
subject of a separate examination, this issue brief focuses on the significance of three
important elements of military readiness, namely, money, manpower and material, and
broadly outlines an approach for their efficacious management in the future. The author
argues that each factor plays a crucial role in the operational and structural readiness of
the armed forces, and more importantly in concert with each other for delivery of
readiness needs. However, in the Indian context, there is often a tendency to evaluate
them in isolation and draw conclusions that might not be holistic and appropriate for
addressing the military's readiness deficiencies.
