Core Values of PAF

One of the most relevant and important topics in any military institution of learning is a study of the core values of the parent service.  Speaking of the core values of Pakistan Air Force, one wonders if these are any different from those of other military services, or even the public at  large. Do the values like commitment, courage, discipline, excellence, honour, integrity, respect, selflessness and teamwork differ in the Army, Navy and the Air Force? Or is it that each of these services assigns different priorities to these values based on its working conditions, combat demands, personnel outlook and management styles? 

It does not take long for one to surmise that the value system of each service is structured largely on intrinsic factors peculiar to it. As an example, the degree and level of skills, educational qualifications, and even the socio-cultural background of personnel may be of consequence in determining how the value system is structured in each service, and what attributes get precedence over others. Similarly, it is not hard to see that in the fast-paced environment of the Air Force where the human response time to challenging situations is reduced drastically, the operability and implementation of any value system needs an approach nuanced accordingly, as far as priorities and emphasis are concerned.

While many of us understand the meaning of core values, a solid definition is vital to this discourse. By their very definitions, ‘core’ means what is at the centre, while ‘values’ define our beliefs. Core values then translate into beliefs that are at the centre of who we are, and define us both as individuals and professionals. They are the critical, intangible essentials that bring continuity and meaning to life. They are the pillars that support all we do, and define who we are. While core values define us as individuals, they also define our country’s institutions.  Both people and institutions have values and thesee need to be shared values. When individual and institutional values conflict, you can expect a crippling impact on one or both.

In these modern times, we live in an era of relative values, where right is determined by what advances one’s personal interests. That is completely in contrast to the core values we aspire to.  Core values are the beacons, the means by which you always know what to do, because you are guided by that consistent, unchanging set of values. They help you navigate through turbulent times, whether on an individual or at the institutional level.

Values develop and evolve over the course of a lifetime. You may see them on the wall of a building or read them in the pages of a book, but it takes time for them to move from the wall or the page, to your heart.

Core values are standards on which rest the very edifice of the military. These values, along with ethical leadership, instil confidence, earn lasting respect, and create willing workers. They guarantee the trust of subordinates in the orders given by their leaders. They create the special esprit de corps and bonding that is so essential for the teamwork required in combat. They ensure the confidence of our people in the defence of Pakistan. The core values are much more than minimum standards. They remind us what it takes to get the mission done. They inspire us to do our very best at all times. They are the common bond among all comrades in arms, and they are the glue that unifies the force and ties us to the war heroes and devoted public servants of the past. That is why the people of Pakistan rate the armed forces, and especially the Pakistan Air Force, amongst the most respected institutions in the country.

Core values remind us of the price of joining the Pakistan Air Force, Army or Navy. They remind personnel, whether officers, airmen or civilians, to display honesty, courage, responsibility, openness, self-respect, and humility in the line of duty. Core values help us acknowledge rules, follow them faithfully, accept accountability and practice justice. They help us respect all personnel as fundamentally worthy. They instil a sense of discipline, self-control and faith in the system. By studying the core values we also eventually discover the importance of duty, honour, dedication, competence, and a host of other professional requirements and attributes. Just as they help us evaluate the pulse of our organization, core values also serve as beacons guiding us to the path of righteous conduct. Core values help us inculcate a culture of ethical commitment to our own service and the country.

The core values chosen by the Pakistan Air Force are those without which the Pakistan Air Force cannot perform as expected of it by the nation. These are the values that instil confidence, earn lasting respect, and create willing workers. More importantly, they are the values that buttress mental and physical courage when we enter combat. 

There is no limit on the number of core values that we can include in our list. Several militaries of the world go by just a single core value, usually enshrined in their mottoes. Many others prefer to have anywhere from three to seven core values. The Pakistan Air Force felt that it was a good idea to keep the list crisp and short, that is easy to remember, and which can be displayed as catchy reminders in the work centres. This also makes it that much easier to implement.

We have to remind ourselves that with a traditional adversary who can field a much larger array of lethal hardware and personnel in arms than us, the value system of the Pakistan Air Force must be so structured that it fortifies the potential of its fighting men and women.  This is bound to considerably offset any quantitative limitations of aircraft and weaponry, as has been clearly demonstrated in many a past conflict.  In short we are talking of force multipliers in the shape of highly motivated and dedicated professionals imbued with lofty values, to fight a future war.

Integrity

Let us start with integrity which is known as the bedrock of a value system in any organisation. Integrity is the soundness of moral principle, especially in relation to truth and fair dealing, uprightness, honesty and sincerity.  Integrity is all about people, and it has a direct bearing on what they give back to an organisation.

Integrity also means the condition of having no part of an element missing.  In other words, it means undivided, complete.  It implies oneness between words and actions.  People of integrity conform their words to their actions.  They tell the truth.  They practice what they preach.  They build the culture of trust. 

In the military, integrity has a special place; that is because the military is a very special profession – the profession of arms.  Military men are entrusted with the security of the nation.  The tools of their trade are lethal, and they engage in operations that deal with life and death.

Integrity is a character trait. It is the willingness to do what is right even when no one is looking. It is the inner voice, the voice of self-control and the basis for the trust imperative in today's military.

Integrity is the ability to hold together and properly regulate all of the elements of a personality. A person of integrity, for example, is capable of acting on conviction. A person of integrity can control deviant impulses and baser appetites.

A person of integrity possesses moral courage and does what is right even if the personal cost is high. Honesty is the hallmark of the military professional because in the military, our word must be our bond. A person of integrity is never irresponsible and acknowledges his or her duties and acts accordingly. A person of integrity does not try to shift the blame on others, or take credit for the work of others. A person of integrity practices justice.

To have integrity is also to respect oneself as a professional and a human being. A person of integrity does not behave in ways that would bring discredit upon himself or herself, or the organization to which he or she belongs.

Closely tied to integrity is the concept of honour. It is about keeping your word. It is conducting yourself in the highest ethical manner in dealing with colleagues, seniors and juniors. It is about allegiance to the organisation.

Integrity stands to be the most important core value for the Pakistan Air Force because lack of it – manifested by unethical practices – directly impacts operational readiness. A few examples might help to convey this point. 

Monthly, quarterly and annual reports and returns have been instituted by the Air Headquarters to help assess the goings-on in the field, so that a realistic picture emerges. Reports and returns are thus a most vital feedback to the planners.  Development plans, and more important, war plans are based on these reports and returns. Sometimes those in position of authority and responsibility lose sight of the importance of these vital statistics, and efforts are made to reflect that all is well.  This propensity feeds on the demands of the higher authorities, who are all too willing to bask in the glory and comfort that “everything is fine”.

Similarly, aircraft serviceability and reliability reports must not be just a thin veneer of efficiency of the Squadron, the Wing and the Base, but a true reflection of reality.  In armament results too, loopholes in the scoring system must not allow for bad scores to be glossed over.

Another area of concern is aircraft occurrences.  As the stakes are high for a pilot who is involved in an accident, lack of integrity sometimes shows through.  When the chips are down, the choice between concealing the truth and being forthright can get mixed-up, because we are all prone to making a choice that suits us most, or one that saves our skin, so to speak.  Incorrect narration of events, doctoring of aircraft data, and alteration of on-site evidence are known to have taken place on occasions. Incorrect findings and recommendations are bound to draw out wrong lessons and recourse to irrelevant remedial measures.   

The above-mentioned are some areas in Air Force operations where lack of integrity unnecessarily places lives and equipment at risk. One can extrapolate the consequences of such a situation on the operational readiness of the service.  Given that we are resource-constrained, every little counts, and we cannot afford to fritter away our combat potential due to any shortcoming in our value system.   Integrity is, therefore, the primary core value on which the very edifice of Pakistan Air Force rests.

Excellence

As a moral standard, excellence ordinarily means accomplishing the mission well. It means a determined effort in getting the job done right, and on time. The military function is so important and so exacting, that getting the job done demands more in the military than it does elsewhere. Mission failure in the military endangers national survival, and performing the military role requires capabilities and entails risks not found in other callings. For this reason, a standard of excellence is needed merely to get the job done in the military. Getting by with a minimal level of effort may suffice in the civil, but excellence is the only acceptable standard for accomplishing the military mission.

As a moral ideal, however, excellence demands more than mission accomplishment. Excellence also demands that men and women in uniform constantly produce better results. This is the meaning of ‘excel’: to surpass, to go beyond what is expected. As an ideal, excellence means exceeding the demands of duty to achieve results in excess of just getting the job done. Merely maintaining today’s standard, merely achieving today’s mission requirements, puts the military in danger of falling behind.  A technologically advanced service like the Air Force must be innovative to protect and promote the nation’s interests.  It must take risks, and must encourage others to take risks, to improve its organization, its procedures, and its doctrine. Excellence as ‘constant improvement’ is the goal of playing well and winning. To defend the nation, it is not enough to accomplish the mission. Endeavours must be made to find ways to excel, to go beyond mere mission accomplishment.

Excellence in all we do does not mean that we are excellent all the time. It just means that we try, and we try to do our best. Conformity is too easy. Mediocrity is too safe. Too many people settle for less than their best, and convince themselves that quality and integrity are negotiable. Remember, there are only two directions to move in life, either forward or backward. It is impossible to stand still; standing still means you are actually falling behind. To constantly see problems and challenges as opportunities involves a passion for excellence.

Excellence is closely dependent on merit, wherein appointments and responsibilities are assigned to individuals based upon their capabilities, namely intelligence, credentials, and education, determined through fair initial selection processes, and later, confirmed by the commanders through honest on-going evaluations. Excellence can only thrive in the absence of nepotism, cronyism and discrimination. It can flourish where everyone has a fair chance to put in his or her best. Only in such an environment can you live your life with a passion for excellence, where you can make a difference.

Excellence can flourish where everyone has a fair chance to put in his or her best. Only a passion for excellence can make a difference.  The old timers of the Pakistan Air Force tell us that the service was famous for laying a premium on merit. Cronyism and ‘sifarish’ were absolutely anathema to the senior commanders.  They ensured that only the most capable were given the opportunity to lead. That is how the small service came to be known for its excellence not just within the country, but far and wide. The famous air raids on Pathankot and Kalaikunda, and many a high-scoring dogfight were no chance walkovers, but were the outcome of the commanders accepting nothing but what was perfect, during peacetime. With such a legacy of excellence we must know that it is possible for Pakistan Air Force to repeat the great feats of daring.  

Mediocrity in performing our tasks would, in effect be a self-imposed handicap, which is tantamount to giving up when called by the nation to take up the challenge.  Striving for excellence is actually a fulfilment of the promise we made to the country.  This core value is bound to see us take up the challenge and fulfil our mission successfully, because we would have excelled at every step, previously.  Like integrity, excellence is a force multiplier par excellence.

Teamwork

One of the fundamental purposes of basic training, as we might remember from our Academy days, was to break down our notion of individuality, and instil us with a sense of teamwork. It may have sounded unreasonable having to take the blame for what others did, or carrying someone else's rifle along with one’s own, when he couldn’t press on during a field exercise.  However, we have a much better sense for the importance of teamwork now.

The fact of the matter is that the nature of what we do in the military is too complicated for us to succeed alone. This can be a hard concept in a society where individualism is often prized above all else, but we do not have to sacrifice our individuality to form a good team. We do, however, need to subordinate our sense of individuality to the greater goals of the team.

A team is composed of individuals, and it thrives on the talents and abilities they bring. Star players are always welcome on a team, so long as their contributions lift the team up, and not just themselves.

In a close-knit team, however, the adverse actions of an individual always reflect on, and hamper the performance of the group. Disciplinary problems are created by individuals, but they disproportionately afflict the team. 

Some people are not comfortable with the fact we must rely on others for our own success. Such characters do not belong in the military. The good part of learning to accept the importance of teamwork in our profession is that you share in successes which far exceed your individual ability to cause such effects.

Teamwork is much more efficient than individual endeavour. Working together and communicating means that military operations can be organized and properly coordinated. If everyone worked independently, there would be chaos.

More can be achieved as a team. Teamwork is synergy, or the synthesis of energies. In other words, it is the coming together of all participants for a common project goal. We only have to look at some social insects like ants and termites to see how their teamwork helps them in mega-projects that are beyond the individuals’ lifetime capacities. Quite obviously, teamwork also saves time, which is a reflection of economy of effort.

Working as a team means shared responsibility. Being in the military can be emotionally overwhelming at times, but working as a team means that you're not alone – you are surrounded by people who have experienced the same things as you have. This support and camaraderie is absolutely important in the military.

In a small service like the Pakistan Air Force, there is no room for individual, departmental or branch glory at the expense of collective accomplishment.  In every military service, there are branches organised to perform specialised tasks.  Personnel who undertake some of the more demanding or hazardous tasks, or those tasks that entail sophisticated expertise, have an understandable elitist air about them. The aviators of the air force, the tank-men of the army and the submariners of the navy are typical examples of those who consider themselves as the more important ones amongst their comrades.  Within limits of good sense and reason, this may not be a bad thing, but when it creates divisions within the services, it can have a diminishing effect from the overall effort put in by everyone. Such a schism, especially in a small service, is unacceptable.  As stated earlier, the nature of what we do in the military is too complicated for us to succeed alone.

A flier may think that he puts in more important work than anyone else, but remember that when all flying is over in the afternoon, the engineer gets to work supervising the maintenance, which can go on well into the night.  No aircraft can be declared airworthy for the next day till the engineer is satisfied, no matter how many extra man-hours it takes to support flying operations.

Similarly the air defenders and air traffic controllers are on duty surveilling the airspace, and controlling air traffic day and night, slugging it out in the field, and not infrequently, from remote locations. One can hardly think of other branches that rough it out more to support air operations.

Just as sporting teams, no player can claim to be more important than the others. Try playing without a goal-keeper or a full-back and you are sure to end up as a loser. It would, thus, be so much better to keep the overall mission of the air force in focus, and work together much like a sporting team – TEAM PAKISTAN AIR FORCE.  With such a team, the air force can punch much larger than its size, which is exactly what the prevalent circumstances demand.

Linkages with Other Values

It may have been noticed that each of the three values discussed has linkages with others, so omitting some of them does not really mean that the PAF has disregarded them completely. Honour and moral courage, for instance, are linked to integrity because a person cannot have integrity if he is disgraceful or cowardly.  Discipline and commitment have a direct connection with excellence, because a person who is not orderly in his methods, and who has no commitment to his organisation, can never excel.  Similarly, teamwork is possible only if the participants comprise the ingredients of respect and selflessness. These linkages help us narrow down the choice of core values that are straightforward, easy to comprehend and unproblematic from the point of view of their implementation.

Core Values as Leadership Tools

In sum, core values alongside the linked values are the common bond that surpass our ethnic, sectarian and provincial associations, and unify the Pakistan Air Force. These values help us identify with those who served the country with devotion and dedication. These values help us withstand the moral erosion that we witness around us, and help us get back to an environment of ethical commitment.

Most importantly, core values are an excellent guideline for leaders as well as commanders to emulate. It must be stressed that you do not have to wait to be a commander to be able to implement the core values. You can be a leader by following the core values and turning yourself into a role model, no matter what your rank. Leadership from below is as important as leadership from above in implementing the core values.

Conclusion

The core values that have been described are not the only way to look at them.  There are other philosophical interpretations of the core values, and it would also be instructive to examine them from perspectives offered by law, history, behavioural sciences, management theory, political science, religion, and so on. An analysis driven by the structure and the purpose of ethics and morality can be particularly useful for explaining the immense power of the core values. This discourse was just a first step and needs to be studied in greater depth.

Core values must be a major topic of education and training, not just at the Academies, but later on, at all centres of higher learning, as a continuum. Core values need to be taught at an early stage, and continuously reinforced throughout later service.  In addition, each one of us needs to take responsibility of engaging the sub-ordinates in discussions about what role these values play in Pakistan Air Force. While a ‘zero-defect’ air force may be the theoretical goal, a practical approach should focus on improving the ethical environment, no matter that we may not achieve it completely. It might seem too far-fetched that with the three core-values, the Pakistan Air Force will somehow encompass all dimensions of morality. However, the three simple words that have been spelt out are sufficient in themselves to make a change of magnitude that we can all be proud of. The three core values that Pakistan Air Force has chosen for itself can help it face challenges in view of factors like manpower, size, resource constraints, and technological sophistication. In essence it is all about men and women of the Pakistan Air Force, imbued with integrity, committed to excellence and sustained by teamwork. For a small, highly professional and technologically advanced air force, these core values can be a winning combination in the circumstances we find ourselves today.