National Defence Academy (India)


The National Defence Academy is the joint defence academy of the Indian Armed Forces. Here, cadets of the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force train together before they go on to their respective service academies for further pre-commission training. The NDA is located in Khadakwasla, Pune, Maharashtra. It is the first tri-service academy in the world.
The alumni of NDA include 3 Param Vir Chakra recipients and 11 Ashoka Chakra recipients. NDA has also produced 32 service chiefs of staff to date. When Lieutenant General Manoj Mukund Naravane got promoted to the Chief of Staff of the Army in 2019, chiefs of all staffs, i.e. the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force were all NDA alumni from the same 61st course. The 145th course graduated on 30 November 2023, consisting of 188 Army cadets, 38 Naval cadets, 37 Air Force cadets, and 20 cadets from friendly foreign countries. The Supreme Court of India passed an order in August 2021 that allowed female candidates to appear for the all upcoming NDA entrance examination.

History

At the end of World War II, Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck, then Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, drawing on experiences of the army during the war, led a committee around the world and submitted a report to the Government of India in December 1946. The committee recommended the establishment of a Joint Services Military Academy, with training modeled on the United States Military Academy at West Point.
After the independence of India in August 1947, the Chiefs of Staff Committee immediately implemented the recommendations of the Auchinleck report. The committee initiated an action plan in late 1947 to commission a permanent defense academy and began the search for a suitable site. It also decided to set up an interim training academy, known as the Joint Services Wing, which was commissioned on 1 January 1949 at the Armed Forces Academy in Dehradun. Initially, after two years of training at the JSW, Army cadets went on to the Military wing of the Armed Forces Academy for two years of further pre-commission training, while the Navy and Air Force cadets were sent to Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth and Royal Air Force College Cranwell in the United Kingdom for further training.
In 1941, Lord Linlithgow, the then Viceroy of India, received a gift of £100,000 from a grateful Sudanese Government towards building a war memorial in recognition of the sacrifices of Indian troops in the liberation of Sudan in the East African campaign during World War II. Following partition, India's share amounted to £70,000. The Indian Army decided to use these funds to partly cover the cost of construction of the NDA. The foundation stone for the academy was laid by then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru on 6 October 1949. Construction started in October 1949. The revised estimated cost for the whole project was Rs 6.45 crores. The National Defence Academy was formally commissioned on 7 December 1954, with an inauguration ceremony held on 16 January 1955. The 10th JSW program was transferred from Clement Town, Dehradun, to NDA Khadakwasla. It is the first tri-service academy in the world.

Campus

The NDA campus is located about 17  km southwest of Pune city, northwest of Khadakwasla Lake, with the Sinhagad Fort providing a panoramic backdrop. It spans of the donated by the Government of former Bombay State. While many states had offered land for a permanent place for the academy, Bombay got the honor of donating the most land, including a lake and neighboring hilly terrain. The site was also chosen for its proximity to the Arabian Sea and other military establishments, an operational air base nearby at Lohagaon, as well as the salubrious climate. The existence of an old combined-forces training center and a disused mock landing ship, HMS Angostura, on the north bank of the Khadakwasla Lake, which had been used to train troops for amphibious landings, lent additional leverage for the selection of the site.
The administrative headquarters of the NDA was named the Sudan Block, in honor of the sacrifices of Indian soldiers in the Sudan theatre during the East African campaign. It was inaugurated by the then Ambassador of Sudan to India, Rahmatullah Abdulla, on 30 May 1959. The building is a three-story basalt and granite structure constructed with Jodhpur red sandstone. Its architecture features an exterior design comprising a blend of arches, pillars, and verandahs, topped by a dome. The foyer has white Italian marble flooring and paneling on the interior walls.
NDA has an excellent infrastructure for the all-round training of cadets and a vast array of facilities like spacious and well-maintained classrooms, well-equipped labs, three Olympic-sized swimming pools, gymnasiums, 32 football fields, two polo grounds, a cricket stadium, and several squash and tennis courts. The academic year is divided into two terms, viz. Spring and Autumn. A cadet must undergo training for a total of six terms before graduating from the NDA.

Administration

Commandants

The Commandant of the National Defence Academy is the head and in overall charge of the academy. The Commandant is a three-star rank officer from the three Services in rotation. Major General Thakur Mahadeo Singh, DSO was the first commandant of JSW at IMA. Major General Enaith Habibullah was the last head of the JSW and the First Commandant of NDA at Pune.

Selection procedure of Cadets

NDA applicants are selected via a written exam conducted twice in a year by the UPSC, followed by extensive interviews hosted by the Services Selection Board covering general aptitude, psychological testing, team skills, leadership qualities as well as physical and social skills, along with medical tests. Incoming classes are accepted twice a year for semesters starting in July and January. About 4,00,000 applicants sit for each written exam every year. Typically, about 6,300 of these are invited to interview, and finally, 300-350 are selected to attend the course. The minimum age should be years and maximum age should be years. The number of students who were admitted to the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy during 1953-54 was 572. The total number of applications received in UPSC was 6,061.
Applicants who join the Air Force through the flying branch also go through a test called the Computerized Pilot Selection System, or CPSS for short. Cadets who are accepted and complete the program are sent to their respective training academies for at least one year of training before granting of commission: army cadets go to Indian Military Academy at Dehradun, air force cadets to Air Force Academy at Dundigal, Hyderabad, and naval cadets to Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala.

Battalions and Squadrons

A cadet is allotted to one of the 18 Squadrons.
  • No. 1 Battalion: Alpha Squadron, Bravo Squadron, Charlie Squadron, and Delta Squadron.
  • No. 2 Battalion: Echo Squadron, Foxtrot Squadron, Golf Squadron, and Hunter Squadron.
  • No. 3 Battalion: India Squadron, Juliet Squadron, Kilo Squadron, and Lima Squadron.
  • No. 4 Battalion: Mike Squadron, November Squadron, Oscar Squadron, and Panther Squadron.
  • No 5 Battalion: Quebec Squadron, Romeo Squadron
Each squadron has approximately 100 to 120 cadets drawn from junior and senior courses under training in the academy. As the number of cadets joining the NDA increased annually, the Defence Ministry of India sanctioned the raising of 16th, 17th, and 18th squadrons in 2012, with the initial letter of their names being "P", "Q" and "R" respectively.
The prestigious Inter Squadron Championship Trophy is awarded to the best squadron. The champion squadron has the proud tradition of possession of the Champion banner for one term, which is carried during the parade and other sports meets. Each squadron has its nickname, an individual identity with a richly textured history, and a mascot. The rudimentary import of the NDA's motto "Service before Self" is first taught in the environs of the squadron, where a cadet learns the importance of putting the squadron's requirements well above his own.

Academy honour code

The cadets in the NDA live by a strict honor code that guides them through their rigorous training schedule. They are trained to live a disciplined life.

Academy prayer

The NDA Prayer is a religion agnostic. Rather than praying to the God of any specific religion, the prayer has been modeled to seek blessings for performing duty to the country and remaining morally straight. The prayer also seeks blessings for granting opportunities of service to the country and the men the cadets would go on to lead, and overall to place 'service before self'.

Curriculum

Academics

Source:
The NDA offers only a full-time, residential undergraduate program. Cadets are awarded a Baccalaureate degree stream offers studies in history, economics, political science, geography and languages.
In both streams, academic studies are split into three categories.
Cadets spend the first four semesters on the Compulsory Course and the Foundation Course. They take the Optional Course during the fifth and sixth semesters. They may transfer to other Service academies for the optional courses.