NDA (National Defence Academy) India

 National Defence Academy (India)

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The National Defence Academy plays a key role in building up the officers of the Indian Armed Forces. The NDA is a joint services academy of the Indian Armed Forces. Here cadets of all the three services , the Army, the Air-force and the Navy are trained together before they go to their respective service academies for further pre-commissioned training. The NDA has a prestigious title of the first tri-service in the world.

 Academy Insignia and Motto

Academy Insignia

The present Academy insignia was selected in 1948. The background is maroon, which is an apt colour of heraldry but also a symbol of chivalry and sacrifice. The crest is composed of the symbols of the three Services superimposed on each other and mounted on top by the Ashoka Capitol. The anchor supports the sword and both support the eagle. In this combined form they are no longer four separate entities but fused into one whole representing jointmanship of the Armed Forces of India.

Academy Motto

     The scroll or motto is fashioned on a ribbon at the base of the insignia upon which the sword hilts and the bottom of the anchor stand. The motto has been inspired and extracted from the Bhagavat Gita:

Karmanevadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachina

(Your duty is action with no eye on the fruits it will bring)

     The ideal ('nishkam karma') was put in the scroll in its English translation as 'Service Before Self'. In the fifties it was decided to do away with an English motto and have a corresponding Sanskrit version, keeping in line with the Indian culture. So 'Service Before Self' was translated as 'Seva Parmo Dharm'.

Academy Campus

NDA Campus

 

The NDA campus is located about 17 km south-west of Pune city, north-west of Khadakwasla Lake. It spans 7,015 acres (28.39 km2) of the 8,022 acres (32.46 km2)  donated by the Government of the former Bombay State. The site was chosen for it's proximity to the Arabian Sea and other military establishments like an  operational air base nearby at Lohegaon. The site has an additional benifit of an  existence of an old combined-forces training centre 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.  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.  The building is a 3-storey basalt and granite structure constructed with Jodhpur red sandstone. 

 NDA has an excellent infrastructure for all-round training of cadets and a vast array of facilities like spacious and well-maintained classrooms, well-equipped labs, two Olympic size swimming pools, a gymnasium, 32 football fields, 2 polo grounds, a cricket stadium and a number of squash and tennis courts.  The academic year is divided into two terms, viz. Spring (Jan. to May) and Autumn (July to Dec.). A cadet must undergo training for a total of six terms before graduating from the NDA.

Administration 

commandant 

The Commandant of the National Defence Academy is the head and overall in-charge of the academy. The Commandant is a three-star rank officer from the three Services in rotation.  Major General E Habibullah was the last head of the JSW and the First Commandant of NDA at Pune.   Lieutenant General Asit Mistry, is the present commandant.

Admission Process

 Applicants to the NDA are selected via a written exam conducted by the UPSC in 1995, followed by extensive interviews by the Services Selection Board covering general aptitude, psychological testing, team skills as well as physical and social skills, along with medical tests. The minimum age should be 16 and half years and maximum age should be 19 and half years. 

 Applicants who join the Air Force through the flying branch also go through a test called Computerized Pilot Selection System or CPSS for short. About 370 cadets are accepted to the academy each semester. About 120 cadets are accepted for the Air Force, 42 for the Navy, 208 for the Army.

Cadets who are accepted and successfully complete the program are sent to their respective training academies for one year of training before granting of commission: army cadets go to Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun, air force cadets to Air Force Academy (AFA) at Dundigal, Hyderabad, and naval cadets to Indian Naval Academy (INA) at Ezhimala, Kerala.

Squadrons And Battalions 

 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 and Romeo Squadron.

Each squadron has approximately 100 to 120 cadets drawn from senior as well as junior courses under training in the Academy.  The prestigious Inter Squadron Championship Trophy is awarded to the best Squadron.

Curriculum 

Academics 

 NDA Academics

The NDA offers only a full-time, residential undergraduate programme. Cadets are awarded a Baccalaureate degree (a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science) after 3 years of study. Cadets have a choice of two streams of study. The Science stream offers studies in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science. The Humanities (Liberal Arts) stream offers studies in History, Economics, Political Science, Geography and Languages.

In both streams, academic studies are split into three categories.

• In the Compulsory Course, cadets study English, Foreign Languages (Arabic, Chinese, French or Russian), Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Computer Science, History, Political Science, Economics and Geography. Note that all cadets must take basic classes in all these subjects except Foreign Languages. Cadets then take advanced classes depending on their chosen stream.
• The Foundation Course is mandatory and comprises Military Studies and General Studies. Subjects such as Military History, Military Geography, Weapons systems and Armaments, etc. are covered in Military Studies. Subjects such as Geopolitics, Human Rights, Laws of Armed Conflict and Environmental Sciences are covered in General Studies.
• The Optional Course focuses on subjects specific to the cadet's chosen Service.

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. 

Training

 

NDA Training

All the cadets joining the NDA after their 10+2 Examination are trained in the Academy for three years culminating in graduation with BA(or)BSc or BCs (Computer Science) degree of Jawaharlal Nehru University; the first course to be awarded degrees was the 46th course in 1974.  Apart from academic training they are also trained in outdoor skills, like Drill, PT and games; apart from one of the foreign languages up to the lower B1 level (according to the international standards). The emphasis in NDA is on character building, esprit-de-corps, mental and physical robustness, leadership and a sense of keen observation. Life in NDA is all about learning discipline and adhering self improvement.

Passing Out Parade is a farewell given to the passed out cadets after which they can leave for their respective service academies.

Alumni

Alumni of the academy have led and fought in every major conflict in which India has participated since the academy was established. They have an illustrious record of numerous gallantry awards and achieving

•  3 Param Vir Chakras,
•  31 Maha Vir Chakras, 
• 160 Vir Chakra, 
• 11 Ashok Chakras,
•  40 Kirti Chakras  
• 135 Shaurya Chakras. 
•  11 Chiefs of Army Staff, 
• 10 Chiefs of Naval Staff  
•  4 Chiefs of Air Staff of the Indian Armed Forces have been NDA alumni.