List of National Defence Academy alumni

The Sudan Block of NDA

The Indian National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint services academy of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three armed forces (the Army, the Navy and the Air Force) train together before beginning pre-commission training at their respective service academies (Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), and Air Force Academy (AFA) for army, navy, and air force cadets respectively). Located in Khadakwasla, near Pune, it is the world's first tri-service academy.^[1][2]

NDA is not only the officer training academy in India. Besides NDA, which is tri-service academy, the Indian Army's IMA,^[3] Officers Training Academy (OTA),^[4][5] Army Cadet College (ACC), the Indian Navy's INA,^[6] and the Air Force's AFA^[7] are the other officer training academies of India. Besides cadets from NDA, these academies accept cadets separately from several streams. Apart from these, the Indian Army has three establishments for technical stream which include College of Military Engineering (CME),^[8] Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE),^[9] and Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME).^[10] Although cadets are imparted technical training at these three academies, they are commissioned through OTA, Gaya. Excluding all these establishments, which are meant for combat arms, the Indian Army has other commissioning academies for support services such as Medical Corps, Dental Corps, Postal Corps, Judge Advocate General's Department. Officers from these are employed in support of the officers from combat arms and are not placed in command of them.^[11]

Established in December 1954, with an average intake of 320 cadets twice a year, approximately 37,000 cadets have passed out of the academy as of June 2016.^[12] NDA alumni have led and participated in every major conflict in which the Indian Armed Forces have been called into action since the academy was founded.^[1] Alumni include three Param Vir Chakra recipients and eleven Ashoka Chakra recipients.^[13][14] The NDA has produced 28 service chiefs of staff, including the incumbent chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force.^[15]

Chiefs of staff

General Vijay Kumar Singh

General Dabir Singh

Admiral Arun Prakash

Admiral Robin Kumar Dhowan

Admiral Sunil Lanba

Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik

Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha

As of October 2016, the academy has produced eleven Chiefs of the Army Staff, ten Chiefs of the Naval Staff and seven Chiefs of the Air Staff. All incumbent service chiefs (COAS Gen Dalbir Singh, CNS Adm Sunil Lanba and CAS ACM Arup Raha) are NDA alumni.^[15]

Chiefs of the Army Staff

Chiefs of the Naval Staff

Chiefs of the Air Staff

Wartime award recipients

As of October 2016, three Param Vir Chakras, 31 Maha Vir Chakras and 160 Vir Chakras have been awarded to NDA officers.^[80]

Param Vir Chakra

Three officers from NDA have posthumously received the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest wartime gallantry award. All three were from the Army.^[13]

Maha Vir Chakra

Thirty-one NDA officers have received the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second-highest wartime gallantry award: two from the Air Force, one from the Navy and the remainder from the Army. Ten received the award posthumously.^[87] Air Force squadron leader Padmanabha Gautam is the only NDA officer to receive the award twice, in 1965 and 1971 (the latter posthumously).^[88][89]

Vir Chakra

One hundred sixty NDA alumni have been awarded the Vir Chakra, India's third-highest wartime award. Of these, 96 are from the Army, 13 from the Navy and 51 from the Air Force. Notable recipients include Admiral Laxmi Narayan Ramdas, Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat and Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat.^[152]

Peacetime award recipients

As of October 2016, 11 Ashok Chakras, 40 Kirti Chakras and 135 Shaurya Chakras have been awarded to NDA officers.^{[14][80][153][154]}

Ashok Chakra

Eleven NDA officers have received the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award. Of them, one is from the Air Force and the remainder are from the Army. Ten officers received the award posthumously.^[80] Wing commander Rakesh Sharma of the Air Force is the only living NDA Air Force officer to receive the award.^[155][156]

Kirti Chakra

Forty NDA alumni have received the Kirti Chakra, India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award. Of these, seven are from the Air Force and the remainder from the Army.^[153] Notable recipients include Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair (also an Ashok Chakra recipient).^[161]

Shaurya Chakra

A total of 135 NDA alumni have received the Shaurya Chakra, India's third-highest peacetime gallantry award. Eighty-nine are from the Army, 18 from the Navy and 28 from the Air Force.^[154] Notable recipients include Major Rajiv Kumar Joon (also an Ashok Chakra recipient).^[186]

Other notable alumni

Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

Notes

Footnotes

Citations

References

• Bahukhandi, O.P. (2004), Army oh Army, Northern Book Centre, ISBN 978-81-7211-146-5 
• Boria, Majumdar (2012), Olympics – The India Story, HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 978-93-5029-509-0 
• Chakravorty, B.C. (1995), Stories of Heroism, Allied Publishers, ISBN 978-81-7023-516-3 
• Dalvi, Vinay B. (2010), Role Model: A Key to Character Development (1st ed.), Pentagon Press, ISBN 978-81-8274-487-5 
• Gulati, Y. B. (1972), History of the Regiment of Artillery, Indian Army, Leo Cooper, ISBN 978-0-85052-118-4 
• Levy, Adrian (2015), The Siege: The Attack on the Taj, Penguin UK, ISBN 978-93-5118-400-3 
• Malik, Ved Prakash (2010), Kargil-From Surprise To Victory, HarperCollins Publishers, ISBN 978-93-5029-313-3 
• Murkot, Ramunny (1997), The Sky was the Limit, Northern Book Centre, ISBN 978-81-7211-084-0 
• Prakash, Arun (2007), From the Crow's Nest: A Compendium of Speeches and Writings on Maritime and Other Issues, Lancer Publishers, ISBN 978-0-9796174-0-9 
• Prasad, Shankar (2005), The Gallant Dogras: An Illustrated History of the Dogra Regiment, Lancer Publishers, ISBN 978-81-7062-268-0 
• Rai, Bandana (2009), Gorkhas: The Warrior Race, Kalpaz Publications, ISBN 978-81-7835-776-8 
• Rath, Saroj Kumar (2015), Fragile Frontiers: The Secret History of Mumbai Terror Attacks, Routledge, ISBN 978-1-317-56251-1 
• Reddy, Kittu (2007), Bravest of the Brave: Heroes of the Indian Army, Ocean Books, ISBN 978-81-87100-00-3 
• Sharma, Satinder (2007), Services Chiefs of India, Northern Book Centre, ISBN 978-81-7211-162-5  |access-date= requires |url= (help)
• Singh, Vijay Kumar (2005), Leadership in the Indian Army: Biographies of Twelve Soldiers, SAGE, ISBN 978-0-7619-3322-9 
• Verma, Khanna (2010), Ever Latest General Knowledge 2013, Upkar Prakashan, ISBN 978-81-7482-025-9 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to National Defence Academy alumni.

• Official website of NDA