National Defence Academy cadets embrace spirit of jointness, will be catalyst for reforms: CDS
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan, while addressing the cadets of the 144th course at the National Defence Academy (NDA), emphasised the importance of jointness and its role in expediting reforms for tri-services integration and the establishment of theaterised commands. General Chauhan reviewed the passing out parade of the 144th course held at the Khetrapal Ground in Pune’s Khadakwasla. The course, which commenced in June 2020, witnessed the ceremonial parade of 356 cadets after completing three years of rigorous military training.
The parade included 1175 cadets, with 356 passing out cadets who will now undergo one more year of pre-commissioning training at their respective Armed Forces academies—the Indian Naval Academy in Ezhimala, the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, and the Air Force Academy in Dundigal. The passing out cadets comprised 214 Army cadets, 36 Naval cadets, and 106 Air Force cadets, including 19 cadets from friendly foreign countries–Bhutan, Tajikistan, Maldives, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Bangladesh. They will join their respective Pre-Commissioning Training Academies.
Speaking to the passing out cadets, General Chauhan stated, “Armed forces of India are on the path of a major transformation. Jointness, integration, and creation of theaterised commands are on the anvil. The spirit of jointness, imbibed by you at the NDA, I am sure will act as a catalyst to speed up these reforms. I want you to further the spirit of jointness as you grow in your respective services.”
During a media interaction, General Chauhan addressed the topic of theaterisation and highlighted the significance of jointness and integration as stepping stones toward establishing theater commands.
“While the end state of this process of creation of theatre commands, it begins with jointness. The jointness is in the cognitive domain and is a spirit that created a bonhomie among the forces to work together. Integration is a physical process where we integrate things like communication, operational planning or say HR issues. Now for the first time we will have officers from one service getting posted to the other, this is all part of the integration. So jointness will lead to integration and integration is a stepping stone towards theatre commands. Where we have reached, is not for me to say. It is for the government of India to tell you whenever we are ready. But we are right on the track for it,” he said.
The Department of Military Affairs, led by the CDS, focuses on promoting jointness in procurement, training, and staffing for the services, facilitating military command restructuring, and encouraging the use of indigenous equipment. The passing out parade also recognized the achievements of the cadets, with Battalion Cadet Captain Afrid Afroz, Academy Cadet Captain Anshu Kumar, and Battalion Cadet Adjutant Praveen Singh receiving top honors. Romeo Squadron bagged the prestigious ‘Chiefs of Staff Banner’.
Increase in number of women Naval cadets proposed
General Chauhan acknowledged the participation of women cadets in various roles during the parade and commended their dedication to defending national interests. “I also noticed a few women cadets as part of the parade. I congratulate them for breaking into this male bastion. I am glad you have chosen to shoulder equal responsibilities as your male brothers to defend national interests,” he said.
In June last year, the NDA admitted its first batch of girl cadets with a strength of 19 — 10 for Army, six for Air Force, and three for the Navy. This batch, part of the 148th course, is slated to pass out from the academy in May 2025. The second batch also has the same strength. When asked about increasing the number of women cadets, the CDS said, “The Navy wants to increase the capacity from three to 12. So you will see a larger participation of women cadets. It depends on the requirements of the forces.”
