Pune: Tri-services’ chiefs review training & infra at NDA

PUNE: The chiefs of the Army, Navy and Air Force reviewed the training of cadets and related infrastructure at National Defence Academy (NDA) in Khadakwasla on Friday and Saturday.
The three current service chiefs are batchmates of the 56th NDA course.

“The last time all three service chiefs were batchmates was in 1991, in the first NDA course (erstwhile Joint Services Wing) course,” said NDA authorities.
Admiral Karambir Singh took over as Chief of the Naval Staff on May 31, 2019; Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria took over as Chief of the Air Staff on September 30, 2019; and General M M Naravane was appointed Chief of the Army Staff on December 31, 2019.
Speaking on behalf of the three chiefs, Admiral Karambir Singh dwelled upon the emerging trends of modern warfare. He also exhorted cadets to imbibe the basic tenets of modern military leadership.
The visit of the three chiefs of staff is significant in view of the Supreme Court’s interim order allowing women to appear for the NDA entrance examination. “Various issues pertaining to training and infrastructure, including future plans and challenges, were discussed at length during the meeting,” said a senior NDA officer.
The chiefs paid homage at the ‘Hut of Remembrance’, which commemorates NDA officers who were killed in the line of duty.
The three service chiefs also visited their parent squadrons — ‘Hunter’ (Admiral Karambir Singh) and ‘Lima’ (Gen Naravane and Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria ) — and interacted with the cadets of the respective squadrons. An interaction with the faculty and staff of NDA was also organised towards the end of their visit.
NDA authorities said the visit of three chiefs to their alma mater together reaffirms the spirit of jointmanship, which the tri-service training institution stands for.
“Their visit to the academy has provided inspiration and a sense of pride to all the cadets and would further catalyse them to strive for excellence in their military careers and reinforce the ‘spirit of camaraderie’ and ‘jointmanship’ amongst the three services,” added NDA authorities.