These included 14 cadets from friendly foreign countries including Bhutan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Papua New Guinea, Kyrgyztan and Tonga. These included 14 cadets from friendly foreign countries including Bhutan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Papua New Guinea, Kyrgyztan and Tonga.

MARCHING TO the tune of Auld Lang Syne in the background and with Sukhoi-30MKI fighters thundering overhead in a formation, 312 cadets of the 130th course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) passed out after three years of rigorous training on Tuesday. All the three medal winners are from the Army stream. The passing out cadets included 211 from the Army, 36 from the Navy and 65 from the Air Force. These included 14 cadets from friendly foreign countries including Bhutan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Papua New Guinea, Kyrgyztan and Tonga.

General Officer Comman-ding-in-Chief of the Southern Command Lt Gen Bipin Rawat was the reviewing officer for the parade, which was held at the Khetrapal Ground of NDA, located in Khadakwasla near Pune with a background view of the picturesque Sinhagad valley.

Lt Gen Rawat was received by the NDA Commandant, Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar. Air Marshal Ajit Bhosale and NDA Deputy Commandant Air Vice Marshal Sandesh Wagle were also present on the occasion.

In his speech, Lt Gen Rawat said, “I must remind you that the armed forces of the world are technology-driven. Non-contact warfare is emerging as a force, which would complement hard power in a conventional war. This is an age of cyber and information warfare and I am happy to say that the Indian armed forces are preparing to meet this challenge.”

“Technology is a force multiplier and therefore, without a doubt, each one of us must be technology-savvy. This requires not only building our technological capabilities, but also training men to use them. Therefore, I urge you cadets never to be complacent about updating yourself with the latest in your services. I am glad that NDA is making rapid strides and cadets in future would have better orientation to technology. That indeed is a welcome step,” Lt Gen Rawat added.

“However, I must reiterate that we are not for producing ‘armchair warriors’, instead, each of us must be battle-worthy, by being physically fit and strong, capable of doing tasks that we expect our soldiers to do, whether it be on a tank, ship, fighter jet or on our feet,” Lt Gen Rawat further said.

Academy Cadet Captain Avinash Chhetry won the Presi-dent’s gold medal for coming first in the overall order of merit. Academy Cadet Adjutant Utkarsh Pandey won the silver medal for coming second in the overall order of merit and Battalion Cadet Captain Naman Bhatt won the bronze medal for standing third in the overall order of merit. The November (N) Squadron bagged the prestigious Chief of Staff Banner, which was ceremonially presented during the parade.

All the three medal winners belong to the Army stream, who said that the initial terms of the training were the most challenging and the bonds created among the cadets during these training days would last lifelong.

Speaking to media after the passing-out parade, NDA Commandant Vice Adm G Ashok Kumar, who will soon be taking over as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, said. “Coming back to the institution where one was trained is one of the biggest honour one can get. During my tenure here, efforts were made that cadets be more technologically aware and one of the steps in the direction was introduction of the BTech course.”

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