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splitting it into two wings-the "Inter-Services Wing" (later known as the Joint Services Wing) and the "Military Wing".

- Rahul Singh

MILITARY CRADLE 

Eventually, the joint training for all three services began in the Inter-Services Wing in January 1949, working out of Dehradun for exactly six years, before moving to the current NDA in Khadakwasla, near Pune, on the same day in 1955.

To be sure, though NDA operated out of Dehradun for six years and has been based out of the Khadakwasla complex for 69 years, the army is considering January 16, 1949 as the institution's foundation day.

Congratulating the academy's staff and alumni, Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, commandant, NDA, said, "The illustrious National Defence Academy has completed its 75 glorious years of service to the nation on January 16, 2024. I convey my heartfelt wishes to the staff and alumni of the prestigious institute on this historic moment. To commemorate the milestone, a series of activities in the arena of sports, adventure, academia and ceremonial domains have been conducted over the last one year."

In its seven-and-half decades, NDA has churned out over 42,000 officers for the Indian armed forces and about 1,000 officers for friendly foreign countries.

Its alumni have been conferred with the nation's highest gallantry awards, both during peace and wartime. NDA also holds the distinction of having trained the chiefs of three services respectively from the same batch three times1991, 2020, and 2023.

Indeed, all of India's three incumbent service chiefs - General Manoj Pande, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari and Admiral Hari Kumar - walked out of NDA's distinguished corridors. The nation's first Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, who died in a helicopter crash on December 8, 2021, was also an alumnus of NDA. In all, NDA has given India 40 service chiefs 14 of the Indian Army, and 13 each of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.