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An alarming vacuum in the officer cadre demanded
the immediate implementation of the report. So,
it was referred to the Chiefs of Staff Committee,
whose suggestion for the formation of an Interim
Joint Inter Services Wing at the Indian Military
Academy, Dehradun, was accepted.
An action plan to commission a permanent
war academy at Khadakwasla near Pune also
began simultaneously and on 06 October, 1949,
Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laid the
foundation stone.
On 01 January, 1949, the Indian Military
Academy was rechristened as the Armed Forces
Academy, comprising the military wing and
the newly-commissioned Joint Services Wing
(JSW). On 01 January, 1950, ahead of India
becoming a Republic, it was renamed the
National Defence Academy.
FACING PAGE Clockwise FROM
TOP: Ceremonial parade during the formal
inauguration of the Armed Forces Academy
at Clement Town; Sardar Patel enjoys tea at
Clement Town; Sardar Patel meets members
of the Chiefs of Staff Committee; Patel
reviews the ceremonial parade
TOP: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru laying the
foundation stone at Khadakwasla
The NDA was a pioneering concept, far ahead of
its time. The cadets underwent two years of initial
training at the JSW after which the Army cadets
went on to the Military Wing for a further twoyear
pre-commission training while the Naval
and Air Force cadets were sent to Dartmouth and
Cranwell in the United Kingdom.
right: First NDA Principal J T M
Gibson’s impression of the JSW
24 national defence academy Cradle of leadership 25