List of National Defence Academy alumni
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The Indian National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint services academy of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three armed forces (the Army, the Navy and the Air Force) train together before beginning pre-commission training at their respective service academies (Indian Military Academy (IMA), Indian Naval Academy (INA), and Air Force Academy (AFA) for army, navy, and air force cadets respectively). Established in 1954 and located in vicinity of Khadakwasla Dam, near Pune, it is the world's first tri-service academy.[1][2]
NDA is not the only officer training academy in India. Besides NDA, which is tri-service academy, the Indian Army's IMA,[3] Officers Training Academy (OTA),[4][5] Army Cadet College (ACC), the Indian Navy's INA,[6] and the Air Force's AFA are the other officer training academies of India. Besides cadets from NDA, these academies accept cadets separately from several streams. Apart from these, the Indian Army has three establishments for technical stream which include College of Military Engineering (CME),[7] Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE),[8] and Military College of Electronics and Mechanical Engineering (MCEME).[9] Although cadets are imparted technical training at these three academies, they are commissioned through OTA, Gaya.[10] Excluding all these establishments, which are meant for combat arms, the Indian Army has other commissioning academies for support services such as the Medical Corps,[11] and the Judge Advocate General's Department for example.[12]
Similarly, the Aeronautical Engineers (Electronics) and Aeronautical Engineers (Mechanical) are trained at the Air Force Technical College at Jalahalli, Bengaluru; the Meteorological branch officer cadets get their training at Air Force Administrative College, Coimbatore.
NDA alumni have led and participated in every major conflict in which the Indian Armed Forces have been called into action since the academy was founded.[1] Alumni include three Param Vir Chakra recipients and twelve Ashoka Chakra recipients.[13][14] The NDA has produced 36 service chiefs of staff, including the incumbent chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force.[15]
Chiefs of staff
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As of May 2026[update], the academy has produced 3 Chiefs of Defence Staff, 15 Chiefs of the Army Staff (COAS), 14 Chiefs of the Naval Staff (CNS) and 11 Chiefs of the Air Staff (CAS). All incumbent service chiefs (Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan and Chief of the Air Staff ACM Amar Preet Singh) are NDA alumni.[15]
Chief of the Army Staff
Chief of the Naval Staff
| S.No | Name | Course Number | Notes[15] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas PVSM AVSM VrC VSM | 1 | 2004 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding[39] |
| 2 | Admiral Vijai Singh Shekhawat PVSM AVSM VrC | 7 | Former Vice Chairman of Outward Bound India;[40] Vivekananda International Foundation advisory board member[41] |
| 3 | Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat PVSM AVSM | 14 | [42] |
| 4 | Admiral Sushil Kumar PVSM UYSM AVSM NM | 16 | [43] |
| 5 | Admiral Madhvendra Singh PVSM AVSM | 20 | [30] |
| 6 | Admiral Arun Prakash PVSM AVSM VSM | 26 | [44] |
| 7 | Admiral Sureesh Mehta PVSM AVSM | 29 | Former High Commissioner to New Zealand.[45][46] |
| 8 | Admiral Nirmal Kumar Verma PVSM AVSM | 35 | 24th High Commissioner to Canada.[47][48] |
| 9 | Admiral Robin K. Dhowan PVSM AVSM YSM | 45 | [49] |
| 10 | Admiral Sunil Lanba PVSM AVSM | 51 | [50] |
| 11 | Admiral Karambir Singh PVSM AVSM | 56 | [51][52][53] |
| 12 | Admiral R. Hari Kumar PVSM AVSM VSM | 61 | |
| 13 | Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi PVSM AVSM NM | 66 | [54] |
| 14 | Admiral Krishna Swaminathan PVSM AVSM VSM | 70 | Current CNS.[55] |
Chief of the Air Staff
| S.No | Name | Course Number | Notes[15] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Air Chief Marshal Nirmal Chandra Suri PVSM AVSM VM | 1 | [56] |
| 2 | Air Chief Marshal S. K. Kaul PVSM MVC | 5 | [57] |
| 3 | Air Chief Marshal Satish Sareen PVSM AVSM VM | 12 | [58] |
| 4 | Air Chief Marshal Anil Yashwant Tipnis PVSM AVSM VM | 15 | [59] |
| 5 | Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik PVSM VSM | 33 | [60] |
| 6 | Air Chief Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne PVSM VM | 39 | Ambassador to Norway[61][62] |
| 7 | Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha PVSM AVSM VM | 44 | [63][15] |
| 8 | Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM | 52 | [64] |
| 9 | Air Chief Marshal R. K. S. Bhadauria PVSM AVSM VM | 56 | Former CAS[65] |
| 10 | Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari PVSM AVSM VM | 61 | [66] |
| 11 | Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh PVSM AVSM | 65 | Current CAS. |
Gallantry award recipients
Wartime
As of September 2023[update], 3 Param Vir Chakras, 32 Maha Vir Chakras and 163 Vir Chakras have been awarded to NDA officers.[67]
Param Vir Chakra
Three officers from NDA have posthumously received the Param Vir Chakra, India's highest wartime gallantry award. All three were from the Army.[13]
| S.No | Name | Course Number | Unit | Year[68] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Captain Gurbachan Singh Salaria | 9 | 3/1 Gorkha Rifles | 1961[69] |
| 2 | Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal | 38 | 17 Poona Horse | 1971[70] |
| 3 | Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey | 90 | 1/11 Gorkha Rifles | 1999[71] |
Maha Vir Chakra
32 NDA officers have received the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second-highest wartime gallantry award: two from the Air Force, one from the Navy and the remainder from the Army. Ten received the award posthumously. Air Force squadron leader Padmanabha Gautam is the only NDA officer to receive the award twice, in 1965 and 1971 (posthumously).[72]
Vir Chakra
163 NDA alumni have been awarded the Vir Chakra, India's third-highest wartime award. Of these, 96 are from the Army, 13 from the Navy and 54 from the Air Force. Notable recipients include Admirals Laxminarayan Ramdas, Vijai Singh Shekhawat, Arun Prakash, Lieutenant General Yogesh Kumar Joshi and Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.[103]
Peacetime
As of September 2023[update], 12 Ashok Chakras,[14] 45 Kirti Chakras,[104] and 152 Shaurya Chakras,[105] have been awarded to NDA officers.[67]
Ashoka Chakra
Twelve NDA officers have received the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award. Of them, one is from the Air Force and the remainder are from the Army. Eleven officers received the award posthumously.[67] Wing commander Rakesh Sharma of the Air Force is the only living NDA Air Force officer to receive the award.[106][107]
Kirti Chakra
Forty five NDA alumni have received the Kirti Chakra, India's second-highest peacetime gallantry award. Notable recipients include Colonel Neelakantan Jayachandran Nair, who is also an Ashok Chakra recipient and Lieutenant colonel Nectar Sanjenbam who is also a Shaurya Chakra recipient.[110][127]
Shaurya Chakra
A total of 152 NDA alumni have received the Shaurya Chakra, India's third-highest peacetime gallantry award. Notable recipients include Major Rajiv Kumar Joon, who is also an Ashok Chakra recipient.[128]
Padma Awards
The Padma Awards - Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri - are among the highest civilian honours in India.
Padma Vibhushan
General Bipin Rawat (53rd course) served as the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces from January 2020 until his death in a helicopter crash in December 2021. Prior to taking over as the CDS, he served as the 57th Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee (Chairman COSC) of the Indian Armed Forces as well as 27th Chief of the Army Staff. He was posthumously honoured with the Padma Vibhushan in 2022.
Padma Bhushan
Commodore Arogyaswami Paulraj (25th course), an Emeritus Professor at Stanford University, is noted for pioneering MIMO (Multiple Input, Multiple Output) wireless technology. This transformative innovation is the cornerstone of today's universal 4G/5G mobile and WiFi networks and has earned him numerous global awards.
Commissioned in 1965, he retired pre-maturely from the Indian Navy in 1991 before emigrating to the US. During his Naval service, he led the development of APSOH, the world's leading shallow-water anti-submarine sonar system, contributing significantly to the country's self-reliance. Paulraj also founded three national laboratories for the Indian government: the Center for AI and Robotics, the Center for Development of Advanced Computing, and the Central Research Labs (BEL). He received the Padma Bhushan in 2010 for his contributions to defense technology in India.
Padma Shri
Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (77th course) won the Silver medal in men's double trap at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was awarded the Arjuna Award, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Padma Shri. He also won 3 gold medals and 1 silver medal in the Commonwealth Games[c] and 1 silver and 1 bronze medal in the Asian Games.[d]
He joined politics and was elected as the Member of Parliament from Jaipur, Rajasthan and served as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Information & Broadcasting, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports the Government of India.[129][130][131][132][133][134][135]
Others
| No. | Name | Military awards | Course number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Major General Ian Cardozo AVSM SM | AVSM, SM | 12 | First NDA cadet to receive both gold and silver medals; First war-disabled officer of the Indian Army to command a battalion and a brigade.[136] |
