If you type the world nda into the Google search engine it's
likely that the result you will have will be basically post about the India
national defence academy or the Nigeria defence academy. So here I will be
discussing on the similarities and differences between the both prestigious academies.
Firstly -The
National Defence
Academy(NDA ) is the
Joint Services academy of the IndianArmed Forces , where cadets of the
threeservices, the Army , the Navy and the AirForce train together before they
go on torespective service academies for furtherpre-commissioning training. The
NDA islocated at Khadakwasla near Pune,Maharashtra. It is the first
tri-serviceacademy in the world
Admission
Applicants to the NDA
are selected via a written exam conducted by the UPSC ,followed by extensive
interviews by the SSB covering general aptitude, psychological testing, team
skills as well as physical and social skills, along with medical tests.
Incoming classes are accepted twice a year for semesters
starting in July and January. About 4,50,000 applicants sit
for each written
exam. Typically, about 6,300 of these are
invited to interview. Only unmarried male candidates are
eligible for NDA &
NA Examination. The minimum age should be 16 and half years
and maximum age
should be 19 and half years. Applicants to join the Air Force
also go through a Pilot Aptitude Battery Test. About 320 cadets are accepted to
the academy each semester. About 70 cadets are accepted for the Air Force, 42
for the Navy and 208 for the Army.Cadets who are accepted and successfully complete
the program are sent to their respective training academies for one year of
training before granting of commission: army cadets go to IndianMilitary Academy(IMA)
at Dehradun, AirForce cadets to Air Force Academy(AFA)at Dundigal, Hyderabad,
and naval cadetsto Indian Naval Academy(INA), Ezhimala, Kerala. A cadet can
only decline a commission in case of a serious permanent medical condition
caused during the program. Curriculum
Academics
The NDA offers only a full-time, residential undergraduate
programme. Cadets are awarded a Baccalaureate degree (a Bachelor of Arts or a
Bachelor of Science after 3 years of study. Apart from academic training they
are also trained in outdoor
skills, like Drill, PT and games; apart from one of the
foreign languages up to the lower B1 level (according to the international
standards). The emphasis in NDA is on character building, esprit-de-corps,
mental and physical robustness, leadership and a sense of keen observation.
Life in NDA is all about learning discipline and adhering self improvement. NDA
has an excellent infrastructure for all-round training of cadets. A cadet must
undergo training fora total of six terms before graduating from the NDA.
Squadrons and
Battalions
On reporting to the Academy, a cadet is allotted to one of
the 18 Squadrons, which becomes his home-away-from-home for the next three
years. The Squadrons are named as Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo,
Foxtrot, Golf, Hunter, India, Juliet,
Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar,
Panther, Quebec and
Romeo. No. 1, No. 2,
No. 3 and No. 4 Battalions have four
Squadrons each while No. 5 has 2 squadrons.Each squadron has
approximately 100 to 120
cadets drawn from senior as well as junior courses under
training in the Academy.
A Squadron comprising a healthy and wide-ranging mixture of
cadets from diverse
backgrounds and varying abilities is a veritable melting pot,
where the bonds of
camaraderie are forged. The Squadron spirit is inculcated and
nurtured throughout the cadet's stay. The prestigious Inter Squadron
Championship
Trophy awarded to the best Squadron epitomises the pinnacle
of teamwork and
team spirit. Each Squadron has its own nickname, an
individual identity with a
richly textured history and mascot. Squadrons include.
'A' –"Madras"&"Andhra Pradesh";
'B' –"Madhya
Pradesh";
'C' – "Maharashtra";
'D' –"Bihar";
'E' – "Uttar
Pradesh";
'F'
–"Orissa";
'G' – "Gujarat";
'H'
–"Karnataka";
'I' –
"Punjab";
'J' – "West Bengal";
'K' –
"Assam";
'L' –
"Bombay"
Then the Nigeria
defence academy (NDA) is located at Kaduna is the only Military University in Nigeria. Duration of training in the
academy is 5 years, which include 4 years of academic studies and 1 year of
military training. The NDA is viewed as one of the best military academy in
West Africa and the African continent. Nigeria defence academy: The NDA was
established in January 1964
As a reformation of the British run Royal Military Forces
Training College (RMFTC), which had been renamed the Nigerian Military Training
College (NMTC) on independence. The military institution trains the officer
corps of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force. The initial class was only 62
cadets, and trainers were mostly officers in the Indian Army due to the fact
that India and Nigeria share the same anti-colonial policy before they both
became independent. Brigadier M.R. Varma 1964–1969 (Indian National and 1st
Commandant of the Nigeria defence academy. The Nigerian government lacks a
military university experience so they decided to implore the Indians to send
instructors for them. In fact in those days Nigeria defence academy best cadets
were offered opportunities to further their academics and training at National
defence academy India, West point academy and U.S War College.
Admission
The Applicants to the NDA are selected via a
Written exam conducted by the Nigeria defence academy
entrance exam, which is done after the candidates have written their Jamb exam
and met the requirements for their aspiring faculty. Followed by extensive
interviews by the
Armed forces selection board covering credentials screening,
general aptitude,
Psychological testing, team skills as well as physical and
social skills, along with
Medical tests which is a critical factor. Only 50 candidates
per state though F.C.T is number is not static
are invited for the afsb interview which last probably 21 days and those
successful at the interview will be offered an admission. However admission is
highly competitive and its likely promising candidates get screened out just to
reduce number for the final admission list.
Therefore all n.d.a cadets are surely the best a particular
state have ever produced.
Academics and Training
The NDA offers only a full-time, residential undergraduate
programme. Cadets are awarded a Bachelor degree after 5 years of study the
academy now also currently offers post graduate studies both for Msc andPh.D
for both military and civilian
Students alike. The central mission remains the five year
cadet officer training “Regular Combatant Course", although from 2002, a
four-year military programme is also offered. As of 2008, its total cadet class
is around 1500.the years the cadets use in the academy is more than that of
their India contemporaries so giving them more experience. The academics is
like a normal civilian university but it's spiced with military routines and
the final year is rigorous military training that might make Cadets give up.
Battalion/camps
There are four camps in the academy which included Abyssinia,
Dalet, Burma, Mogadishu. Cadets must belong to one of the four camps on reporting to the academy and each camp is
administration is placed under a Nigeria Defence Academy Officer that see to
the activities of the cadets under it jurisdiction
The battalion at NDA comprising a healthy and wide-ranging
mixture of cadets from different states in Nigeria backgrounds and varying
abilities is a veritable melting pot, where the bonds of camaraderie are
forged. The Squadron spirit is inculcated and nurtured throughout the cadet's
stay. Each battalion has its own nickname,
an individual identity with a richly textured history and mascot. Cadet learns
the importance of putting his house interest above his own interest.
In conclusion the two academies still do things in common
today as the academies boards do send invitation to each other to attend
important ceremonies or special training till today. So depending on the county
you belong to here once you type NDA in Google search engine what you will get
will be India National defence academy and Nigeria defence academy. However
there are many other countries whose military academy bears N.D.A too in
abbreviation. Nigeria and India remain the most prestigious.
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