The National Defence Academy (NDA) is one of India’s iconic and prestigious institutions located in Khadakwasla, Pune, Maharashtra. Moreover, It is the first tri-services Academy in the world where cadets of all the three services, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force train together before they go on to respective service academy for further pre-commission training. The grace and grandeur of NDA are clear from the fact itself that till now, NDA has also produced 27 service Chiefs of Staff and, in addition to that, 3 Param Vir Chakra recipients and 12 Ashok Chakra recipients. Apart from the training, cadets are also set for studies where they pursue their graduation with BA(or)BSc or BCs (Computer Science) degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The roots of NDA lies back in history during the end of World War II when Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck, then Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, watched and experienced the performance of the army during the war, came up with a committee and submitted a report to the Government of India. The committee had emphatically underlined the need for ‘Jointness’ in modern warfare, as It was correctly believed that it is primarily the element of teamwork that provides the significant asymmetric edge in a conflict situation. Before the plans, In 1941, India also received £100,000 from the grateful Sudanese Government to build a war memorial to commemorate the Indian troops’ sacrifices in the Second World War, where The Indian Army decided to use these funds to cover the cost of construction of the NDA partly. Later the foundation stone of NDA was laid by then the prime minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, on 6 October 1949, and it got commissioned finally on 7 December 1954, with an inauguration ceremony held on 16 January 1955.

With a large number of Cadets joining NDA twice a year, it becomes a little hard to manage things. So, for a simplified version, there are 5 Battalions and 18 squadrons in theAcademy. On the reporting day, cadets are allotted to one of the 18 Squadrons, which then becomes their home for the next three years. Though, as such official names of battalions are not given, they are treated as Tiger, Dolphin, Eagle, Abhimanyu, and Hawks. Furthermore, these battalions contain 18 squadrons in them, which individually have their unique nickname, an individual identity with a richly textured history and mascot. Here are the various squadrons and the traditions they have :

No. 1 Battalion: (ABCD)

• Alpha Squadron (Cross-Country)
• Bravo Squadron (Banner)
• Charlie Squadron (Drill)
• Delta Squadron (Boxing)

No. 2 Battalion: (EFGH)

• Echo Squadron(Cross-Country)
• Foxtrot Squadron(Volleyball)
• Golf Squadron (Banner & Light out)
• Hunter Squadron (Boxing & Games)

No. 3 Battalion: (IJKL)

• India Squadron (Banner & Academics)
• Juliet Squadron (Basketball)
• Kilo Squadron (Announcements)
• Lima Squadron (Camps)

No. 4 Battalion: (MNOP)

• Mike Squadron (Games)
• November Squadron (Banner)
• Oscar Squadron (Games)
• Panther Squadron (Public Speaking)

No. 5 Battalion: (QR)

• Quebec Squadron (Games)
• Romeo Squadron (Academics)

 Here, each Squadron comprises approximately 100 to 120 cadets from a mixture of seniors and juniors under training in the Academy. These squadrons comprise a diverse mixture of cadets from various landmarks of India who come together to cherish the bond of mutual trust and brotherhood among them. There is also a prestigious Inter Squadron Championship Trophy, which is awarded to the best Squadron, and the one who wins it has the proud tradition of possession of the Champion banner for one term which is carried during the parade, and other sports meets. Though the cadets get divided by squadrons, their main motive lies in the NDA motto: “Service Before Self.”