Page 7 - Lesson 3.xps

Need of Military Studies Today Module - I

Military Studies
They were conceived by V. K. Krishna Menon, the then Defence Minister of India, to
rectify the regional and class imbalance amongst the Officer cadre of the Indian Military,
and to prepare students for entry into the National Defence Academy (NDA),
Khadakwasla, Pune and Indian Naval Academy. Today there are 26 such schools
covering all the states of the country.

3.3.2 National Cadet Corps (NCC) Note

Further, at the school and colleges, the system of NCC was established. The NCC in
India was formed with the National Cadet Corps Act of 1948. It was raised on 15
July 1948. It is a Tri-Services organization, comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force,
engaged in grooming the youth of the country into disciplined and patriotic citizens.

The National Cadet Corps in India is a voluntary organization, which recruits cadets
from high schools, colleges and universities all over India. The Cadets are given basic
military training in small arms and parades.
The officers and cadets have no liability for active military service once they complete
their course but are given preference over normal candidates during selections based
on the achievements in the corps. You would be surprised to know that, during the
Indo-Pakistani war of 1965 & 1971, NCC cadets were responsible for the second
line of defence. They organized camps to assist ordnance factories, supplying arms
and ammunition to the front and were also used as patrol parties to capture enemy
paratroopers.

The NCC cadets also worked hand in hand with the Civil defence authorities and
actively took part in rescue works and traffic control. The NCC has a lady's wing,
which gives equal opportunity to women to take part in all activities of the NCC.

3.3.3 Specialised Academies

As you have seen the transformation of the modern army with an airforce and naval
component and superior weapons, the training also became specialised. Each wing of
the armed forces had a set of academies to train their personnel.

(a) Soldier Training - Army has regimental centres where the recruits and soldiers
of a regiment are trained. In addition, training academies train personnel in
specialised aspects of the respective corps/branch of the army. Unlike the army
regimental centres, the Navy and the Air Force have various academies for
training their personnel in each of its branch.

(b) Officer Training - Officers of each of the three services undergo basic training
after school at The National Defence Academy, Khadakwasala, Pune. Those
who graduate from civil colleges are also trained at the Indian Military Academy

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MILITARY STUDIES 23