First batch of NDA-trained women cadets commissioned as officers
India commissioned its first-ever batch of women cadets trained at the National Defence Academy (NDA) as officers across all three armed forces, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. The pioneering group of 17 women had joined the NDA in August 2022 as part of the 148th Course — the first intake admitted after the 2021 Supreme Court order opening the academy to women — and completed their pre-commission training at the respective service academies. Nine were commissioned into the Indian Army at the Passing Out Parade of the 158th Regular Course at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, reviewed by President Droupadi Murmu on June 13, 2026; five joined the Indian Air Force at the Combined Graduation Parade at Dundigal, Hyderabad; and three were commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the growing presence of Nari Shakti would strengthen the forces.
Key Facts & Details
9 points- 1The first batch of women cadets trained at the National Defence Academy (NDA) was commissioned as officers across the Army, Navy and Air Force.
- 2The group of 17 women joined the NDA in August 2022 under the 148th Course, the first intake after the 2021 Supreme Court ruling allowed women to sit the NDA entrance exam.
- 3Nine women were commissioned into the Indian Army at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun, where the parade was reviewed by President Droupadi Murmu on June 13, 2026.
- 4Five entered the Indian Air Force at the Combined Graduation Parade in Dundigal, Hyderabad, and three joined the Indian Navy at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala.
- 5Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the rising presence of Nari Shakti (women's power) would further strengthen the armed forces.
- 6Flight Cadet Divyanshi Singh became the first NDA-trained woman to be commissioned into the Ground Duty branch of the Indian Air Force.
Deep Dive
- +The NDA admitted women for the first time after the Supreme Court, in an interim order in August 2021, allowed women candidates to appear for the NDA examination; the first women candidates wrote the exam in November 2021 and the first batch joined in 2022.
- +Cadets train jointly at the NDA in Khadakwasla, Pune, for three years before moving to service-specific academies — the IMA (Army), INA Ezhimala (Navy) and Air Force Academy/AFA (Air Force) — for final pre-commission training.
- +The milestone marks the completion of the first full training cycle for women through the tri-services NDA route, in addition to existing routes such as the Officers Training Academy and the Short Service Commission.
Exam Focus
Expect questions on which academy admitted its first women batch (NDA), the year women first joined (2022), the court order behind it (Supreme Court, 2021), and the academies where the cadets were commissioned (IMA Dehradun, INA Ezhimala, AFA/Dundigal).
Related Topics
Exam Relevance & Angle
This is a landmark in gender integration of India's armed forces: for the first time women have been trained through the premier tri-services NDA and commissioned as officers, a high-frequency static-plus-current-affairs topic linking the 2021 Supreme Court ruling, defence institutions and the Nari Shakti theme that examiners across banking, SSC and UPSC routinely test.
Target Exams
Background & Context
The National Defence Academy (NDA), located at Khadakwasla near Pune, is India's joint-services training institution where cadets for the Army, Navy and Air Force train together for three years before proceeding to their respective service academies for final commissioning. Established in 1954, it had historically admitted only men. In August 2021, the Supreme Court, hearing a petition, passed an interim order permitting women to take the NDA entrance examination conducted by the UPSC, ending the long-standing bar. Women candidates appeared for the first time in the November 2021 NDA exam, and the first batch entered the academy in 2022. Officers in the three services are commissioned through several streams — the NDA, the Indian Military Academy, the Officers Training Academy (OTA), and the technical and short-service entries — but the NDA is regarded as the flagship tri-services route, making the graduation of its first women cadets a structural milestone rather than a one-off.
Related GK Concepts
Must KnowTest Yourself
1 / 3The first batch of women cadets commissioned as officers in June 2026 were trained at which institution?
Source
This topic is important for:
