The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is the officer training academy of the Indian Army. Located at Dehradun in the state of Uttarakhand, the academy trains gentleman cadets to be commissioned as officers in the regular Indian Army. It is regarded as one of the premier military training institutions in India and has trained officers for several friendly foreign armies as well.
Key facts
| Name | Indian Military Academy |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | IMA |
| Type | Officer training academy |
| Parent organisation | Indian Army |
| Location | Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India |
| Established | 1 October 1932 |
| Motto | Veerta aur Vivek (Valour and Wisdom) |
| Output | Commissioned officers of the Indian Army |
Overview
The Indian Military Academy was set up to provide indigenous training to officers for what was then the British Indian Army, replacing the earlier reliance on the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in the United Kingdom. After Indian independence in 1947, the IMA became the principal commissioning source for officers of the Indian Army, alongside the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla and the Officers Training Academy at Chennai.
The campus occupies a large estate on the outskirts of Dehradun, encompassing the Chetwode Building, training grounds, ranges, and academic and residential blocks. The Chetwode Building is the academy's iconic structure and bears the well-known credo attributed to Field Marshal Sir Philip Chetwode, which sets out the cadet's duties to the nation, comrades and self.
Background and history
The establishment of the IMA followed the recommendations of the Indian Sandhurst Committee (also known as the Skeen Committee) of the late 1920s, which advocated an Indian institution to train officers for the Indian Army. The academy was inaugurated on 1 October 1932, with the first batch known as "The Pioneers" entering the same year. Among the alumni of the first course were officers who later rose to high command in the armies of independent India, Pakistan and Burma, including Sam Manekshaw, who went on to become India's first Field Marshal.
During the Second World War, training at the academy was expanded to meet wartime demand for officers. After 1947, the institution was reorganised to serve the newly independent Indian Army. Over the following decades, the academy's intake, course structure and infrastructure were progressively expanded, and additional battalions were raised to accommodate larger numbers of gentleman cadets.
Training
Gentleman cadets at the IMA undergo training that combines military, academic and physical components. The course covers tactics, weapons handling, drill, fieldcraft, leadership, military history and allied subjects. On successful completion of training, cadets are commissioned as Lieutenants in the Indian Army at the Passing Out Parade, a ceremonial event held at the Drill Square of the Chetwode Building.
Cadets enter the academy through several streams, including:
- Graduates of the National Defence Academy.
- Direct entrants through the Combined Defence Services Examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.
- Technical Graduates Course and University Entry Scheme entrants.
- Army cadets nominated through the Army Cadet College wing.
Foreign cadets
The IMA has trained officer cadets from a number of friendly foreign countries, including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan and several African and Southeast Asian states, as part of India's defence cooperation programmes.
Significance
As the principal commissioning academy for the regular cadre of the Indian Army, the IMA has produced a large proportion of the army's senior leadership since independence. Several Chiefs of the Army Staff, Param Vir Chakra recipients and senior commanders of the Indian Army are alumni of the academy. The institution is also regarded as a symbol of continuity in the army's officer training tradition, linking the pre-independence and post-independence eras.
Related topics
- Indian Army
- National Defence Academy
- Officers Training Academy
- Rashtriya Indian Military College
- Sam Manekshaw
- Dehradun
- Combined Defence Services Examination
References
- Wikidata: Q3595639
- Ministry of Defence, Government of India.
- Indian Army official publications on officer training establishments.