Career in Armed Forces

**_What:_** It is a matter of honour and pride to join the Armed Forces as these personnel are looked upon as saviours or defenders of nations and its people. It is one of the few noble professions left today. The Armed Forces comprise three arms or services, that of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Apart from defending the borders from external threats, the Armed Forces are often involved in humanitarian missions like the UN Peacekeeping forces and in disaster management. In the event of earthquakes, floods or avalanches, the Army, Navy and Air Force are the first to reach the disaster-prone areas for search and rescue missions. In the recent tsunami disaster, the Indian Navy did yeomen service in sending its ships and its men with food and medicines to Sri Lanka for relief operations.
- The Indian Military Academy’s Chet wood Hall _bears an inscription, which reads: “The safety, honour and welfare of your country comes first, always and every time. The honour, welfare and comfort of the men you command, come next. Your own ease, comfort and safety comes last, always and every time.” That truly epitomizes what a solider stands for and what he should be. Selfless service for the nation and its people is a soldier’s brief, which he is trained to follow unfailingly. But, apart from that, the military also offers a great opportunity for growth and a good life. Today, even women are welcome in the Armed Forces in education, logistics, air traffic control and legal branches. Let us see what you stand to gain by joining the Armed Forces.

**_ How: _**A good communication skill; love for one’s country; commitment; dedication; perception; the will to fight and face hardships in order to protect the nation; an alert mind ; integrity; flair for discipline and adventure. There are number of types of entries in the Armed Forces in India. Basic entry for all the three forces is through National Defence Academy (NDA) at 10+2 Level, and there are also entries after graduation and after professional courses (graduate/post graduate level).

**_ Selection Process for the National Defence Academy_**

NDA takes in new cadets every January & June. There are no fees to join NDA, but if an individual wish to opt out, as a small percentage do, it is very expensive. An NDA drop-out has to pay the government, costs incurred in training, which are calculated by the number of weeks that have been spent at NDA.

**_ NDA Courses_**

Academics constitute around 57% of the program comprising 12 disciplines, which includes three pure sciences, two applied sciences and four social sciences. There are also Common Service Subjects like military history, area study, service writing, leadership, para-military forces, weapons training and situational instruction.

After three years in the NDA, Army cadets join the **_Indian Military Academy_** at Dehradun, Navy cadets join the INS Tir or INS Krishna at Cochin and Air Force cadets move on to the Air Force Training Academy at Hyderabad. These courses are of 12 months duration after which, individual gets a commissioned rank.

**_ Graduate / Direct Entry_**

Individuals between the age of 19 and 22 and having a three year Bachelor degree can appear for the Combined Defence Services Exam (CDS), which is held every 6 months at various centres in India. Again like the NDA process, there will be a SSB interview and a medical examination. On clearing these, individual is straight away enlisted into the Indian Military Academy (if he opts for the Army), without entering NDA, and get trained there for 18 months after which, he is conferred a commissioned rank.

**_ Technical Entry_