31 May 11

PASSING OUT PARADE AT NATIONAL DEFENCE ACADEMY

Address by Chief of the Naval Staff

Lieutenant General AK Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern

Command, Lieutenant General Jatinder Singh, Commandant, National Defence
Academy; General, Flag and Air Officers; cadets on parade; distinguished guests;
parents and families of the passing out cadets; members of the media; ladies and
gentlemen,
I consider it a great honour to be here to review the Passing Out Parade this
morning. At the outset, I compliment all of you for your immaculate turnout, and crisp
and energetic drill movements. I am aware that extremely high parade standards are
traditional to the National Defence Academy. Yet I feel todays exhibition was truly
exceptional.
Special congratulations are due to the passing out cadets. Today is an extremely
important day for them, as they formally and successfully complete a demanding training
curriculum, overcoming in the process, many mental, physical and social hardships. I
convey my personal felicitations to cadets from Afghanistan, Bhutan, Kazakhstan,
Maldives, and Tajikistan, who, I hope, have enjoyed their stay in India, and carry back
with them happy memories and friendships that they will cherish in the years to come.
My special congratulations also go to the medal winners for exhibiting performance of a
high order consistently over the last three years.
Sixth Term Cadets, my mind goes back today to the day I was standing in your
place on the same parade ground, more than 42 years ago, with the same uncertain
expectations and feelings that you perhaps experience now. It was a special day for me
then as it is for you today and I strode into a world that was different and challenging
as indeed you will, in a while. I therefore take the liberty to share with you a few
thoughts on this important occasion.
As you march past the Quarterdeck in a few minutes and celebrate the successful
culmination of this phase of your lives, you will find yourselves in a world that is complex
and confusing, yet exciting and rewarding.
Our security situation continues to be uncertain and fluid, with a persisting
combination of conventional and unconventional challenges. You will, therefore, see
yourself being involved in a variety of tasks ranging from standing eyeball-to-eyeball with
the adversary to guard our national frontiers, to rescuing helpless countrymen from
natural calamities and disasters. Your missions will range from low intensity counter-

terrorism, anti-piracy or counter-insurgency patrols, to preparing for hard conventional

combat deployments under a nuclear backdrop. You will stay in lonely bunkers, bare
forward posts or isolated locations in the high seas, yet operate weapons and sensors of
cutting-edge and extremely sophisticated technology. Your work environment will shift
from being deafeningly loud and cacophonic, to scarily quiet and lonely, within a matter
of seconds. You will be the face of national power equally when you speak to the
resident of a remote Indian village, as you would when you interact with an international
audience. This range is tremendous and so will be the expectations of you.
However, I know you have been tested time and again in a competitive
environment in the Academy, and that each test would have made you stronger and
better prepared, and given you the skills and character to face the challenges that await
you. You must, however, see your graduation today as not the end, but a new beginning
of your training and education in the Indian Armed Forces.
Let me therefore, provide you four issues to think about, that in my view, will be
important to a young military leader about to embark on a new and adventurous journey
today.
First and foremost, please remember the three words you have heard numerous
times over the past three years - or Service before Self - for they will
hold special meaning to you as long as you are in uniform. The word Service will
specifically be at the very heart of everything you do, and remain your guiding light as
you discharge your functions each day as a military leader.
Second, your professional competence will define the kind of leader you will be.
You must know and do your job well. Your men will only look up to you if you do.
Whether you serve in a tank, a ship or an aircraft, your professional knowledge - or the
lack of it - will be clearly evident, as indeed will be the commitment you show towards
your tasks. You, therefore, need to develop the hunger to constantly upgrade your skills
and learn new aspects of your profession throughout your career.
Third, a pre-eminent attribute of a military leader is courage. Captain Gurbachan
Singh Salaria, 2nd Lieutenant Arun Khetrapal and Captain Manoj Pandey are NDA icons
that displayed rare physical courage under dire circumstances, not flinching in doing
their duty despite facing mortal danger themselves. Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan,
another son of this fine institution, hazarded his life fighting terrorists on 26/11. Such
deeds are indeed inspiring. But there is another dimension to this attribute moral
courage that will be called upon in you, perhaps more frequently than you think. You
may find occasions when you have to stake your personal prospects to uphold what you
deem is right. Your colleagues may not stand by you, yet you may need to find the
strength to follow your belief and choose the harder right over the easier wrong. I assure
you, this will not be easy to do, but the nation and your Honour Code expect you to.
Fourth and last, a good leader values team-work. The Indian Armed Forces work
and fight as a team. Nothing achieves military victory faster than a healthy team spirit.
Encourage and foster it among the men you command. For this, you need to value
camaraderie. Show your team-mates your loyalty and they will show you theirs.
Demonstrate integrity in everything you do, and they will respect you. Synergise your
imagination with theirs and there will be no limit to what you can accomplish. When you
make genuine efforts to stand by your team, your men will know they have a worthy

leader.
Gentlemen, as you graduate from the portals of the National Defence Academy
today, each one of you carries forward the legacy of patriotism and dedication to duty
established by your predecessors. You have done well in choosing to serve the nation in
a very unique way. Danger and discomfort may be your companions whether you are
trudging up a high mountain, tossing about in a small ship in a mid-sea cyclone or
manoeuvring your jet in a dogfight. Yet the exhilaration and satisfaction of missionaccomplishment, and the respect you gain from the nation for doing so, will be, for you,
the ultimate reward. The Armed Forces and the nation have reposed tremendous faith in
you. Show them that you are worthy of it.
On this important occasion, I urge you to develop your internal compasses. If
you choose to navigate along your career path, following the directions of ethics,
commitment, hard work, integrity and character, you would not only hold fast to the core
values you imbibed here at the Academy, but be the soldier the nation would be proud of
and salute with pride.
Gentlemen, conquer the challenges that lie ahead, and serve the nation with
distinction and honour in the years to come. May God be with you in all your
endeavours?
Thank you. Jai Hind.