Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Saturday (May 30, 2026) said "Operation Sindoor demonstrated that and set the benchmark when national will was expressed with precision and resolve, defining how Bharat responds to provocation. That standard now belongs to you to uphold."
Reviewing the passing-out parade of the 150th course at National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, General Dwivedi said the World Cadets were stepping into "does not pause for introductions" and threats today "do not always arrive in uniform or on a declared front".
"From contested grey zones to high-velocity hybrid warfare, today's security environment demands that those who serve must think sharply as they act," he said while addressing the parade. He said that the integrated response seen in Operation Sindoor, India's military exercise against terror infrastructure in Pakistan in May 2025, was built on the kind of jointness the NDA instils from day one. "As our defence services deepen their integrated structures, remember, irrespective of the uniform we wear next, you will serve shoulder to shoulder again — both men and women," he said.
Calling the occasion "a poignant and a particularly personal moment", General Dwivedi recalled passing out from the same quarterdeck over 42 years ago. "Today, as I stand before you at the far end of a life in uniform, preparing to doff mine as you prepare to don yours, I can tell you with certainty: what you begin here endures forever," he said.
He complimented the parade commander and cadets for an "impressive standard of drill" and extended special compliments to Cheetah Squadron for winning the banner. He also acknowledged 24 cadets from 12 friendly foreign countries passing out with the course, saying, "You came from different soils, but you leave shaped by the same ground and the same values."
Published - May 30, 2026 11:14 am IST