, motto_lang = sa , mottoeng = ''To War with Wisdom'' , established = (as the ''Army Staff College'',

Deolali Deolali, or Devlali (), is a small hill station and a census town in Nashik district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Now it is part of Nashik Metropolitan Region. Deolali has an important army base. Deolali Camp, one of the oldest Indian m ...

) , type = Defence Service Training Institute , affiliation = , endowment = , administrative_staff = , faculty = , president = , provost = , principal = , rector = , chancellor = , vice_chancellor = , dean = , head_label =

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

, head = Lt. Gen. S Mohan, , students = , undergrad = , postgrad = , doctoral = , city =

Wellington Cantonment Wellington is a cantonment town in the Coonoor sub-Division of Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu. One of its most famous residents was Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who died in the town on June 27, 2008. This town is adjacent to the city of Coonoor. ...

Nilgiris district The Nilgiris district () is one of the 38 districts in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri ( en, Blue Mountains) is the name given to a range of mountains spread across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Ker ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

, state = , country =

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, campus = , free_label = , free = , colors = , colours = , mascot = The Owl , nickname = , affiliations = , website = The Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) is a defence service training institution of the Ministry of Defence,

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

. It trains officers of all three services of the

Indian Armed Forces The Indian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Armed Forces are supported by th ...

– ( Indian Military Service, Indian Naval Service, Indian Airforce Service), selected officers from the

Paramilitary forces A paramilitary is an organization whose structure, tactics, training, subculture, and (often) function are similar to those of a professional military, but is not part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. Paramilitary units carr ...

and the

Civil Services The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

and officers from friendly foreign countries for command and staff appointments.

History

One of the oldest military institutions in

, it was founded in 1905 as the Army Staff college in

(near

Nashik Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashi ...

). In 1907, it moved to its permanent location at

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of ...

(now

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

). After the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, the Indian elements of the Staff College, Quetta led by the senior-most Indian Army instructor

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

S. D. Verma moved to India. Verma was promoted

brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

and appointed as the first commandant and chose

The Nilgiris District The Nilgiris district () is one of the 38 districts in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri ( en, Blue Mountains) is the name given to a range of mountains spread across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Ke ...

as the location of the Staff College in India. The first staff course started in April 1948, months after the move. The first course had 46 officers from the Indian Army and 2 each from the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. Two officers from this course – Major

Tapishwar Narain Raina General Tapishwar Narain Raina (24 January 1921 – 19 May 1980), best known as T.N. Raina, was a senior army officer and a diplomat who served as the 9th Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army between 1975 and 1978. Upon retirement, ...

and

Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

Hrushikesh Moolgavkar Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgavkar, PVSM, MVC (15 August 1920 – 9 April 2015) was a former Air officer in the Indian Air Force. He served as the 9th Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force from 1 February 1976 till 31 Augu ...

went on to head their services as the Chiefs. The air wing was established in 1949 and the Naval Wing in 1950 and the college was rechristened ''Defence Services Staff College''. The college threw open its gates to officers from friendly foreign countries from the fifth course and to civil servants from the sixth course. DSSC has been affiliated to

Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

for the award of

M.Sc. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

degree in 'Defence and Strategic Studies' and recognized as a research centre for MPhil and PhD degrees since 1990.

Crest and motto

Stamp of India - 1998 - Colnect 161855 - Defence Services Staff College

The Staff College when at Quetta adopted the crest of Staff College, Camberley, which was the 'Wise Owl' with the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

motto . In 1964, Owl perched on crossed swords and the motto in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

was adopted.

Commandant

The commandant of the Defence Services Staff College is the head of the institution. The commandant is an army officer of the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Organisation

The commandant of the college is assisted by the chief instructors (CI) of the army, naval and air wings, all two-star appointments. The CIs are drawn from the respective services. The Incharge of the administrative wing (also a two-star appointment), and the brigadier general staff (BGS) also report into the commandant.

Notable alumni

Chiefs of Army Staff

* Field Marshal

Sam Manekshaw Field Marshal Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw (3 April 1914 – 27 June 2008), widely known as Sam Manekshaw and Sam Bahadur ("Sam the Brave"), was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army during the Indo-Pakistani War of ...

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

P. P. Kumaramangalam * General Tapishwar Narain Raina * General Om Prakash Malhotra * General

Arun Shridhar Vaidya General Arunkumar Shridhar Vaidya (27 July 1926 – 10 August 1986) was a General Officer in the Indian Army. He served as the 13th Chief of the Army Staff from 1983 to 1986. Following his retirement, he was assassinated by Harjinder Singh J ...

* General K. V. Krishna Rao * General

Krishnaswamy Sundarji General Krishnaswamy "Sundarji" Sundararajan, (28 April 1928 – 8 February 1999) was the Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1986 to 1988. He was the last former British Indian Army officer to command the Indian Army. Dur ...

* General Vishwa Nath Sharma * General

Sunith Francis Rodrigues General Sunith Francis Rodrigues, PVSM, VSM (19 September 1933 – 4 March 2022) was an Indian army officer who was Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army from 1990 to 1993 and Governor of Punjab from 2004 to 2010. Early life and educat ...

* General Bipin Chandra Joshi * General

Ved Prakash Malik General Ved Prakash Malik PVSM, AVSM (born 1 November 1939) served as the 19th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army from 30 September 1997 to 30 September 2000. He was the Army Chief during the Kargil War. Honours and decorations Dates o ...

* General

Sundararajan Padmanabhan General Sundararajan Padmanabhan PVSM, AVSM, VSM (born 5 December 1940 in Thiruvananthapuram, Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 u ...

* General

Nirmal Chander Vij General Nirmal Chander Vij PVSM, UYSM, AVSM (born 3 January 1943, in Jammu) was the 21st Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army. He held the office from 1 Jan 2003 to 31 Jan 2005. Early life and education General Vij was born on 3 January 194 ...

* General J. J. Singh * General

Deepak Kapoor General Deepak Kapoor PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC (b. 1948) served as the 22nd Chief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army, appointed on 30 September 2007 and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee appointed on 31 August 2009. Biography Kapo ...

* General V. K. Singh * General Bikram Singh * General

Bipin Rawat General Bipin Rawat (16 March 1958 – 8 December 2021) was an Indian military officer who was a four-star general of the Indian Army. He served as the first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Indian Armed Forces from January 2020 u ...

* General

Manoj Mukund Naravane General Manoj Mukund Naravane (born 22 April 1960) is a retired Indian Army General who served as the 27th Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), as well as the temporary Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee from 15 December 2021 until his supe ...

Chiefs of Naval Staff

* Admiral Ronald Lynsdale Pereira * Admiral Oscar Stanley Dawson * Admiral

Jayant Ganpat Nadkarni Admiral Jayant Ganpat ''"Podgy"'' Nadkarni, PVSM, AVSM, NM, VSM, ADC (5 December 1931 – 2 July 2018) was an Indian Navy Admiral who served as the 13th Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy from 1 December 1987 to 30 November 1990. ...

* Admiral

Vishnu Bhagwat Vishnu Bhagwat, Param Vishisht Seva Medal, PVSM , Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, AVSM is a former Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, Chief of the Naval Staff of India. He is the first and only Chief of Naval Staff who was relieved from office ...

* Admiral Sushil Kumar * Admiral

Madhvendra Singh Admiral Madhvendra Singh, PVSM, AVSM, ADC was Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy between 29 December 2001 and his retirement from service on 31 July 2004. He had by that date completed over 41 years of service. He was also the Chairman of ...

* Admiral

Arun Prakash Admiral Arun Prakash, PVSM, AVSM, VrC, VSM (born October 1944) is a former Flag Officer of the Indian Navy. He served as the Chief of the Naval Staff from 31 July 2004 to 31 October 2006 and as the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee fr ...

* Admiral Sureesh Mehta * Admiral Robin K. Dhowan * Admiral

Sunil Lanba Sunil (सुनील) is a first name for males, often found in the South Asian community. The Sanskrit word ' means "dark", "very blue", and is also an epithet of Krishna. Notable people * Sunil (actor), Indian Telugu film actor * Sunil (d ...

* Admiral

Karambir Singh Admiral Karambir Singh, PVSM, AVSM, ADC (born 3 November 1959), is a former flag officer of Indian Navy, who served as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). The "Grey Eagle" (senior-most serving naval aviator) of the Navy, he replaced Adm ...

Chiefs of Air Staff

* Air Chief Marshal Hrushikesh Moolgavkar * Air Chief Marshal

Idris Hasan Latif Air Chief Marshal Idris Hasan Latif, PVSM (9 June 1923 – 30 April 2018) was a former air officer in the Indian Air Force. He served as the 10th Chief of Air Staff (CAS) of the Indian Air Force (IAF) from 1978 to 1981. After retiring from t ...

* Air Chief Marshal

Lakshman Madhav Katre Air Chief Marshal Lakshman Madhav Katre, PVSM, AVSM and Bar (1926-1985) was the head of the Indian Air Force from 1984 to 1985, as Chief of the Air Staff —and the second IAF Chief of Staff to die in— harness. He was awarded the Param Vishi ...

* Air Chief Marshal Surinder Mehra * Air Chief Marshal S. K. Kaul * Air Chief Marshal Satish Sareen * Air Chief Marshal Anil Yashwant Tipnis * Air Chief Marshal

Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy Air Chief Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy PVSM, AVSM, VM & Bar, ADC (born January 1943) is a former Air Officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF). He served as the 19th Chief of the Air Staff from 2001 to 2004. He raised the first electron ...

* Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi * Air Chief Marshal

Pradeep Vasant Naik Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik, PVSM, VSM served as the 22nd Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. He took office on 31 May 2009 following the retirement of Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major and was succeeded in office by Air ...

* Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha * Air Chief Marshal

Birender Singh Dhanoa Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VM, ADC is an Indian air force officer who was the 22nd Chief of the Air Staff of the Indian Air Force and served from 31 December 2016 to 30 September 2019. Dhanoa also served as the ...

Foreign alumni

* Hans-Christoph Ammon, Head of German special forces *

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician and current president of Nigeria since 2015. Buhari is a retired Nigerian Army major general who served as the country's military head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 A ...

, President and former military Head of State, Nigeria *

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its presid ...

, former Nigerian President *

Sitiveni Rabuka Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka, (; born 13 September 1948) is a Fijian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Fiji since 24 December 2022. He was the instigator of two military coups in 1987. He was democratically elected as Prime Minist ...

OBE, MSD,

OStJ The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of c ...

, 3rd Prime Minister of Fiji * Lieutenant Colonel

Gotabhaya Rajapaksa Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan military ...

, RWP, RSP, GR – former President of Sri Lanka *

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

Matheus Alueendo Major General Matheus Alueendo (born 4 March 1961) is a Namibian military officer who is the current commander of the Namibian Army since 31 July 2019. Career Alueendo's military career began in 1978 when he joined the People's Liberation Army o ...

7th Commander of the

Namibian Army The Namibian Army is the ground warfare branch of the Namibian Defence Force. History Development of Namibia's army was fastest of the three arms of Service. The first units of the Army were deployed as early as 1990. The Army was formed when ...

* Admiral

Basil Gunasekara Admiral Deshamanya D. Basil Gunasekara (born 7 May 1929) was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1973 to 1979. Early life and education Born to a planter in Katana, Gunasekara was the youngest child of a family of five members. Educated a ...

, former commander of the

Sri Lanka Navy ta, இலங்கை கடற்படை , image = Sri Lanka Naval Seal.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy , dates = , c ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Education in Nilgiris district Staff colleges Military academies of India Educational institutions established in 1905 1905 establishments in India Colleges affiliated to University of Madras

History

Crest and motto

Commandant

Organisation

Notable alumni

Chiefs of Army Staff

Chiefs of Naval Staff

Chiefs of Air Staff

Foreign alumni

See also

References

External links