The National Defence College, located in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, is the defence service training institute and highest seat of strategic learning for officers of the Defence Service and the

Civil Services The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...

. This is a very prestigious course attended only by a few hand-picked defence officers of One-Star rank and civil servants of the rank of Joint secretary to the Government of India. Each year, approximately 25 officers from friendly foreign countries like the US, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal, UAE and others attend the course. This college provides strategic leadership to the Government of India in national and international security matters and also acts as a think tank on defence matters and holds a very important position in shaping up the Indian defence outlook.

History

After India's independence in 1947, senior officers of the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force attended the

Imperial Defence College The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...

(IDC) in the United Kingdom before being appointed to important commands. The vacancies at the IDC was only about two or three each year. In 1959, the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

announced that a college on the pattern of the IDC will set up in New Delhi. This would allow for a larger number of officers to be trained.

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank 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 battlefield, who was norma ...

Kanwar Bahadur Singh, the Adjutant General at Army HQ was appointed the first Commandant of the college.

Location

The College is located on Tees January Marg of

Lutyens' Delhi Lutyens' Delhi is an area in New Delhi, India, named after the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944), who was entrusted with the vast majority of the architectural design and buildings of the city that subsequently e ...

, in a grand British-era building spread over acres of lush green lawns. The building was built by

Sir Sobha Singh Magistrate, Honorary Magistrate, Sardar Bahadur, Sir Sobha Singh , Member of the Legislative Assembly, M.L.C., Member of parliament, M.P. (March 5, 1888 – 18 April 1978) was an Indian civil contractor, prominent builder and real estate develo ...

as a mansion for Khan Saheb Tej Muhammad Khan of Badrashi,

North-West Frontier Province The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP; ) was a province of British India from 1901 to 1947, of the Dominion of Pakistan from 1947 to 1955, and of the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan from 1970 to 2010. It was established on 9 November ...

. From 1939 to 1947, the building served as an Army General Mess. From 1947 to 1960, it was the office and residence of the Deputy High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to India. The college is adjacent to the home where Mahatma Gandhi lived the last five months of his life, and the garden where he was assassinated - the Gandhi Smriti. Residential facilities for the officers are located in the central vista of Delhi, on Ashok Rajpath near India Gate. The Commandant of NDC has a bungalow at 16, Akbar Road called NDC House.

Crest

The crest of NDC has a lamp of knowledge surrounded by the wreath of green Ashoka tree leaves with the

State Emblem of India The State Emblem of India is the national emblem of the Republic of India and is used by the union government, many state governments, and other government agencies. The emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, an ancient scul ...

superimposed and placed against the rich maroon backdrop of the Joint Services flag. The lamp has four flames representing the

Indian Army The Indian Army (IA) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Land warfare, land-based branch and largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Commander-in-Chief, Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head ...

, the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

, the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

and the

Civil Services of India In India, the Civil Service is the collection of civil servants of the government who constitute the permanent executive branch of the country. This includes servants in the All India Services, the Central Civil Services, and various State Ci ...

Commandant

The NDC is headed by the Commandant who is the overall in-charge of all the functioning of the college including academics and administration. The Commandant of the college is an Officer of

Three-star rank Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One-star A one-star rank is usual ...

. The tenure of each Commandant is for 2 years which rotates between the

, the

and the

Faculty and staff

The Faculty of NDC was designed to be minimal. There are called Senior Directing Staff (SDS) and direct the students, rather than deliver lectures. The lectures are delivered by distinguished guest speakers. The SDS is drawn from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Civil services and are of

two-star rank Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One-star A one-star rank is usuall ...

. Usually, there are 7 SDS (

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

– 3,

Navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

– 1,

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

– 1, IAS – 1 and IFS – 1). Apart from these 7 SDS, the college regularly invites think tanks, ambassadors of different nations, business leaders, ministers from India and friendly countries, defence chiefs of friendly countries to give lectures in the college. The administrative wing is headed by the Secretary, a one-star officer from the Indian Army and an alumnus of NDC. He is assisted by the Assistant Adjutant & Quartermaster General (AA&QMG), an officer of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Other key staff include the Directing Staff (Coordination) (DS Coord) and Junior Directing Staff (Research & Reference) (JDS R&R). They are officers from the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force on rotation. The DS (Coord) is of the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Group Captain Group captain (Gp Capt or G/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British influence. Group cap ...

and the JDS (R&R) is of the rank of Commander/Wing Commander.

Course

The NDC conducts a 47-week National Security and Strategic Study course each year which commences in the first week of January each year and finishes in the first week of December. This course also involves extensive travel within and outside the country to visit Indian states and foreign countries where course members meet head of states and important decision makers to understand the political, social and strategic landscape of the state/country. The entire course is divided in six subjects spread over two terms, as follows: * Understanding India & Introduction to Strategy * Study on Economic Security, Science and Technology * Global Issues * International Security Environment * India’s Strategic Neighbourhood * Strategies and Structures for National Security

Method of Study

During the course of each study, the course is divided into seven groups called Integrated Analysis Groups (IAG). Each IAG comprises 13–14 members (4–5 army officers, 1 naval officer, 1–2 air force officers, 3–4 IAS/IPS/Civil Services officers and 4–5 foreign military officers). Each IAG function in a synergetic mode for the purpose of analysing issues, discussions, preparation of papers and presentations. Since 2006, the college has been formally affiliated with

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

for the award of M.Phil. degree in 'Defence and Strategic Studies.'

Notable Indian Alumni

The Indian alumni include both Chiefs of the Defence Staffs, 13 Chiefs of the Army Staff, 9 Chiefs of the Naval Staff, 10 Chiefs of the Air Staff, 3 Directors of the Intelligence Bureau, 2 Chief Election Commissioners, 12 Ambassadors of India, 3 Directors of CBI, 3 Defence Secretaries and 3 Foreign Secretaries. Five alumni went on to become Governors of Indian States/UT - Balmiki Prasad Singh,

Krishna Mohan Seth Lieutenant General Krishna Mohan Seth retired as the Adjutant General of Indian Army and was the Governor of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Tripura. Personal life Krishna Mohan Seth was born on 19 December 1939, in Allahabad. He is married to ...

, Vinod Kumar Duggal, E. S. L. Narasimhan and Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh.

Notable International Alumni

Jigme_Khesar_Namgyel_Wangchuck_at_the_Enthronement_of_Naruhito

Heads of State, Heads of Government, and Representatives

Hussain Muhammad Ershad Hussain Muhammad Ershad (1 February 1930 – 14 July 2019) was a Bangladeshi military officer, dictator and politician who served as President of Bangladesh, the president of Bangladesh from 1982 to 1990. He seized power as a result of a 1982 ...

, 10th

President of Bangladesh President of Bangladesh (POB), officially the President of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is the head of state of Bangladesh and commander-in-chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The role of the president has changed three times since ...

& 4th Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army *

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (born 21 February 1980) is the fifth Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King) of Bhutan. His reign began in 2006 after his father Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicated the throne. A public coronation ceremony was held on 6 November ...

, 5th

Druk Gyalpo The King of Bhutan, officially the Druk Gyalpo (; ), is the constitutional monarch and head of state of the Kingdom of Bhutan. In the Dzongkha language, Bhutan is known as ''Drukyul'' which translates as "The Land of the Thunder Drago ...

(King of Bhutan) * Lieutenant General Fred Akuffo, 7th Head of state of Ghana and 12th Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces *

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Sir Peter Cosgrove, 26th Governor-General of Australia and 10th Chief of Defence Force of the

Australian Defence Force The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is the Armed forces, military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia and its national interests. It consists of three branches: the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Australian Army and the Royal Aus ...

Chiefs of Defence

* General Rohan Daluwatte, 1st Chief of the Defence Staff of

Sri Lanka Armed Forces The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lank ...

& 14th

Commander of the Sri Lanka Army The Commander of the Army () is the title of the professional head of the Sri Lanka Army. The current Commander of the Army is Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo. The post's precursor was known as Commander of the Ceylon Defence Force. Se ...

* General Lionel Balagalle, 2nd Chief of the Defence Staff of

& 16th

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many Commonwealth of Nations, countries that have historical British i ...

Donald Perera, 4th Chief of the Defence Staff of

& 11th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force * General Shavendra Silva, 11th Chief of the Defence Staff of

& 23rd

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Ravindra Wijegunaratne, 10th Chief of the Defence Staff of

& 20th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy * Air Vice Marshal Napoleon Ashley-Lassen, 10th Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces & 6th Chief of Air Staff of

Ghana Air Force The Ghana Air Force (GHF) is the aerial warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The GHF, along with the Ghana army, Ghanaian army (GA) and Ghana Navy, Ghanaian navy (GN), make up the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghanaia ...

* Brigadier Joseph Nunoo-Mensah, 16th Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces * Major General Edwin Sam, 17th Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces * Lieutenant General Seth Obeng, 24th Chief of the Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces * General Azizan Ariffin, 17th Chief of Defence Forces of the

Malaysian Armed Forces The Malaysian Armed Forces (: MAF; ; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ), are the armed forces of Malaysia, consists of three branches; the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Air Force. The number of MAF active personnel is 113,000 ...

* Major General Moosa Ali Jaleel, 3rd Chief of Defence Force of the

Maldives National Defence Force Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF; ) is the military, national military responsible for defending the national security, security and sovereignty of the Maldives. It is primarily responsible per the Constitution of the Maldives, constitut ...

* Major General Hamzah Sahat, 11th Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces * General Jacob John Mkunda, 9th Chief of Defence Force of the

Tanzania People's Defence Force The Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) () is the military force of the United Republic of Tanzania. It was established in September 1964, following a mutiny by the former colonial military force, the Tanganyika Rifles. From its inception, ...

* Lieutenant General

Gibson Jalo Gibson Sanda Jalo (1 March 1939 – 10 January 2000) was a Nigerian Army Lieutenant-general (Nigeria), lieutenant general, who was the Chief of Army Staff (Nigeria), Chief of Army Staff (COAS) from April 1980 until October 1981. He also served ...

, 2nd Chief of the Defence Staff of the

Nigerian Armed Forces The Nigerian Armed Forces (NAF) are the Military, military forces of Nigeria. The forces consist of three service branches: the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, and Nigerian Air Force. The President of Nigeria functions as the commander-in-chief of ...

& 7th Chief of Army Staff of the

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chie ...

* General Sher Mohammad Karimi, 2nd Chief of General Staff of the

Afghan Armed Forces The Afghan Armed Forces, officially the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (, ) and also referred to as the Islamic Emirate Armed Forces, is the military of Afghanistan, commanded by the Taliban government from 1997 to 2001 and a ...

* Major General Hamzah Sahat, 11th Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces

Army

Denis Perera, 8th

* General Tissa Weeratunga, 9th

* General Nalin Seneviratne, 10th

* General

Hamilton Wanasinghe General Hamilton Wanasinghe, VSV (18 August 1933 – 13 June 2025) was a Sri Lankan military officer and politician. He was full general in the Sri Lanka Army, serving as the 11th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army (1988–1991), third General ...

, 11th

* General G. H. de Silva, 13th

* General Srilal Weerasooriya, 15th

* General Shantha Kottegoda, 17th

* Major General Matheus Alueendo, 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 the fastest of the three arms of service. The first units of the Army were deployed as early as 1990. The Army was formed ...

* Major General Chris Alli, 13th Chief of Army Staff of the

Abdul Wadud, Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division of Bangladesh * Lieutenant General Abdulrahman Dambazau, 21st Chief of Army Staff of the

* General Purna Chandra Thapa, 12th Chief of the Army Staff of the

Nepalese Army The Nepali Army (), also referred to as the Gorkhali Army (; see ''Gurkha, Gorkhas''), formally known as "Royal Nepal Army" is the Ground warfare, land Military branch, service branch of the Nepalese Armed Forces, Nepali Armed Forces. After t ...

* General Prabhu Ram Sharma, 13th Chief of the Army Staff of the

* Lieutenant General Joseph Musanyufu, Joint Chief of Staff of the

Uganda People's Defence Force The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), previously known as the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. From 2007 to 2011, the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the UPDF had a total strength of 40,000–4 ...

* Major General Leopold Kyanda, Joint Chief of Staff of the

* Major General Matheus Alueendo, Army Commander of the

Navy

Basil Gunasekara, 7th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy *

Henry Perera, 8th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy *

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Asoka de Silva, 9th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy *

H. A. Silva, 10th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy *

Clancy Fernando, 11th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy *

D. A. M. R. Samarasekara, 12th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy *

Thisara Samarasinghe, 16th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy *

D. W. A. S. Dissanayake, 17th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy *

Sirimevan Ranasinghe, 22nd Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy *

Nishantha Ulugetenne, 24th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy * Vice Admiral Robert Walls, 5th Vice Chief of the Defence Force of the

* Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, 2nd Chief of Joint Capabilities of the

* Vice Admiral Akintunde Aduwo, 6th Chief of Naval Staff of the

Nigerian Navy The Nigerian Navy (NN) is the Navy, naval branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Nigerian armed forces. With more than 70 warships, it is categorised as the fourth strongest navy in Africa (after South Africa, Egypt, Algeria and Morocco). It is co ...

* Vice Admiral E. O. Owusu-Ansah, 14th Chief of Naval Staff of the

Ghana Navy The Ghana Navy (GN) is the naval warfare organizational military branch of the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The Ghanaian Navy, along with the Ghana Army, Ghanaian Army (GA) and Ghana Air Force, Ghanaian Air Force (GHF), make up ...

* Rear Admiral John Gbenah, 15th Chief of Naval Staff of the

Air Force

Harry Goonatilake, 5th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force *

Dick Perera, 6th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force *

Walter Fernando, 7th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force *

Terry Gunawardena, 8th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force *

Oliver Ranasinghe, 9th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force *

Jayalath Weerakkody, 10th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force *

Gagan Bulathsinghala, 15th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force *

Sudarshana Pathirana, 18th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force * Air Marshal Isaac Alfa, 13th Chief of the Air Staff of the

Nigerian Air Force The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) is the air branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the youngest branch of the Nigerian Armed Forces, established four years after the nation became independent. As at 2021, the air force is one of the largest in A ...

* Air Vice Marshal Fakhrul Azam, 11th Chief of Air Staff of the

Bangladesh Air Force The Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) () is the aerial warfare branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. The air force is primarily responsible for air defence of Bangladesh's sovereign territory as well as providing air support to the Bangladesh Army a ...

* Air Vice Marshal Julius Boateng, 18th Chief of Air Staff of the

* Brigadier General Mohammad Sharif Ibrahim, Commander of Royal Brunei Air Force

References

External links

* {{Authority control National Defence College, India Military academies of India Staff colleges Universities and colleges in Delhi Colleges affiliated to University of Madras Educational institutions established in 1960 1960 establishments in Delhi

History

Location

Crest

Commandant

Faculty and staff

Course

Method of Study

Notable Indian Alumni

Notable International Alumni

Heads of State, Heads of Government, and Representatives

Chiefs of Defence

Army

Navy

Air Force

See also

References

External links