BY NAMITA DOGRA SUDAN
Atlanta, GA, June 1, 2025: In a historic stride toward gender inclusivity and military reform, the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune witnessed the graduation of its first batch of 17 women cadets on May 30, 2025. These trailblazing women marched shoulder to shoulder with their male counterparts at the 148th Passing Out Parade (PoP), symbolizing a new era of equality and excellence in the Indian Armed Forces.
Out of the 336 cadets who graduated, the presence of the 17 women was more than just symbolic, it was transformative. Unlike previous parades where women formed separate contingents, this PoP underscored their full integration into the NDA’s demanding training ecosystem. Reviewing the parade was General V.K. Singh (Retd.), Governor of Mizoram and former Chief of Army Staff, who praised the cadets as “inimitable symbols of nari shakti,” representing not just women’s development but women-led progress.
The inclusion of women in the NDA began with a landmark 2021 Supreme Court judgment. Now, after three years of grueling physical drills, academic rigor, and leadership training, these cadets are set to join their respective service academies, ready to take on combat and leadership roles that were once off-limits to women.
Divisional Cadet Captain Harsimran Kaur expressed the emotional weight of the journey. “Every hardship, every challenge, every emotion over the past three years has been worth it,” she said, with her proud parents looking on.
Cadet Shriti Daksh made history by becoming the first female recipient of the Silver Medal and the Chief of Air Staff Trophy, awarded to the top cadet in the Bachelor of Arts stream. “It’s been an emotional rollercoaster. As the parade reached the Antim Pag, the last step, it felt like my entire NDA journey flashed before my eyes,” she shared. Her father, a former NDA officer from the same squadron, watched with pride as she continued the family’s military legacy.
Cadet Shristi Singh summed up the experience with a legendary NDA saying: “Jitna ragda, utna tagda” — the tougher the training, the stronger the cadet.
A Global Reflection: Indian-American Women in the U.S. Armed Forces
India’s proud moment finds a global echo in the rising representation of Indian-American women in the U.S. military. While specific numbers remain limited in publicly available data, the broader trend is unmistakable. As of 2022, women comprised approximately 17.5% of active-duty personnel in the U.S. military — a figure that has steadily increased over the past two decades.
Notable Indian-American women like Sunita Williams, the first Indian-American female graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy and later a NASA astronaut, and Anu Bhagwati, a former U.S. Marine officer turned advocate for servicewomen, exemplify this progression. Sneha Singh was admitted to the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2013. She became the first Indian woman cadet to enter West Point in its 211-year history.
A Shared Mission Across Borders
The success of these 17 NDA cadets is more than a national milestone, it aligns with a global wave of military modernization, where gender no longer defines one’s potential for service. Both in India and abroad, Indian-origin women are claiming their place in uniform, leading with resilience, intelligence, and courage.
As these pioneering NDA graduates embark on their next journey, they carry not only the weight of national expectation but also the inspiration for generations to come, proving that the future of defense is inclusive, diverse, and bold.
