491 officer cadets who completed their training joined the Indian Army as officers in the 157th Regular Passing Out Parade (POP) held on Saturday at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand. On this occasion, a total of 525 officer cadets became part of the parade, out of which 34 cadets received commission in the armies of 14 friendly countries and left to serve their respective countries.
The parade was inspected by Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi as the reviewing officer. He took the salute of the parade and congratulated the passing out cadets. Stepping onto the drill square full of confidence, discipline and enthusiasm, the cadets gave a live demonstration of years of rigorous training.
Established on 1 October 1932, IMA commissioned 40 cadets under its first course ‘The Pioneer’. Over the last 93 years, the Academy has increased its training capacity manifold. With Saturday’s parade, IMA got the honor of providing more than 66 and a half thousand military officers to the armies of India and abroad, out of which about 3,000 officers have been trained for friendly countries.
These 491 youth dreamed of becoming Indian Army officers, going through a rigorous selection process and rigorous training to achieve what was once their goal. Now these newly appointed officers will handle their respective responsibilities in various units of the country and will carry forward the glorious tradition of the Army.
IMA has long been known as the most rigorous and prestigious military training center in the country. In recent years, starting of joint training of male and female cadets here has been an important step. In December 2023, the Academy adopted the term ‘Officer Cadet’ in place of ‘Gentleman Cadet’, underscoring the vision of gender equality in the Army.
The passing out parade on December 13 will be the last occasion when only male cadets will be seen at the drill square. The parade to be held in June next year is being seen as the ‘first glimpse of the army of the future’. Of the first batch of 19 female cadets inducted into the NDA in August 2022, 18 graduated in May 2025, of which 8 got admission in IMA. These eight women cadets are undergoing one year of rigorous training at IMA from July 15, 2025, which is a new chapter in the history of the academy.
This passing out parade held in Dehradun was not only a celebration of military tradition, but also gave a glimpse of the strong, inclusive and future-oriented nature of the Indian Army with the changing times.
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