Gaya, June 11: Army chief General Dalbir Singh today said the progress and prosperity of a nation could come only if our borders were secured and the internal security was stable.
He was reviewing the ninth passing out parade of 138 newly commissioned officers of Indian Army at the Officers Training Academy (OTA).
A total of 191 cadets, of which 138 were commissioned into Indian Army as officers in different ranks, took part in the parade. Of those 138, 46 were under special commissioner officer (SCO) category and 92 under technical entry scheme (TES).
The 92 cadets completed a year's basic military training in June 2013 followed by three-year engineering course at the institutes in Mhow, Secunderabad and Pune.
Fifty-three other cadets, who took part in the parade, are those under TES category who completed a year's basic military training and will proceed for the three-year engineering course.
Exhorting the newly commissioned officers, Gen. Singh said: "You may be leading active operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast. Such operations remain highly dynamic and challenging. Success comes with persistence, commitment and bold leadership, specially, at junior level and you need to lead your men from the front. In military, action is louder than words. The men are tested in situation that is complex, challenging and demanding. The challenges you face are complex, dynamic and multi-dimensional. You need to win the trust your men as there is great expectation from them."
"I also congratulated the two cadets of Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) for their successful completion of one-year basic military training at OTA here. We have special and enduring relations with the RBA," the general said.
The Chief of Army Staff also gave away awards to the cadets who excelled in the training. He awarded the prestigious Sword of Honour for best overall performance to Pankaj Vohra, while the gold, silver and bronze medals as per order of merit went to Kuldeep Sharma, Pankaj Mehara and Ujjwal Dagar respectively.
Kalidhar Company won the Chief of Army Staff's banner for best overall performance as a company. At the beginning of the parade, OTA commandant Lieutenant-General Vinod Vashisht received the Chief of Army Staff at the parade ground.
