610 cadets pass out from IMA

Dehra Dun, June 10 (UNI) A total of 610 gentlemen cadets were today commissioned into the Indian Army after the passing out parade held here at IMA parade ground.

These included 16 foreign cadets -- 13 from Bhutan and one each from Kyrgyzstan, Nepal and Mauritius.

Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi who was here to review the passing out parade said the technological advancement has pervaded the military thought and planning and 'Man behind the machine' plays a decisive role in the battle. He stressed that armed forces should keep pace with the change.

After reviewing the parade he urged the officers to maintain high degree of morale and ethical standard and discipline and asked them to learn to harness to their advantage the overwhelming impact of cutting edge defence technologies. ''There is no room for complacency,'' he said.

Sword of Honour, the most prestigious award given to the best all round Gentlemen Cadet went to Ashish Singh Mehta. He was also conferred with the Gold Medal for standing first in order of merit.

Later, talking to mediapersons, Air Chief Marshal said the Air Force was planning to acquire 126 aircraft. However, he did not divulge any details.

Meanwhile, he said the Air Force would go for an exchange of 18 worn-out Sukhoi aircraft in the near future. Maintaining that the accident rate of fighter aircraft has gone down, he said there was no problem with MiG-29.

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