The foundation stone of India’s first ever National Defence University was laid by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on May 23, 2013 in Binola, Gurgaon. According to a statement issued by Gurggaon Deputy Commissioner P.C. Meena the Indian National Defence University (INDU) will be spared over a sprawling campus of 200 acre that will be set up in Binola village with a projected expenditure of Rs 300 crore. He motioned that Binola has been chosen for the project due to its proximity to the national capital.
As per sources, the academy will offer the scope for holistic study of defence and strategic security challenges. INDU will enroll 66 percent of students from the Armed Forces, whereas 33 percent of students would be drawn from other government agencies, police and civilian. Moreover, the teaching faculty will include both military personnel and civilians in the ratio of 1:1. The University is being planned on the lines of the IITs and the IIMs. Sources also informed that the Indian government had set up a review committee after the Kargil was. The committee was headed by eminent strategic expert K Subrahmanyam, which had recommended the setting up of a university to exclusively deal with defence and strategic matters.
The university will be fully self-governing and will be an institution of national importance. It is set up with an aim to encourage policy-oriented research on all aspects of national security as part of the strategic national policy-making. It has been proposed to conduct courses of varying durations on subjects ranging from Strategic Studies, War Gaming and Simulation, Neighbourhood Studies, Counter Insurgency and Counter Terrorism, Chinese Studies, Evaluation of Strategic Thought, International Security Issues, Maritime Security Studies, Eurasian Studies, South East Asian Studies, material acquisition, joint logistics, national security strategy in peace and war, etc.
Besides, it will facilitate post-graduate (M.Sc./M.Tech.), master in Philosophy (M.Phil.) and doctorate (Ph.D.) courses in defence studies, defence management and defence science and technology. The present institutes of Indian Armed forces such as National Defence College (NDC) New Delhi, Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) Wellington, College of Defence Management (CDM) Secunderabad and National Defence Academy (NDA) Khadakwasla would be affiliated with the INDU. The university anticipated to prepare officers for high level leadership, staff and policy responsibilities. The National College of Defence Studies (NCDS), Indian Institute of Defence Technology (IIDT), Indian Institute of Defence Management (IIDM) and Defence Institute of Distance and Open Learning (DIDOL) would be the constituent colleges and institutions of the INDU.
