The Commandant of the Indian Military Academy is a post created in 1932 for the purpose of leading the

Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...

in its education of "gentleman cadets". The Commandant must hold a rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

( three star equivalent) or above. There is no minimum nor maximum term of service in this position though in practice commandants have served anywhere from a few months to 4 years in the position.

History

General

Philip Chetwode Field Marshal Philip Walhouse Chetwode, 1st Baron Chetwode, 7th Baronet of Oakley, (21 September 1869 – 6 July 1950), was a senior British Army officer. He saw action during the Second Boer War, during which he was present at the Siege of Ladys ...

chose Brig LP Collins ( 4 Gurkhas) as the first commandant. Brig LP Collins had the task of first acquiring the campus from the railways in Dehradun, and then converting it into an army training institution, taking ten months to do so. On 1 October 1932, the raising day, Brig LP Collins issued a Special Order of the Day "The Indian Military Academy opens with effect from today .." There were a total of 5 British commandants including Brig LP Collins, after which Brig Thakur Mahadeo Singh was appointed as the first Commandant of Indian descent post-independence in 1947. Brig Thakur Mahadeo Singh was followed by Maj Gen KS Thimayya who became the first IMA Commandant to go on to become the Chief of Army Staff in India. Brigadier M.M. Khanna was the first alumni of IMA alumni to be appointed Commandant. Following a recommendation in 1983 by the Ministry of Defence the need was felt that cadets needed to know about application of science in weaponry. Lt Gen Mathew Thomas and all following commandants took note of these changes and implemented them. Lt Gen M Thomas also suggested a change in syllabus, proposing new computer focused teaching methods as well as further emphasis on advanced training. This included sending cadets to the

High Altitude Warfare School The High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) is a defence service training and research establishment of the Indian Army. In 1948, the Indian Army established a ski school in Gulmarg that later became the High Altitude Warfare School, which speciali ...

and the Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School among other things. Commandant Lt Gen Himmeth Singh appreciated the difficulties of modern warfare, but emphasized the human factor. His outline of teaching is as follows:

Commandants

There have been a total of 49 Commandants so far:

References

Bibliography

* {{Indian military academies and colleges Indian Army Military academies of India Military academies Indian military appointments Indian Army appointments

History

Commandants

See also

References

Bibliography