New Delhi. Graduates of the 57th National Defence College (NDC) Course (2017 Batch) were awarded the degrees in a convocation ceremony held at the NDC in New Delhi on March 2.

Minister of State for External Affairs General VK Singh graced the occasion and delivered the valedictory address while awarding the parchments to the officers in the presence of Commandant, NDC Vice Admiral Srikant and Head of Department (Department of Defence Strategic Studies) University of Madras Prof (Dr) Utham Kumar Jamadhagni.

Vice Admiral Srikant, in his inaugural address, asserted that on completion of the NDC course the graduates were confident to handle complex situations, and taking a broader view of all aspects related to national security and strategy.

The Minister in his address congratulated the MPhil degree recipients and also exhorted them to further pursue their studies in national security and to become thinking scholar-soldiers who can further their respective nations interests. He appreciated the diverse fields of professional expertise and the global representation in the course participants that would help in enriching both knowledge and mutual understanding.

The NDC, New Delhi is the premier seat of strategic learning in India. A total of 100 officers of the rank of Brigadier and equivalent from the Armed Forces and Joint Secretary level officers from civil, police and allied services attend the prestigious NDC course each year.

Armed forces officers from about 25 friendly foreign countries also attend the course. NDC alumni have gone on to occupy the highest positions of state, the Armed Forces and the governments both in India and abroad. One-year course also qualifies the officers to receive an MPhil degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from the prestigious University of Madras, Chennai.