Join Indian Naval Academy Admission, Career, History and Info NAVAC

Join The Indian Naval Academy
(NAVAC, also known as INA or Ezhimala) is the initial officer training establishment of the Indian Navy, located in Ezhimala, Kerala. Situated between Mount Dilli and the Kavvayi backwaters, NAVAC has a 7 km beach front on the Arabian Sea. It conducts basic training for all officers inducted into the Indian Navy. It also currently trains Indian Coast Guard personnel while the Indian Coast Guard Academy (ICGA) is currently under construction at Azhikkal. NAVAC was established in May 1969, while its Ezhimala campus was inaugurated on 8 January 2009. It shares the 2,452 acres (9.92 km2) site with the naval base depot, INS Zamorin, and the naval hospital, INHS Navjivani

HISTORY


Before the National Defence Academy (NDA) was established in 1954, Indian Naval officer cadets underwent four years of training in Dartmouth, United Kingdom with the Royal Navy and were commissioned as Sub Lieutenants upon their return. By 1968, the Navy realized that the NDA could not keep up with its expanding staffing requirements and the Indian Naval Academy was established to impart basic training in Cochin in May 1969.

The academy was consolidated with the Officers training school, at INS Mandovi in Goa in 1976. But with the growing use of INS Mandovi as an operational naval base, as well as the existing Provost and Physical Training school at the location, the Naval Academy operated under considerable space constraints. In addition, providing basic training for Coast Guard officers at the academy further stretched the facilities. Hence the Navy decided to obtain sanction for a new permanent Naval Academy to cope with increasing training load.

The initial requirement for the site for the academy was at least 100 acres (0.40 km2), in the vicinity of the sea or a large lake for basic seamanship. The site had to be in the proximity of a railhead, yet at some distance from the neighboring township. Another requirement was relative proximity to a naval base, as well as a bracing and moderate climate. The space requirement was later revised to consolidate training efforts in a single location for cost-effective operation.

In 1979, the Government of India approved the development of a new campus for the Indian Naval Academy. The sites considered for the new Naval Academy were Aruvankadu near the Pykara Dam Lake in the Nilgiri Hills in the vicinity of Wellington Cantonment, a site near the Bhatghar Dam situated off the Pune-Kolhapur highway, Hassergate Lake near Bangalore, Porbandar on the Saurashtra coast, Chingleput near Chennai and Ezhimala, north of Kannur on the Kerala coast. The Government of Kerala was keen to host the academy in the state and offered the Navy 960 hectares at Ezhimala. It also offered essential infrastructure facilities like water and electricity supply, approach roads and bridges, capital dredging of the Kavvayi backwaters (for basic rowing and small boat training), construction of a seawall to prevent erosion, as well as expansion of the nearest railway station at no cost to the Navy. In 1982, the Central Government approved the construction of the academy at Ezhimala and granted the Kerala Government a soft, medium-term loan for acquiring the land from private owners and the resettlement of the evacuees

Campus


The academy's campus is spread over 2,452 acres (9.92 km2) with 7 km of beach front on the Arabian Sea. The INA is divided into three zones -- a Training zone, an Administration zone and an Accommodation zone.

Admission

Prospective applicants to the undergraduate officer-trainee program of the Indian Navy apply through the National Defence Academy. NDA cadets opting to join the Navy complete two years of joint training at NDA, Khadakwasla with the Army and Air Force cadets. They then transfer to INA for the next two years. Cadets have the option to major in Electronics & Communication Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Naval Architecture and are awarded a Bachelor of Technology degree upon graduation. Upon graduation, cadets are commissioned as Sub Lieutenants in the Navy.

Cadets majoring in Naval Architecture have to undergo an additional 6 months of training at the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam after graduation. They also have the option to enroll for additional post-graduate specialization in the field at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Admisison to NAVAC as graduate officer-trainees of the Indian Navy is conducted through a written examination conducted by the UPSC, followed by 5-days of testing and interviews conducted by the Service Selection Board (SSB). These cover general aptitude, psychological testing, medical tests, team skills as well as physical and social skills. For the Short Service Commission (SSC) officer-trainees, selection is through merit. SSC officers have the option to apply for permanent commission based on their performance and track record.

Graduating officers often go on for additional training or specialization in areas such as surface warfare, submarine warfare, naval aviation, etc at other Naval schools.

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