PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
The Indian Military Academy (IMA) will hold its spring term 2026 Passing out Parade (PoP) on June 13. This year’s parade will be a historic event in the 94-year history of IMA. For the first time, a batch of female officer cadets will pass out from the academy and join the Indian Army as officers. Nine female officer cadets who joined IMA in July 2025, have completed their training and will march alongside their male counterparts during the ceremony. A total of 515 officer cadets will pass out from the academy. This includes 481 Indian officer cadets and 34 foreign officer cadets from 16 countries.
The parade is slated to be attended by President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Droupadi Murmu. She will review the parade as the reviewing officer and inspect the marching contingents. The President’s presence will add special significance to the event. In the past, only a few Presidents of India have reviewed Passing Out Parades at IMA, including A P J Abdul Kalam in 2006, Pratibha Patil in 2011 and Ram Nath Kovind in 2021.
The commissioning of female officer cadets is being seen as a major step towards increasing the role of women in military leadership. Since its establishment in 1932, IMA has trained thousands of military officers, making this a landmark moment in the academy’s history.
