Three NDA cadets to participate in prestigious Italian competition

Pune : Three cadets from the National Defence Academy will participate in the 11th edition of the prestigious Competition on Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) for military academies in Italy later this month, an officer said here Tuesday.

“Scheduled to take place at the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, SanRemo, Italy from 26-30 March 2012, Cadets Yash Sawalkar, Kiran Shashikant Landge and Akshat Joshi will take part in the competition,” the officer from the NDA said.

The competition is targeted specifically at officer cadets to offer them an opportunity for enhanced training in LOAC in order to promote respect for the rule of law. Lecturers and experts in LOAC from various academies, colleges and universities are also invited to participate actively in the theoretical component of the course, to enhance the level of knowledge and experience shared with cadets during this world-wide competition.

“These kinds of competitions will help them develop the ability to think on their feet in a pressure-cooker environment; they need to know the law, apply it to the scenario, and articulately communicate their ideas — all almost instantaneously,” said Lt Gen Jatinder Singh, an awardee of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Space Marine Commandant of the NDA.

The NDA is at present training more than 2,000 cadets including 79 cadets from friendly foreign countries.

“The main objective behind the event is to make the cadets aware of the law of armed conflict (also called the law of war) and its application within the context of contemporary conflicts. The event also offers a forum for cadets from across the world to interact,” said Brigadier (Retd) M. B. Anand who has been guiding the cadets on LOAC.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to work with members from military academies around the world,” said Cadet Sawalkar, a participant.

The week-long event will put teams into a variety of simulated scenarios; competitors might act as legal advisers, prime ministers, Red Cross delegates or other roles for a given situation.