Potential Subedar Major Course Concludes at Junior Leaders Academy Bareilly, Risaldar Major Vijay Shanker Named Best Student

The Potential Subedar Major Course at the Junior Leaders Academy in Bareilly concluded on 2 September 2026, drawing together serving Subedar Majors, equivalent ranks and Potential Subedar Majors from across the Indian Armed Forces and other participating organisations for a common leadership-training programme.

The course brought personnel from the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Assam Rifles and Special Frontier Force into the same training environment. By training junior leaders from different services and formations together, the programme created an opportunity to build professional familiarity, strengthen inter-service understanding and encourage a shared approach to mission-oriented leadership.

Designed to prepare participants for the responsibilities attached to senior junior-leader appointments, the course focused on leadership, professional competence and the ability to contribute effectively at the unit and formation level. It also gave trainees a chance to learn more about the organisational practices and operational perspectives of other services, an exposure that is increasingly relevant in a joint operational setting.

The Junior Leaders Academy at Bareilly is tasked with developing leadership qualities among junior leaders and preparing them for more demanding responsibilities. Courses conducted at the institution provide a structured setting in which experience, professional knowledge and leadership attributes can be sharpened before personnel move into more senior appointments.

The inter-service composition of the course added an important dimension to the training. Participants from the Army, Navy and Air Force trained alongside personnel from Assam Rifles and the Special Frontier Force, reinforcing the value of mutual understanding and professional cooperation when different services and organisations are required to work together.

At the culmination ceremony, Brigadier Gaurav Kapoor, Commandant, Junior Leaders Academy, addressed the participants and interacted with them. He highlighted the importance of leadership and professional commitment as personnel move towards positions of greater responsibility.

The ceremony also recognised individual performance during the course. Brigadier Kapoor felicitated the award winners, acknowledging the trainees who distinguished themselves during the programme and encouraging continued professional excellence.

Risaldar Major Vijay Shanker of the Armoured Corps was adjudged the Overall Best Student of the course. His recognition placed him among the top performers of the training programme and reflected his performance over the course of the training.

Senior junior leaders such as Subedar Majors play a crucial role in connecting commanders with soldiers at the unit level. Drawing on extensive field experience, they contribute to discipline, welfare, training and the day-to-day functioning of their units. Courses such as this are intended to prepare personnel for those responsibilities and to strengthen the leadership pipeline within the services.

The inclusion of Potential Subedar Majors alongside serving Subedar Majors and equivalent ranks also provides a structured pathway for future senior junior leaders. It helps participants prepare for the expanded responsibilities that come with progression in rank and appointment, while reinforcing the professional standards expected of military leaders.

The course’s inter-service format also reflects the wider emphasis on jointness and integrated functioning across India’s defence forces. As modern military operations increasingly call for coordinated use of capabilities across domains and services, building familiarity at the junior leadership level remains an important part of operational preparedness.

With the course concluding on 2 September, participants will now carry the professional knowledge, leadership exposure and inter-service understanding gained at Bareilly back to their respective organisations. The programme adds to the broader effort to develop confident, competent and mission-focused junior leaders capable of taking on greater responsibility in service of the nation.