Mhow: Lt Gen Devendra Sharma, PVSM, AVSM, SM, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Army Training Command (ARTRAC), visited the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering (MCTE) here on February 27, 2026, where he inaugurated the much-awaited NFS Advance Training Centre, a unique Pan-India tri-services facility aimed at bolstering the armed forces’ network-centric warfare capabilities.
The NFS, or ‘Network for Spectrum’, is India’s dedicated, secure nationwide optical-fibre communication backbone built exclusively for the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force. Under this landmark project, the defence services released a large chunk of their spectrum for civilian use in exchange for a robust, intrusion-proof 58,000-km-plus OFC network that delivers high-speed, real-time voice, data and video connectivity across 414 defence stations. The new training centre at MCTE will serve as the nodal hub to train officers on seamless integration of legacy communication systems with the modern NFS ecosystem.
During his visit, Lt Gen Sharma witnessed student officers demonstrating the integration of legacy systems with NFS. He also reviewed the Drone Training Node, Electronic Warfare and Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) laboratories and was briefed on specialised training being imparted to young officers to prepare them for technology-driven battlefields.
Later, the Army Commander proceeded to the Cadets Training Wing (CTW), where he was apprised of ongoing training activities and the introduction of scientifically designed physical conditioning methodologies aimed at minimising injuries while enhancing combat readiness. He interacted with Indian Cadet Appointments and foreign officer cadets from Vietnam, Bhutan, Myanmar and Tanzania.
Lt Gen Sharma was also briefed at the iconic ‘Ananta’ Memorial and Motivation Hall. He conveyed his appreciation to Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi, VSM, Commandant MCTE, for the institute’s pivotal role in shaping “future-ready tech-warriors.”
The visit underscores the Indian Army’s thrust towards modernising training infrastructure to keep pace with emerging battlefield technologies.
MCTE commandant Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi, deputy commandant Maj Gen Gautam Mahajan and other senior officers of MCTE accompanied Lt Gen Sharma during his visit.
contact: drrajeshjauhri@gmail.com
Dr Rajesh Jauhri is a Journalist with an experience of over 25 years in Indian and foreign media, a Social Scientist, an Ac-complished Author, a Political & Strategic Analyst, a Marksman (Rifle & Pistol), an Orator, a Thinker and an Educationist. He holds a Ph.D. degree on “Impact of colonial heritage on Indian police”. He runs an NGO dedicated to the social and eco-nomic uplift of tribal communities in MP and two decades back, he established a school in a village of Indore district, providing education and moral values to children belonging to underprivileged and minority families. Has received multiple awards in various fields.
