Major Hardeep Singh Kalsi is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. He passed out from the Indian Military Academy in Dec 1981 and was commissioned into 9th Battalion, The Rajputana Rifles, the oldest Rifle Regiment of the Indian Army.

Named after the achievements of 9 Rajputana Rifles in the 1971 Indo-Pak War in the “Battle of Balnoi” in the Poonch Sector “Baalnoi Academy” was created in 1997 as a need based coaching institute to train aspirants for the Defence Services.