Explained: Where are the woman forces standing in the Army?

New Delhi: Captain Abhilasha Barak secured the title of first woman combat aviator in the Indian Army. The director-general of the Army Aviation awarded the coveted ‘wings’ to Abhilasha along with 36 Army pilots during a ceremony held at Combat Army Aviation Training School in Nashik.

“Captain Barak became the first woman officer to join the Army Aviation Corps as combat aviator after successful completion of the combat Army aviation course,” an official said. Abhilasha is from Haryana and entered the Army Air Defence Corps in September 2018.

Although this is one of the proudest moments for all the Indians, we still need a little push for the inclusion of women in the forces. Let’s take a look at the nuances:

SC Ruling on NDA and Permanent Commissions

In a decision taken on February 17, 2020, the Supreme Court has ordered that woman officers in the army be given permanent commissions, rejecting the Centre’s statement that their psychological limits were based on “sex stereotypes” and “gender discrimination against women.”

SC ordered that woman officers serving under SSC be considered for permanent commission within three months, regardless of whether they had completed 14 or 2 years of services.

In September 2021, the government informed SC that women can attend military colleges and be eligible for permanent commissions. This ruling came after the court authorised women to take the National Defence Academy entrance exam (NDA).

Previously, the court criticised the government for denying to allow women to sit for NDA exams. It stated, “It is a policy choice based on gender discrimination.”

Major General Arvind Bhatia (retd) earlier informed the news portal, News18 that NDA is modifying its infrastructure with the creation of separate enclosures, cabins, and additional washrooms and also putting in place a robust security apparatus to welcome women cadets from mid-2022.

He further detailed the changes made in the NDA for women cadets. He stated that initially a portion of an existing squadron with exist around 110 cadets would be segregated and associated infrastructure would be created for the first batch. Besides, a different set of women instructors, doctors including gynaecologists, and other requisite support staff would also be included in the women cadets as they join in 2022.

Earlier the women were listed in the army under the Short Service Commission (SSC) and were not eligible for qualifying for the PC, which enabled the officers to serve for a longer period.

In the early 1990s, women were allowed for SSC in the armed services’ education and legal departments Women had gained access to eight unexplored areas throughout the years including engineering, intelligence, and logistics.

The debate on women in combat

Although over 3,500 women serve in the military, they are restricted from front-line combat duties until the government authorised an Indian Air Force (IAF) proposal to include women into the fighter stream in 2015. Women are also restricted from warships, tanks, and infantry combat positions. Now, the Navy’s maritime reconnaissance aircraft, which is a combat mission allows women to serve as pilots and observers.

Moreover, the involvement of women in combat jobs such as Infantry and Armoured Corps has been a discussion over the years, particularly in India. Several opinions on the issues have been received, with some arguing to be a move necessitates a societal shift first. 

Women will keep going

Capt Abhilasha is from the Army Aviation Corps, which is a part of the army that was formed in November 1986. The Corps is led by Lt Gen rank officer known as Director General of Army Aviation.

The three services have been opened up for women in the last few years. In 2018, flying officer Avani Chaturvedi of the Indian Air Force recorded history by flying a fighter aircraft solos for the first time as an Indian woman. 

Chaturvedi was in a three-member women team regarded as flying officers in July 2016, following the government decision to open the fighter stream for women on an experimental basis. Besides, in 2020, the Navy announced the deployment of the first batch of women pilots on the Dornier maritime aircraft.