IAF Chief hints at induction of women officers in combat roles

Induction of women officers in combat roles in the Indian Air Force (IAF) now seems possible.

IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha indicated this in an interview with India Strategic magazine (www.indiastrategic.in) when he said that their chances ‘in the near future are very bright’.

He pointed out that IAF had already opened all branches for induction of women as Short Service Commission (SSC) officers, except in the fighter stream of the flying branch.

"The probability of women pilots flying in combat roles in the near future is very bright," he said.

Although it may take some time for the decision to take effect due to procedural approvals, including from the defence ministry, the air chief's statement is a clear indication that a positive decision has possibly been reached and could soon be announced.

In fact, so far, women officers in all the three services "are not being deployed on active duty close to the border wherein they are likely to be exposed to direct line of fire" by an enemy.

But apparently, in keeping with global trends and demands by women for parity even in combat roles, and also to make up for the shortage of officers, IAF, and then possibly the other two services, would gradually unleash them in the defence of the country.

via India TV

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Now, women army officers to command units

Women Army officers, in a break from long-standing tradition, will finally get to command their units in the foreseeable future.

Based on a recommendation from the Army, the defence ministry has okayed a proposal to allow women who join as fresh recruits in 2015 and beyond to command units after being trained on the same pattern as their male counterparts.

The Army has chosen Army Aviation as one of the streams in which women could be inducted and allowed to command units. The other streams could be signals and engineers.

The armed forces have only now begun to offer permanent commission to women officers after earlier restricting them to legal, education and other such wings.

Since the early-1990s, women have been serving in wings like legal, education, engineering, ordnance, intelligence, signals, air traffic control and the like of the armed forces but only as short-service commission officers with a maximum of 14 years in uniform.

Women officers are still not allowed to serve on operational warships or fly fighter jets, or join infantry, artillery or armoured corps. There are just around 2,250 women in the officer cadre of the 13-lakh-strong armed forces.

via Times of India

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