On International Women’s Day let's talk about the women in battlefield who protected the country from front.

The Indian Air Force also for the first time handed over the command of a frontline combat unit to a woman as it appointed Group Captain Shaliza Dhami as the commanding officer of a missile squadron in Punjab, breaking yet another glass ceiling for women in armed forces.

Dhami has been commissioned as a helicopter pilot since 2003 with over 2,800 hours of flying experience. A Qualified Flying Instructor, she served as flight commander of a helicopter unit in the western sector.

The appointment of Dhami was an exemplary move in the male dominated military.  The entry into the National Defence Academy and selection for commanding frontline army units to deployment on-board warships and flying combat jets, have been thrown open to the women.

An announcement was made by the IAF weeks after the Indian Army selected 108 women officers for promotion from Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel. As a Colonel, many of them are likely to lead operational units even in forward areas in northern and eastern sectors.

In January, Chief of Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande said a proposal was sent to the government to allow entry of women officers in the artillery regiments. However, the basic army combat units - infantry and mechanised infantry – are still out of bounds for women.

As of July 2022, nearly 4 per cent of the officers (excluding the medical and dental branch) in the Indian Army are women whereas the count rose to 6 per cent for the Indian Navy. For the Indian Air Force that allowed combat flying for women eight years ago, 13.69 per cent of officer cadre are women.

The selection of Group Captain Dhami came close on the heels of the Indian Army picking up Capt Shiva Chauhan as the first woman for operational deployment at Siachen glacier- the world’s highest battlefield - & Capt Deeksha C Mudadevannanavar as the first woman to be a part of a Special Force unit as a regimental medical officer. Also 25 women officers were sent on a UN deployment.

Source: deccanherald