Women Personnel in Defence Forces

Women Personnel in Defence Forces

Presently, women are recruited in Indian Army as Officers through Short Service Commission (SSC) on all India merit basis along with men candidates.  Women Officers are inducted in Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Army Education Corps, Judge Advocate General Branch including Engineers, Signals, Intelligence and Electrical & Mechanical Engineering branches.  In addition, they are also commissioned in Medical Branch Army Medical Corps (AMC), Army Dental Corps (ADC) and Military Nursing Service (MNS).  Further, Women Officers are eligible for grant of Permanent Commission in Judge Advocate General (JAG) Department and in Army Education Corps (AEC) of Army.

The IAF has pioneered the entry of women as officers in flying and ground duty.

In Indian Navy, women officers are inducted through Short Service Commission, in Logistics, Law, Observers, Air Traffic Control (ATC), Pilots (Maritime Reconnaissance Stream), Naval Armament Inspectorate cadre (NAIC), Naval Architecture and Education Branch.

The details of women officers in Army (excluding Medical, Dental & Nursing Branch), in Indian Air Force (excluding Medical and Dental Branch) and in Indian Navy recruited during the last three years, Service-wise, are as under:- 

The percentage of women officers in the three services of armed forces are as under:-

In 2011, the Government approved consideration of women Short Service Commission Officers (SSCOs) for grant of permanent commission along with men SSCOs in specific branches in the three services viz. Judge Advocate General (JAG), and Army Education Corps (AEC) of the Army and their corresponding branches in Navy and Air Force, Naval Constructor in Navy and Accounts Branch in Air Force.

In March 2016, approval has been accorded for induction of women Short Service Commission (SSC) officers as Pilots in Maritime Reconnaissance (MR) stream and in the Naval Armament Inspectorate (NAI) cadre.  The inductions are planned commencing from mid 2017.

In the Indian Air Force since 1993, women officers have been inducted in all branches and stream as Short Service Commissioned Officers except in the fighter stream.  However, IAF has revised Short Service Commission scheme to induct women into the fighter stream on experimental basis for five years.  The first batch of three women officers was commissioned in the fighter stream on June 18, 2016.

In addition, steps like increasing tenure of women officers and improving promotional prospects in Army have been taken to increase participation of women in the Army.

This information was given by Minister of state for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Harish Chandra alias Harish Dwivedi in Lok Sabha today.

PIB