Indian Army to commission Women Officers in Artillery Regiments soon

Indian Army to commission Women Officers in Artillery Regiments soon

The largest armed force of India, the Indian Army, has finally decided to induct women into their combat stream in the near future beginning with the Regiment of Artillery. So, now, the preparations are on to include them in the Regiment. It means very soon you will see women operating guns like Bofors Howitzer, K-9 Vajra.

As of now, the women officers have not been granted permanent commissions into Infantry, Armoured, Artillery and Mechanised Infantry.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the combat employment philosophy of women in the Armed Forces is a continuously evolving process and is regularly reviewed by them. A senior officer informed the media, “After permanent commission (PC) for women officers, the plan to induct women in artillery regiments is part of the overall process towards making the army as gender-neutral as possible. However, there are no plans to induct women officers in the ‘Combat Arms’ of Infantry, Armored Red Corps (Tank) and Mechanized Infantry”

The regiment of artillery is the second-largest arm of the Indian Army which comes after the infantry. It is also defined as the “Arm of Decision” as it houses missiles, guns, mortars, rocket launchers, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Presently, women army officers have not been permitted to access the infantry, armour, artillery, or mechanised infantry. Currently, In the Navy, women are limited to submarines only.

Since the early 1990s, women officers have become part of 14 lakh-strong armed forces. However, there are only 3900 (around 1,710 in the Army, 1,650 in the IAF, and 600 in the Navy) in the 65,000-strong officer cadre. Apart from this, 1670 women doctors, 190 dentists, and 4,750 nurses serve in the military medical stream.

The army has not been in favour of the induction of women in large numbers and they were reluctant to take them into combat roles or granted them the PC on grounds of “operational, practical, and cultural problems.” But now with the favourable judgements of the Supreme Court, women are making their strong place in the army and ascending their way to the top.

With another historical decision, since august 2022, the first batch of 19 female cadets has been enrolled in a three-year programme at the national defence academy in Khadakwasla. Other than education and law, women officers are now also able to get permanent commissions in eight new fields. Army Air Defense, Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, EME, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, and Intelligence Corps are among them.

The role of artillery in the Indian Army with 1.2 million soldiers is that of a ‘combat support arm’. Yet artillery units are deployed along the borders with China and Pakistan. There are more than 280 artillery regiments in the Indian Army.