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Defence & Security, Today in News
Mahesh

10/03/23 09:21 AM IST

Shaliza becomes 1st woman to command combat unit in IAF

In News
  • The Indian Air Force (IAF) has for the first time selected a woman officer to command a frontline combat unit in the Western sector facing Pakistan. Group Captain Shaliza Dhami is an experienced helicopter pilot.
Women in Armed forces
  • The armed forces, traditionally thought of as a male bastion, have in the past 30 years seen success in the induction of women, though the journey has not been smooth.
  • In 2008, a permanent commission was extended to women in streams of Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps.
  • In 2015, India also opened new combat air force roles for women as fighter pilots.
  • Women have been allowed in combat in the Air Force, but we are yet to see women in combat roles in the army and navy.
  • Even though women have been in the forces since 1992 all roles and career options are not offered to them.
  • There are 10,493 women officers serving in the armed forces, the majority in the medical services.
  • The Indian Army, being the largest of the three services, has the largest number of women officers at 1,705, followed by 1,640 women officers in the Indian Air Force, and 559 in the Indian Navy.
  • In January 2023, the army deployed a woman officer, Captain Shiva Chouhan, on the Siachen glacier for the first time.
  • In February 2023, the army began assigning women officers to command roles outside of the medical stream for the first time.
  • Around 50 of them are set to head units in operational areas under the Northern and Eastern Commands responsible for guarding India's borders with China.
Source- The Hindu

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