The revolution of women in uniform

For a civilisation, country and moreover a service steeped in age-old traditions and customs, the Indian defence forces have emerged as one of the most progressive bastions for women in uniform. Modern military history has seen women take part in various “combat-support” roles from medical, administrative to manning anti-aircraft guns. Even in the most gender-agnostic Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), with its stated equality amendment to the military service in 2000, stating, “The right of women to serve in any role in the IDF is equal to the right of men,” ensuring up to 90 per cent of roles open for women, the fact is that less than 4 per cent of active combat roles have women in them. They essentially remain in “combat-support” domains.

In India, both Lieutenant-General Punita Arora and Air Marshal Padmavathy Bandopadhyay personified the professional capability of women by rising to three-star ranks in the Army and Air Force respectively. Both these trailblazers were medical practitioners and administrators who ensured that the mental ceilings and perceptions were re-calibrated for other women in the armed forces. In 2010, in an unprecedented recognition till then, Divya Ajith Kumar became the first female cadet to bag the prestigious Sword of Honour at Officers Training Academy in recognition as the best cadet in a batch of 244 cadets, including 181 male cadets. She would later command an all-women contingent at the Republic Day parade in front of US President Barack Obama, signalling India’s march on an issue that equals the US defence forces.

Considering that women were allowed to enter services as late as 1992 on Short Service Commissions (in medical officers cadre since 1943 and in the Military Nursing Services earlier, in 1927), they have come a long way in a very short time. Flight officer Gunjan Saxena was flying in the combat zone during Kargil operations (Shaurya Vir awardee) and later squadron leader Teji Uppal landed a twin-engine turboprop at Daulat Beg Oldi, few kilometres from the Line of Control in Leh. Lt. Col. Mitali Madhumita earned a Sena Medal for gallantry — she saved at least 19 lives during the February 2010 terrorist attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul. Though, sadly, her battle to fight service restrictions and earn permanent commission is stuck in a morass of legalities, the significance of her battle is substantial and extremely commendable. All through the tribulations and scepticism, female officers have earned the trust and confidence of the organisation and soldiers under command, without alluding to a quota or tokenism, and therein lies the silent revolution of women in uniform.

This June, flying cadets Mohana Singh, Avani Chaturvedi and Bhawana Kanth are on the threshold of breaking into new skies and enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Indian Air Force — flying fighter planes. All three have undergone the mandatory flying on Stage 1 trainers and are now flying Kiran Mark IIs, after which they will graduate to advanced jet trainers for the ultimate fighter flying training. All the requisite physical, mental and psychological tests are applicable to them, including the holy grail of testing — the 5G + manoeuvres (more than five times the gravitational pull) — and they are reportedly up to the task. While female pilots have flown transport aircraft and helicopters since 1992 in the IAF, this historical trial without any serious concessions will pave the way for women to fly combat air patrols (CAPs), though they are still not cleared for flying over enemy territory as the risk to themselves and the nation is of a different dimension in the unforeseen eventuality of getting shot down over enemy territory. This is in keeping with international practices, though the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics did boast of Lydia Litvyak and Katya Budanova, ace fighter pilots during the Second World War with 12 and 11 kills respectively.

India’s step-at-a-time approach is more assured and calculated and, thus, enabling. Accelerating intake and opening all positions immediately is akin to the cavalier and slapdash approach adopted earlier that subsequently became counter-productive and left women officers dissatisfied with the service conditions. Quoting figures of higher composition of women in the US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan belies the fact that while female casualties have occurred owing to hostile activities like improvised explosive device blasts, suicide blasts and helicopter crashes, there hasn’t been a single “combat casualty” as women have not been placed in direct confrontation with the enemy. They have been deployed in “combat-support” roles only. Also the socio-psycho composition of the bulk of Indian soldiers and their acceptance of taking “combat orders” from women needs to be weighed in — blanket induction without aligning sensitivities will prove counter-productive and could hamper the fighting efficacy and preparedness of the defence forces.

So while the overall outlook needs to be gender-agnostic and the most fit and committed personnel ought to “earn the stripe”, induction of women should not be done out of a misplaced sense of emancipation or “ticking the box” of equal opportunities as often misconstrued outside of the uniform fraternity. Even the Women’s Reservation Bill, seeking 33 per cent of Lok Sabha and state Assemblies seat is more talk and less action with negligible progress.

Defence forces have a certain ethos. They work in the most trying circumstances that are afforded by a nation’s requirements. Ironically, it is only here where we have pushed the envelope to allow women to rightfully enter on merit and blaze their way to true equality without any favour or leniency. The writer is a former lieutenant-governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Puducherry