From Logistics to Strategy: The Invisible Backbone Women Officers Provide

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Historically, women in defence forces served primarily in support roles—medical services, communication hubs, or educational units. These roles were vital, but lacked visibility. When women first entered military academies and officer training programs, their presence was symbolic, but incremental. By 2018, for example, the Indian Armed Forces had a small percentage of women officers, with numbers like 13% in the air force and under 4% in the army—a respectable seed, but far from parity.

What followed was a gradual dismantling of barriers. Legal reforms, policy changes, and shifting institutional mindsets opened doors to more permanent commissions and broader roles. A landmark moment came when women in the Indian Army began receiving permanent commissions, allowing long-term career progression and access to higher leadership positions—a shift from often temporary or limited postings to full strategic integration.

The story of this shift is one of perseverance. Women officers from a broad range of corps—from engineers to intelligence—have not merely filled quotas but proven their mettle in complex domains once thought unfathomable. Today, specialist training in areas like logistics planning, intelligence analysis, and operational strategy increasingly includes women at par with their male counterparts.

Logistics is often dismissed as ‘just moving supplies’. Yet ask any military strategist, and they’ll say logistics is strategy. Moving fuel to a frontline post, ensuring medical supplies reach a remote outpost, managing communication networks during a crisis—these threads determine the success or failure of missions. And women officers have been quietly mastering them.

Historically, Indian women in uniform were largely limited to roles such as the Army Medical Corps or other non-combat, support positions—a reality dating back to when the Armed Forces first began inducting women in non-medical roles in the early 1990s. However, that boundary is rapidly dissolving.

A landmark breakthrough came in July 2024 when Colonel Anshu Jamwal assumed command of an operational Army Air Defence regiment, becoming the first woman officer to lead in this crucial technical and strategic domain. Her leadership of an air defence unit—responsible for protecting national airspace and advising on tactical operations—marks a significant departure from earlier norms and reflects a broader shift toward gender-inclusive command roles in technical corps such as air defence and signals, not just in traditional medical units.

Logistical planning is a discipline that requires foresight, adaptability, and human management—skills that women officers have brought in full force. From overseeing supply chains to coordinating disaster relief logistics, their contributions often go unnoticed, not because they are insignificant, but because success in logistics is rarely dramatic. It is, after all, the quiet hum beneath every victory.

Take the example of how women officers in units like the Indian Army’s Service Corps or Engineering divisions manage operations that touch everything from base maintenance to humanitarian missions—often under high pressure, with lives hinging on their strategic decisions. Each successful operation is an endorsement of their analytical thinking, logistical precision, and crisis response capability.

The narrative has now evolved from supporting roles to strategic command. In recent years, more women have been appointed to higher ranks, challenging long-held norms. Consider how central the Armed Forces and defence units have become in appointing women to leadership roles—even at the rank of inspector general in forces like the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)—signalling not just presence but leadership.

This is more than breaking glass ceilings; it’s recalibrating how institutions perceive and leverage leadership. As women officers take on strategic roles, they bring distinct strengths: nuanced risk assessment, collaboration-driven planning, and an empathetic command style that strengthens unit cohesion — all essential qualities for modern security challenges ranging from border management to internal security operations.

The shift from traditional roles has become even more striking in recent years. In the Indian Navy, Commander Prerna Deosthalee made history in December 2023 by becoming the first woman officer to command an Indian Naval warship, taking charge of the Waterjet Fast Attack Craft INS Trinkat—a breakthrough for women in maritime leadership.

Beyond this, Sub-Lieutenant Astha Poonia achieved another milestone in 2025 by earning her ‘Wings of Gold’ as the Navy’s first woman fighter pilot for MiG-29K aircraft, expanding women’s roles into frontline aerial operations at sea.

In the Indian Air Force, Group Captain Shaliza Dhami has become a trailblazer—the first woman officer selected to command a front-line combat unit, breaking ground in a domain long viewed as male-dominated.

At the same time, the Indian Army is also witnessing historic breakthroughs: Captain Abhilasha Barak became the army’s first woman combat aviator in its Aviation Corps in 2022, and more recently, Captain Hansja Sharma qualified to fly the Army’s Rudra armed helicopter, signalling a growing presence of women in high-risk operational roles once considered exclusive to men.

Such progress hasn’t come without pushback. In some quarters, traditionalists questioned women’s capabilities in command roles, especially in perceived ‘combat’ or ‘frontline’ functions. Yet, rather than undermining, these challenges have sparked affirmation. Senior leaders have publicly endorsed women officers’ capabilities while reinforcing that gender neutrality isn’t about optics—it’s about operational excellence.

When leadership stands behind inclusion, it sends ripples through the institution — normalising women’s strategic participation and expanding opportunities for future generations.

The importance of women officers in strategic roles transcends equality. It is about effectiveness. Diverse leadership teams generate broader perspectives, enhance decision-making agility, and reduce blind spots—especially in environments where human terrain is as critical as physical terrain.

Women officers no longer operate only behind the scenes. They are integral to planning joint operations, developing defence logistics frameworks, and constructing strategy maps that consider both immediate tactical needs and long-term goals. Their contributions range from optimising supply networks to evaluating risk matrices and mentoring the next generation of officers—all essential to a responsive and resilient security apparatus.

Today, the story is shifting. Where once women were few and roles limited, now there are women leading units, shaping policy, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with male colleagues in strategic decision forums. Each promotion, each appointment, each success story chips away at the outdated belief that military strategy is gendered terrain.

The invisible backbone has begun to show its strength—and with it, the future of defence and security forces is becoming not just inclusive, but wiser, more perceptive, and better prepared for 21st-century complexities.

In the quiet precision of logistics and the commanding clarity of strategy, women officers have found their footing—no longer unseen, but essential. And that transformation is reshaping not just institutions, but perceptions of what leadership really looks like.

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