Women Officers to be Inducted into Artillery: Government Gives the Nod

The Artillery is a combat support arm of the Army and is the second largest in size after the Infantry, comprising various calibres of guns, surface-to-surface missiles, tracked guns, mortars, and unmanned aerial platforms. The exact number of women officers to be inducted into the Artillery will be known at the time of the commission of the next batch from the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai later this year.

This recent decision follows the government's approval on 1 March to induct women officers in the Remount and Veterinary Corps (RVC), with four women officers being among the 20 officers indicted into RVC in 2023, as informed by Ajay Bhatt in Parliament. With this decision, women will now serve in all arms of the Army except for the Infantry and Armoured Corps, which are considered to be fighting arms.

Since the approval of the induction of women officers in the Army in 1992 by the Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs as Short Service Cadre, the first batch of 25 women officers were commissioned into the Army Service Corps (ASC), Army Ordnance Corps (AOC), Army Education Corps (AEC), and Judge Advocate General (JAG) Department in March 1993. In November 2021, a gender-neutral career progression policy was promulgated for women officers after they were granted permanent commission, providing equal opportunities for them in the Arms and Services where they are commissioned.

In addition, the defense services have also opened entry for women candidates in the National Defence Academy (NDA), with 19 cadets, including 10 for the Army, joining the academy every six months. The first batch of women cadets started training in NDA from July 2022, and the second batch from January 2023. Furthermore, the Army has also opened avenues for women officers to serve as pilots in the Army Aviation Corps since 2021. Women officers are also being considered for Colonel (Select Grade) ranks and are being given command appointments. The total number of women officers currently serving in the Army, including Army Medical Corps/ Army Dental Corps and Military Nursing Service officers, is 6,993, as per data shared in the Parliament on March 17 by the Minister of State. Overall, these steps reflect the continued efforts towards gender inclusion and empowerment in the Indian Army.