IAF makes history as woman to command combat unit

The Indian Air Force for the first time handed over the command of a frontline combat unit to a woman as it appointed Group Captain Shaliza Dhami as the commanding officer of a missile squadron in Punjab, breaking yet another glass ceiling for women in armed forces.

Commissioned in 2003 as a helicopter pilot, Group Captain Dhami has over 2,800 hours of flying experience. A Qualified Flying Instructor, she served as flight commander of a helicopter unit in the western sector, IAF sources said here on Tuesday.

The appointment comes at a time when several doors in the male-dominated military – ranging from entry into the National Defence Academy and selection for commanding frontline army units to deployment on-board warships and flying combat jets – have been thrown open to the women, albeit with some nudges from the High Courts and the Supreme Court.

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Group Captain Dhami, who has been commended by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief on two occasions, is currently posted in the operations branch of a frontline command headquarters.

The IAF made the announcement weeks after the Indian Army selected 108 women officers for promotion from Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel. As a Colonel, many of them are likely to lead operational units even in forward areas in northern and eastern sectors.

In January, Chief of the Army Staff Gen Manoj Pande said a proposal was sent to the government to allow entry of women officers in the artillery regiments. However, the basic army combat units - infantry and mechanised infantry – are still out of bounds for women.

As of July 2022, nearly 4 per cent of the officers (excluding the medical and dental branch) in the Indian Army are women whereas the count rose to 6 per cent for the Indian Navy. For the Indian Air Force that allowed combat flying for women eight years ago, 13.69 per cent of officer cadre are women.

In fact, the experimental scheme to induct women officers as fighter pilots initiated in 2015 had been regularised into a permanent scheme, defence ministry sources said, adding there had been a steady growth in the induction of women in the armed forces.

The selection of Group Captain Dhami came close on the heels of the Indian Army picking up Capt Shiva Chauhan as the first woman for operational deployment at Siachen glacier – the world’s highest battlefield - and Capt Deeksha C Mudadevannanavar as the first woman to be a part of a Special Force unit as a regimental medical officer. Also 25 women officers were sent on a UN deployment.

Incidentally, the Defence Ministry on Tuesday signed a Rs 6,800 crore contract with HAL to supply 70 indigenous basic trainer aircraft HTT-40 and a Rs 3,100 crore deal with L&T to build three cadet training ships.