Over 10,400 women officers serving in three services: Govt data

In response to a question, MoS for Defence Ajay Bhatt said the Indian Air Force has commissioned 15 women fighter pilots to date

Over 10,400 women officers are serving in the three services, including 6,589 in the armed forces medical services, according to details provided by the defence ministry in Rajya Sabha on Monday.

In response to a question, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt said the Indian Air Force has commissioned 15 women fighter pilots to date and the women officers are now being inducted in all combat roles. He said the Indian Navy has already deputed 28 women officers on board ships.

The details provided by Bhatt showed that the total number of women officers serving in the three forces was 10,493. According to the details provided by Bhatt, the Army has 1,705 women officers followed by 1,640 in the IAF and 559 in the Indian Navy.

In the Army, 82 women officers are serving in the Army Air Defence wing, 212 in the Corps of Engineers, 243 in the Corps of Signals and 29 women officers are from the Army Aviation Corps. As many as 272 women officers are serving in the Army Service Corps and 309 are from the Army Ordnance, according to Bhatt.

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In the IAF, apart from 15 women fighter pilots, 53 are working as helicopter pilots, 60 are serving in the aeronautical engineering wing (mechanical), 551 are in aeronautical engineering (electronics), 150 in the logistics wing and 16 are from the meteorological department, according to Bhatt's reply.

In the Navy, out of the total women officers, 134 of them are serving as executives (logistics) and 73 as executives (observers). The details showed that 4,734 women officers are serving in the Military Nursing Service and 1,855 in the Army Medical Corps and the Army Dental Corps.

"The combat employment philosophy of women in the armed forces is a continuously evolving process and regularly reviewed by them," Bhatt said.

At present, women are being commissioned into the Indian Army in 10 wings which are: Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, Army Air Defence, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Aviation Corps, Intelligence Corps, Judge Advocate General Branch and Army Education Corps.

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