Women personnel in the Armed Forces are not being deployed for combat operations

Women Personnel in Defence Services

Women personnel in the Armed Forces are not being deployed for combat operations and on naval warships. Induction of women in combat duties has not been recommended by the studies carried out by the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQIDS) in 2006 and High Level Tri-Services Committee in 2011.

In the Armed Forces, Women are inducted as Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) alongwith men SSCOs with a tenure of upto 14 years. All officers including SSCOs, irrespective of gender, are eligible to hold substantive rank of Lieutenant Colonel after completion of 13 years of reckonable commissioned service. Further, Women SSCOs are eligible for grant of Permanent Commission in specific branches in the three Services viz. Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps of Army and their corresponding branches in Navy and Air Force; Naval constructor in Navy and Accounts, Technical, Administration, Logistic and Meteorology branches in Air Force in terms of extant Government Policy.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parrikar in a written reply to Dr Bhola Singh and others in LokSabha today.