In a turning moment for the Indian military, the Supreme Court slammed the Center for resisting the implementation of Delhi HC verdict on its 2010 order for granting permanent commission to women Army officers. It added that the submissions of Centre against it were based on “sex stereotypes”. The court has ordered the implementation of changes within three months. A woman colonel would then be able to command a battalion, which is the first level of independent command in the Army.
Crux of the Matter
Women in Combat Roles Globally Eight nations including Canada, Denmark, Australia, France, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, and Norway send women in combat roles. When women officially became eligible for these positions in the American military in 2013, it was widely hailed as another step towards the equality of sexes. In 2018, the UK military followed suit by lifting a ban on women serving in close combat ground roles, clearing the way for them to serve in elite special forces.
The Centre for Military Readiness of the US, stated in an article on 1 April 2013, “Since the attack on America on September 11, 2001, a total of 149 women deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Syria have lost their lives in service.” Most servicewomen were killed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and some died in military plane crashes, which implies that casualties due to live combat were extremely rare.
Here Hails Rani Lakshmibai In India, woman officers can serve for 10-14 years in the Short Service Commission (SSC). Indian Air Force had 13.09% and 8.5%, Indian Navy 6% and 2.8% women, and Indian Army 3.80% and 3% in December 2018 and December 2014 respectively. In 1888, the role of women in the Indian army began when the “Indian Military Nursing Service” was formed during the British Raj.
Noor Inayat Khan of Indian and American descent was a British heroine of World War II renowned for her service in the Special Operations Executive. Dr. Seema Rao, also known as “India’s Wonder Woman“, is India’s first woman commando trainer, having trained over 15,000 Special Forces of India. Until now, there was no option to allow women in combat roles like infantry, armored, mechanized infantry, aviation, and artillery.
Centre’s Policy On February 25, 2019, the Centre had taken a policy decision to grant Permanent Commission to SSC Women Officers in 8 streams of Indian Army which were: Signals, Engineers, Army Aviation, Army Air Defence, Electronic and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Army Service Corps, Army Ordinance Corps and Intelligence, in addition to Judge Advocate General and Army Educational Core (AEC). But this was not extended to SSCWOs who had put in more than 14 years of service. The government had told the Supreme Court that “troops are not yet mentally schooled to accept women officers in command of units” since they are “predominantly drawn from a rural background”. The physical capabilities of women, the composition of the rank and file and psychological realities were put into limelight.
SC’s Fitting Reply Asserting that the government’s arguments were discriminatory and based on stereotype, the SC said women who have served less than 14 years in the SSC can have the option of permanent commission. It also rejected the center’s arguments of social norms for denying permanent commission to women officers.
Physiological features of women have no link to their rights. The mindset must change. – Justice D Y Chandrachud & Ajay Rastogi
The written submissions have referred to examples of women officers such as Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal, Divya Ajit Kumar, IAF officer Gunjan Saxena, who have received gallantry awards for their bravery during combat operations.
@tellherstorynow @wwp @VA_OEF_OIF The inconvenience of being a woman in combat zone To follow my story please like, subscribe and retweet to share! https://t.co/rKl6eysJWU#womenincombat #veterans #OIF #blogs #herstory #womenempowerment #tellherstory #Military #deployment — Jess (@jess_oif) February 14, 2020
Curiopedia
Combat roles are those that involve engaging and fighting the enemy either in person or by using specialized equipment. A combat mission officer ensures that all things are in their proper places and are available at the time they are needed during military operations. They specialize their training according to their area of expertise, which also determines the setting for their training. Since every aspect of the battle has to be analysed to the smallest detail, some work in offices in command centers, and others choose to work outdoors in training drills and in actual combat situations. More Info
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