How the NDA offers women a path to become service chief in the future

Indian Express

2 days ago

There were 17 women cadets in the 148th batch of the National Defence Academy (NDA) which graduated from the prestigious tri-services institute in Khadakwasla on Friday. This is a watershed moment for the armed forces, one which opens a realistic path for women to reach the highest echelons of the Indian military in the coming decades.
Here's a look at the journey so far, and the significance of Friday's milestone.
In 1888, the British established the Military Nursing Service, officially opening up the military for women in India. In 1958, the Indian Army Medical Corps began granting regular commissions to women doctors.
But non-medical roles remained off limits till 1992, when the Women Special Entry Scheme (WSES) was introduced to induct women in select non-combat streams — such as the Army Education Corps (AEC), Corps of Signals, Intelligence Corps, and Corps of Engineers — as Short Service Commission (SSC) officers.
Permanent Commission (PC) remained out of reach for women until 2008, when women SSC officers in the Judge Advocate General department and the AEC became eligible. The government allowed women PC officers into eight other non-combat streams in 2019, but precluded them from being offered command appointments.
The fight for PC and just terms of service had reached the courts in the 2000s. The Supreme Court delivered a landmark verdict on the matter in 2020, ruling that women officers were eligible for PC and command roles across ten streams, and could not be denied 'based on sex stereotypes… which discriminate against women'.
In 2021, the apex court ordered the NDA to admit its first batch of women cadets. The court was hearing a plea seeking directions to allow eligible women to appear in the NDA and Naval Academy entrance examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission.
The 17 women who graduated on Friday were admitted to the premier defence academy a year later.
Integration into squadrons
The NDA has admitted 126 women cadets till date, upto the academy's 153rd batch.
When admitting its first women cadets in 2022, the NDA had said that training will be conducted in 'an absolutely gender-neutral manner' with 'minimum changes to the existing curriculum'.
Most training activities are conducted jointly — along with male cadets — keeping the cadets' employability in mind, specifically the fact that women officers would be required to take up command roles in the future, the NDA says. The academy has a dedicated support staff for training women cadets.
For its first women cadets, the NDA borrowed from training methodologies and regimens already in place in other Pre-Commissioning Training Academies such as the Officers Training Academy Chennai, Indian Naval Academy Ezhimala, and the Air Force Academy Dundigal. Women SSC officers have been graduating from these academies since 1992.
Women cadets were initially provided separate accommodation on the NDA campus. But they have since been integrated into the existing 18 squadrons of the academy. This milestone was achieved earlier this year, during the sixth and final term of the first batch to include women.
The NDA's 18 squadrons are the foundational units of the academy's organisation, effectively acting as cadets' families during their time in the academy. The integration of women cadets into the squadrons means that they live and train like any of their male counterparts, going through the entire daily routine together.
On Friday, the women cadets marched shoulder to shoulder with the men, wearing the same uniforms, and completely indistinguishable from their male counterparts to the average watcher.
A momentous occasion
In October 2021, after the Supreme Court had ordered the NDA to admit women, then Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Mukund Naravane had said: 'I think 30 to 40 years down the line, a woman could be standing where I am standing.'
The very same thoughts were echoed by former COAS and current Mizoram Governor Gen V K Singh (Retd), who was the Reviewing Officer for the passing out parade of the NDA's 148th batch on Friday. 'I envision a future not far from now when one of these young women may rise to the highest echelons of the service they go to,' he said.
This is what makes Friday's milestone such a momentous one in the history of the Indian armed forces.
Previously, women joined the military via SSC or direct entry routes into select branches. Neither did they have the opportunity to take up command roles, nor a viable long-term path to rise up the ranks of the armed forces.
The NDA offers the early career training, leadership grooming, and exposure that only male officers had access to till now, which in turn opens the door for women officers to have a stable, permanent career in the military. A woman cadet graduating from the NDA can start young, and potentially build a 35- to 40-year-long career that is essentially a prerequisite to becoming a service chief.
Command roles, especially in combat arms like infantry, artillery, navy warships, or fighter squadrons, are also crucial for career advancement. Women cadets graduating from the NDA for the very first time will have the opportunity to reach these positions.
'The recent developments are certainly encouraging,' a retired Indian Air Force (IAF) Air Marshal told The Indian Express. 'However a deeper cultural shift within the armed forces is necessary. A change that would normalise having women in leadership [positions],' he said.
Some streams remain out of bounds for women, meaning conscious decisions will have to be taken to change that situation, the retired IAF officer added. 'Armed forces will also have to take further efforts on work-life infrastructure and mechanisms for maternity policy, childcare support, spousal postings. The criteria for promotion boards and evaluation, command postings will need upgrades,' he said.
Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010.
Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune.
Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read More