The Navy has appointed its first woman commanding officer for a naval ship, in alignment with the Navy’s philosophy of “all roles, all ranks”, according to Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar on Friday.
Sources have revealed that the officer, a Lieutenant Commander, will be taking command of INS Trinkat, a fast attack craft stationed in the western seaboard. She has not yet assumed the new role.
This marks the first time a woman officer will be assuming command of a ship. According to sources, the officer is a qualified navigation instructor and has been involved in training observers who have been inducted into the Navy.
She is also reported to be the first woman officer to have served as an observer in the Navy’s Tupolev Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft.
Admiral Kumar stated that the officer had to complete all qualification processes and exams, and will now undergo pre-commissioning training before assuming command of the craft.
He also mentioned that the Navy’s submarine arm is open to women, who would need to volunteer, pass an aptitude test, and undergo rigorous training before deployment.
The overall strength of women in the Agniveers has now surpassed 1,000, which demonstrates the Navy’s ‘all roles, all ranks’ approach to deploying women in the service, according to Admiral Kumar.
In March, the Indian Air Force selected Group Captain Shaliza Dhami to take command of a frontline combat unit in the western sector. Several women officers in the Army are also commanding various units across the country.
There are currently 10,493 women officers serving in the Indian Armed Forces, including its medical services. The Army, being the largest of the three services, has the largest number of women officers at 1,705, followed by 1,640 women officers in the IAF and 559 in the Navy. This data was presented by the government to Parliament last year.
Amrita Nayak Dutta writes on defense and national security as part of …
