Women Personnel of the Armed Forces

Women Personnel of the Armed Forces

The number of women officer's (excluding medical and dental branch) in all the three wings of defence forces is as under:

Army (as on 1.1.2017)	Navy (as on 16.3.2017)	Air Force (as on 1.3.2017)
1528	469	1581

The details of women officers (excluding medical and dental branch) recruited during the last four years and the current year, Service-wise, are as under:-

Year	Army	Navy	Air Force
2013	127	50	144
2014	104	57	155
2015	72	35	223
2016	69	43	108
2017 (till March)	35	01	14

In 2011, the Government  approved consideration of women Short Service Commission Officers (SSCOs) for grant of permanent commission along with men SSCOs in specific branches in the three services viz. Judge Advocate General (JAG), and Army Education Corps (AEC) of the Army and their corresponding branches in Navy and Air Force, Naval Constructor in Navy and Accounts Branch in Air Force.

In March 2016, approval has been accorded for induction of women Short Service Commission (SSC) officers as Pilots in Maritime Reconnaissance (MR) stream and in the Naval Armament Inspectorate (NAI) cadre.  The inductions are planned commencing from mid-2017.

The IAF has revised Short Service Commission (SSC) scheme to induct women into the fighter stream on an experimental basis for a period of five years.  The first batch of three women officers were commissioned into the fighter stream on June 18, 2016.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri Tiruchi Siva in Rajya Sabha today.

PIB