women in Army enter into artillery regiments.

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Women in the army enter into artillery regiments.

After tearing into the skies in fighter jets and serving on Frontline warships,women may soon be handling  big booming howitzers and deadly rocket system.In a major move,the Army now plans to commission women officers into its artillery  regiments.

    After permanent commission(PC) for women  officers,the plan to induct women in artillery regiments is part of the overall process towards making the Army as gender-neutral as possible, a senior officer said.

    There is,however, no move to induct women officers in the main 'combat arms' of infantry,armored cops(tanks) and mechanized infantry (infantry combat vehicles).Similarly, submarines in the Navy remain a 'no-go' area for them as of now.

    While artillery is designated as a 'combat-support arm' in the 12-lakh strong Army,it is on the Frontlines of war-fighting with units deployed along the unresolved  volatile  borders with both  China and Pakistan. 

    There are over 280 artillery regiments in the Army. Which handle 105mm field guns,Bofors  howitzers and the 'upgunned' Dhanush and Sharang guns to the new M-77 ultra-light howitzers and K-9 Vajra self-propelled tracked guns.The indigenous Pinka multi-launch rocket systems as well as similar Russian-origin Smerch and Grad units are also part of the artillery. 

     While women officers have been inducted into the over 14-lakh strong armed forces since the early 1990s,they number just over 3,900(around 1,710 in Army,1,650 in IAF and 600 in Navy) in their 65,000-strong officer cadre.There are separately around 1,670 women doctors,190 dentist and 4,750 nurses in the military medical stream.

        The military brass for long had opposed inducting women in larger numbers,assigning them combat roles or granting them permanent commission on the grounds of 'operational,practical and cultural programs'.

      But women, often with the Supreme Courts help,are breaking more more military barriers.The first batch of 19 women cadets(Army 10,IAF 6 and Navy 3),for instance,has been under-going the three-year course at the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla since August last year.

     Women Army  officers can now also get permanent commission in eight new branches apart from legal and education wings.They are Army Air Defence,Signals,Engineers,Army Aviation,EME Army Service Corps(ASC),Army Ordnance Corps and Intelligence Corps.

    There is currently a special Board under way for 108 women officers to be promoted to the rank of Colonel(selection grade) out of the 244 being considered for the first time,as was reported by last week.