Indian Air Force permits Women to join its Elite Garud Commando Force to Promote Gender Equality

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 13 December 2022

According to authorities acquainted with the issue who declined to be identified, the Indian Air Force has authorised women officers to join its special forces unit, the Garud commando force, as long as they meet the requirements for selection.

One of the officials claimed that although the decision to admit women to the elite wing was made last year, it has only just come to light.

According to a report, the Indian Navy has allowed women access to its elite special forces, allowing them to join the Marine Commandos (Marcos) if they pass the selection process.

Although the air force and navy have let women to enlist for their special forces, authorities from the two services insisted that the selection and training standards will not be compromised.

Some of the fiercest warriors who go through intense training, are able to mount a quick and stealthy response in restricted areas, and have historically been a man's domain make up the special forces of the army, navy, and air force. Special forces units require soldiers to volunteer for membership rather than being assigned to them.

The Garud commando force was expanded by the air force in 2004. The action was taken three years after four terrorists tried to enter the Awantipora fighter base near Srinagar in broad daylight while armed with Kalashnikovs and grenades. All of them were killed.

In the past, it was frequently argued that physiological, psychological, and cultural reasons prevented more women from serving in the military. One of the turning points, though, was the air force's decision to add them to the fighter stream in 2015.

Additionally, the navy is expanding their opportunity to work alongside men aboard warships. They are able to pilot helicopters thanks to the army. Tanks and infantry combat roles are still off-limits to women, it's true.

Women officers and sailors undergoing training at INS Chilka in Odisha who will join the navy as Agniveers next year would have the option of volunteering to become Marcos. Though the recruitment process has already begun, the air force won't start inducting women into the personnel below officer rank (PBOR) cadre until the following year.

As previously reported, the armed forces have advanced significantly in the three decades since commissioning the first group of female officers in the short-service stream, and are now providing them with a variety of opportunities that have given them new, hard-earned identities, given them power, and helped bridge the gender gap significantly in a traditionally male-dominated field.

The first group of female candidates is currently undergoing training at the National Defense Academy. Women in uniform are no longer on the periphery; instead, they are being given central roles on par with their male counterparts. They are flying fighter planes, serving on warships, being enlisted into the PBOR cadre, and being eligible for permanent commission.