Maj Gen Jagatbir Singh, VSM (Retd)
THE INTEGRATION OF women in the armed forces has been debated worldwide. The same is the case with the Indian Army as it continues to march towards gender inclusivity, as the role and performance of women officers have gained increasing prominence. Women have continually shattered glass ceilings, the latest being commanding units. However, challenges remain and these have been brought to the fore in a recent letter by Lieutenant General Rajeev Puri, commander of the 17 Corps, to his superior, the Eastern Army Commander. The letter in no way diminishes the role of women in the Army. The issue is not about women’s right to equal opportunity, but the imperative to balance gender equality with the concern about equal suitability for command of units.
Women were first inducted into the Indian armed forces in the early 1990s. Those days women officers had to face policy obstacles―being eligible only for Short Service Commissions―that limited their career progression and marginalised their presence. Also, cultural inhibitions arising from gender stereotyping and patriarchal bias in the male-dominated armed forces denied them certain opportunities. Despite these barriers, women over the past three decades achieved seniority and leadership across the services and many biases have faded due to their remarkable performance.
The year 2023 was a landmark moment―women were given command of units on par with their male counterparts. And 108 women officers out of 224 from the 1992 to the 2006 batches were screened by a special selection board in January 2023 for promotion to the rank of colonel. Those selected assumed command appointments. This selection board was a one-time measure to clear the backlog following the 2020 Supreme Court judgment granting parity for permanent commission and promotion with their male counterparts. But the larger question remains―were the armed forces being pushed to accommodate executive decisions irrespective of whether the institution is prepared for them or not?
While it may be argued that the sample size of eight out of 108 women officers in command is small, for Lieutenant General Puri, the eight women commanding officers represent a fair percentage of his command and he felt that the problem of their suitability needed to be addressed. Also, these women are commanding units of supporting arms such as Engineers and Signals and Services. Though the onus is on an officer to measure up to the physical, intellectual, psychological and performance standards, it is also imperative for the Army to provide them the conditions to prepare them for the demands of command.
Command is undoubtedly the most challenging assignment tenanted, but there is a procedure which grooms officers for command. This includes tenanting command criteria appointments in units, serving in high-pressure staff appointments at various levels, attending and performing well in mandatory courses and earning suitable confidential reports wherein they are judged for suitability for command. Training is an ongoing process, and leadership styles are shaped by years of experience. Needless to say, not everybody makes the cut. Of course, some of these baptisms were missing for those women officers who are currently in command of units.
Corrective measures in terms of preparing women for command by making them undergo senior command courses are now in place. In addition, the evaluation system regarding their suitability for command also needs to be addressed as the present lot of women in command came up through a court-directed selection board.
Women have an increasingly expanding role in the Army and the focus must be on utilising them in a manner that reflects their strength and enhances the operational efficiency of the services. Training, preparing, grooming, evaluating and selecting women officers for command in the same manner as is being done for their male counterparts needs to be the focus. In future there will be women officers who are command ready having attended the Staff College and senior command courses, held high-pressure appointments and earned command reports, and their profiles will then be indistinguishable from their comparative male counterparts.
The letter should, therefore, not be seen as raising alarm bells but viewed as a professional assessment in a positive light of ushering in changes for the betterment of both women officers and the organisation. Further, it would be unfair to state that all women officers do not measure up to the responsibilities of command and the obverse regarding all male officers measuring up to the challenges of command is also incorrect. The Army believes in inclusivity without discrimination of any type but, at the same time, is focused on meritocracy and constant improvements, which results in reviews and course corrections.
The fact that the Corps Commander felt it necessary to write to the Army Commander to raise issues that need to be resolved indicates that he is deeply concerned. Being an operational commander with multiple units under him, he has been observing women commanding officers in his corps from a unique vantage point and has also been given inputs on their performance by those below him in the chain of command. His concerns must not be seen as undermining the performance of women in the Army but be taken cognisance of as feedback that is necessary for the overall betterment of the Army. The issue has been addressed with maturity and diligence based not only on his appointment but also on his professionalism and experience. Lieutenant General Puri has not hesitated in putting forth his views in a forthright manner and as this is the first time women officers are being exposed to command, the Army needs to take course corrections which, I am sure, are already underway.
In the Armed Forces, operational and organisational interests are always paramount. This issue, therefore, needs to be looked at from the point of view of operational imperatives and service conditions rather than from a gender equality approach.
Major General (retired) Jagatbir Singh had commanded an armoured division. He is a distinguished fellow with the United Service Institution of India.