In historic first, women officers commissioned into Indian Army's Regiment of Artillery

In a historic first, the Indian Army commissioned five women officers to its Regiment of Artillery.

The Regiment of Artillery is the second largest arm that constitutes a formidable operational arm of the Indian Army. The firepower of Artillery with its missiles, guns, mortars, rocket launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles packs a lethal punch and indeed makes it an ‘Arm of Decision’, as per Indian Army.

After successfully finishing their training at the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai on Saturday, the female officers joined the Regiment of Artillery.

Lt. Mehak Saini, Lt. Aditi Yadav, Lt. Sakshi Dubey and Lt. Pious Mudgil are the female officers who joined the Regiment of Artillery.

The female officers will be assigned to various artillery units where they will receive the necessary training and experience to operate SATA (Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Rocket) and other equipment under difficult circumstances.

Three of the five female officers are assigned to forces stationed near northern borders, while the other two are dispatched to difficult regions in the Western Theatre.

Lt Mehak Saini is commissioned into a SATA Regiment. Lt Sakshi Dubey & Lt Aditi Yadav are commissioned into Field Regiments, Lt Pious Mudgil is commissioned into a Medium Regiment and Lt Akanksha is commissioned into a Rocket Regiment.

In a statement, the Indian Army noted that the occasion was a significant turning point for the force's women officers, "who have been breaking barriers to serve their country with valour and distinction."

According to the Army, the five Women Officers (WOs) who are being commissioned will have access to the same chances and challenges as their male counterparts. Along with the WOs, 19 additional men were commissioned into the regiment.

At the commissioning ceremony the young women cadets took the oath of allegiance to the constitution and received their rank insignia.

Senior military leaders, including Lt. Gen. Adosh Kumar, Colonel Commandant, and Director General of Artillery (Designate), as well as dignitaries and the happy families of the newly commissioned officers, were present at the event.

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According to the sources cited by PTI news agency, of the five female officers, three are assigned to units stationed near China's borders while the other two are placed in "challenging locations" close to Pakistan's border.

The commissioning of women officers into the Regiment of Artillery is evidence of the Indian Army's progressive development. Gen Manoj Pande, the Chief of Army Staff, made the decision to commission female officers into artillery units public in January. Later, the government agreed to the proposal.

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