New Delhi

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has chosen Group Captain Shaliza Dhami, a helicopter pilot, to assume the leadership of a missile squadron in the western sector, IAF officials announced on Tuesday (March 7). This would be the first time a woman officer of the IAF will be in control of a frontline combat unit.

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On the occasion of International Women's Day, the officials said that Dhami, who was commissioned into the IAF in 2003, is a qualified flight instructor and has spent more than 2,800 hours in the air.

The change occurs at a time when the military services are expanding women's horizons and providing them with possibilities on par with those available to males.

“Having been commended by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief on two occasions, the officer is presently posted in the operations branch of a frontline Command Headquarters” said one of the officials as quoted by the Hindustan Times. 

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“This is yet another milestone for women officers in combat and command appointments. Air defence units, such as the one that the lady officer is set to lead, are a critical operational asset of the armed forces,” said Air Marshal Anil Chopra (retd), director general, Centre for Air Power Studies.

In an effort to promote gender equality within their ranks, the IAF and navy have also let women officers join their special forces units—the Garud Commando Force and Marine Commandos, respectively—so long as they match the eligibility requirements.

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The army began appointing female officers to command positions outside the medical stream in February, and about 50 of them are slated to lead units in operational settings, including forward locations, under the Northern and Eastern Commands, which are in charge of securing China's borders with India.

A woman officer, Captain Shiva Chouhan, was initially sent by the army to the Siachen glacier in January of this year in a comparable position.

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