Women in Special Forces: Despite some women in the Indian Armed Forces volunteering to join the elite special forces, none has yet managed to meet the qualifications, according to a statement made to Parliament on Friday by the government.
Ajay Bhatt, the Minister of State in the Defence Ministry, explained in a written response to the Lok Sabha that women officers are free to volunteer for the special forces, provided they meet the Qualitative Requirements (QRs) and complete the necessary training successfully, with no gender discrimination involved.
He further noted that two women officers in the Indian Air Force had volunteered and were given the chance to undertake the special forces training, but they did not manage to pass. In addition, 20 female sailors (Agniveers) in the Indian Navy took the aptitude test for special forces induction, but none passed.
Read More: 6 Reasons Women Can’t Join Special Forces in India
The Marine Commandos of the Navy, the Para-Special Forces of the Army, and the Garud Commandos of the IAF are required to endure months of rigorous probation and meet exceptionally high physical and mental standards before they can be eligible to join a special forces unit.
After passing the qualification process, they are then given specialized training according to their unit’s specific task, such as desert, jungle, mountain, and counter-terrorism specialties in the Army’s special forces units.
These special forces units across the three services train for a variety of high-stakes military tasks including covert strikes, anti-terror operations, intelligence gathering, and laser designation behind enemy lines.
While women do serve in the Army’s parachute units, they are yet to make a mark in the special forces units.
Over time, the three services have permitted women to join in several capacities, recently including as Agniveers. The Army, being the largest service, has the most women officers, numbering 1,705.
