Meet Shaliza Dhami, first woman IAF officer to command combat unit
Group Captain Dhami, who is a qualified helicopter pilot with over 2,800 hours of flying experience, will now oversee missile readiness and command-control in one of India's most sensitive border sectors.
- Mar 7, 2023,
- Updated Mar 7, 2023 6:50 PM IST
Women often face barriers to entry, including limited access to education and training, as well as cultural and societal pressures that steer them away from traditionally male-dominated fields.
However, times have changed now. In a big move, the Indian Air Force has appointed Group Captain Shaliza Dhami as the Commanding Officer of a missile squadron near the Pakistan border, news agency ANI reported.
Group Captain Dhami, who is a qualified helicopter pilot with over 2,800 hours of flying experience, will now oversee missile readiness and command-control in one of India's most sensitive border sectors.
She was commissioned in the year 2003 and has served as Flight Commander of a Helicopter Unit in the Western sector.
The officer is currently posted in the Operations branch of a frontline Command Headquarters after being commended twice by the Air Commander Commanding-in-Chief.
In the IAF, a Group Captain is equivalent to a Colonel in the Army.
Meanwhile, Indian Army has started assigning women officers to command posts outside of the medical branch, with roughly 50 of them scheduled to lead units in operational regions, including forward locations, under the Northern and Eastern Commands, which are in charge of securing India's borders with China. In 2020, Indian Army began issuing permanent commissions to women which helped them take leadership roles.
Recently, India Today reported that 108 of the women officers would be promoted to the rank of Colonels in the Indian Army.
Also Read: Indian Army tweaks Agnipath scheme to recruit skilled ‘Agniveers’ for technical roles
Women often face barriers to entry, including limited access to education and training, as well as cultural and societal pressures that steer them away from traditionally male-dominated fields.
However, times have changed now. In a big move, the Indian Air Force has appointed Group Captain Shaliza Dhami as the Commanding Officer of a missile squadron near the Pakistan border, news agency ANI reported.
Group Captain Dhami, who is a qualified helicopter pilot with over 2,800 hours of flying experience, will now oversee missile readiness and command-control in one of India's most sensitive border sectors.
She was commissioned in the year 2003 and has served as Flight Commander of a Helicopter Unit in the Western sector.
The officer is currently posted in the Operations branch of a frontline Command Headquarters after being commended twice by the Air Commander Commanding-in-Chief.
In the IAF, a Group Captain is equivalent to a Colonel in the Army.
Meanwhile, Indian Army has started assigning women officers to command posts outside of the medical branch, with roughly 50 of them scheduled to lead units in operational regions, including forward locations, under the Northern and Eastern Commands, which are in charge of securing India's borders with China. In 2020, Indian Army began issuing permanent commissions to women which helped them take leadership roles.
Recently, India Today reported that 108 of the women officers would be promoted to the rank of Colonels in the Indian Army.
Also Read: Indian Army tweaks Agnipath scheme to recruit skilled ‘Agniveers’ for technical roles