To project Nari Shakti (woman power) beyond the country’s borders, India has sent a delegation of three women officers in the armed forces to participate in Saudi Arabia’s World Defense Show 2024 in Riyadh to showcase technological developments from around the world, officials knowledgeable about the matter reported on Monday.
The Indian women officers participating in the show, which is being held from February 4 to 8, represent three services. One is a fighter pilot, another is a combat engineer, and the third is a naval officer.
The three are Indian Air Force Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth, Indian Army Colonel Ponung Doming, and Indian Navy Lieutenant Commander Annu Prakash, according to HT.
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This show offers a unique platform for the global defence industry to network, partner, share knowledge, and discover new innovations and capabilities across all defence domains, according to its organizers. The event is being attended by top military leaders, government officials, and leaders of the defence industry.
As one of the first three women to be commissioned into the Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot in 2016, Kanth currently flies a Sukhoi-30 fighter jet.
To provide connectivity to one of the military’s farthest outposts in the sensitive sector, Fukche, located just 3 kilometers from the Line of Actual Control, Doming’s unit is building a high-altitude road in Ladakh’s Demchok sector. Furthermore, her unit is responsible for completing the upgrade of an advanced landing ground near the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh into a fully-functional fighter operations base. Prakash, a naval air operations observer, is the first woman to command INS Kochi.
A panel discussion on ‘Investing in an Inclusive Future’ on February 7 will focus on the representation of women across the entire defense sector and gender diversity. Kanth’s panel will also include Major General Adel Al-Balawi, the Saudi ministry of defense’s head of the armed forces, education and training authority, as well as Air Marshal ME Sampson of the Royal Air Force of the United Kingdom. During the show, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States, Reema Bandar Al Saud, will lead the ‘International Women in Defense’ programme.
At the National Cadet Corps rally on January 27, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the world is watching how Indian women are exhibiting Nari Shakti and proving their mettle in all fields.
A first-ever all-female tri-service contingent, which included Agniveers (hired for a brief period under the Agnipath scheme in personnel below the officer rank cadre), participated in the parade under the leadership of women officers. A spectacular fly past was also conducted by 15 women pilots, including six fighter pilots. They flew Rafales, Sukhoi-30s, and helicopters.
A number of women are no longer on the margins, but are being assigned central roles on par with their male counterparts. As a result, they are flying fighter planes, serving on warships, serving as commanding officers, being inducted into the PBOR cadre, eligible for permanent commission, and receiving training at the National Defence Academy.
A total of 80% of the Republic Day parade activities involved women, including the heralding of the parade by 112 women artistes playing a variety of Indian musical instruments from across the country, as well as the Vande Bharatam cultural extravaganza that involved 1,500 women. Additionally, a woman officer unfurled the national flag during the arrival of President Droupadi Murmu amid the sound of a 21-gun salute.
