Chastened by the Supreme Court judgments granting equal opportunities to women officers at par with their male counterparts, the government and the armed forces are expanding the enlistment of women as Personnel Below Officer Rank. The process started with the enrolment of women as Other Ranks (OR) in the Corps of Military Police (CMP) and 83 women soldiers were inducted in 2021. The plan was to gradually enlist 100 soldiers per year in the CMP taking the strength from 1,700 to 2,036.
The introduction of the Agnipath Scheme on 14 June 2022–to recruit both male and female soldiers in the three Services for a four-year tenure with 25 per cent permanent absorption–gave impetus to the enrolment of women as PBOR. Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Air Force (IAF) stole the match by opening all branches for women sailors and air warriors. As of 4 August 2023, 726 and 155 women serve in the IN and the IAF, respectively.
Surprisingly, the Army continued with its restrictive policy under which only 83 women were serving in the CMP. Now it too seems to be giving final shape to a gender-agnostic policy for recruitment of women as PBOR in all arms and services except close combat arms–infantry and mechanised forces. The military still has to accept this change in letter and spirit.
Cultural challenge
Equal opportunities for men and women in the armed forces are now the law of the land as enshrined in Articles 14, 15, and 16 of the Constitution, reinforced by the Supreme Court judgments, and government policy. The armed forces had doggedly contested this far-reaching reform. And the closed mindset of the hierarchy was evident.
A cultural challenge is the education of all ranks to wean them from the cult of the ‘male warrior’ where women have no place. A case in point is naming women enrolled under Agnipath Scheme as ‘Agniveers’, symbolising the ‘male warrior’. An appropriate new name like Agniveerangna should be introduced.
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Fix the gender quota
On the face of it, given the size of the women population and rampant unemployment, there should be no dearth of volunteers. In 2022, out of the 10 lakh individuals who applied for Agniveer enrolment in the Indian Navy, 82,000 were women (8.2 per cent). In 2019 and 2020, 1.6 lakh women applied for the 100 vacancies in the CMP. However, this (enrolment in CMP) was before the Agnipath Scheme was implemented. The Central Armed Police Forces (CRPF) have been able to enrol only 3.69 per cent of women despite permanent enrolment, contributory pension, service up to the age of 60 years, and 15 to 33 per cent reservation for women since 2016. A national survey would give more accurate data.
In militaries across the world, the average percentage of women varies from four to 16 per cent. Mandatory conscription makes Israel an exception with 34 per cent of women in its armed forces. The ultimate goal for any military should be a gender-neutral and merit-driven entry system, taking into account the physiology of women for fitness tests.
However, initially, for administrative reasons such as creating the necessary infrastructure, establishing the desired psychological environment, and encouraging women, gender quotas may have to be fixed. The US military–which follows a merit-driven entry service in all arms including fighting arms and services–has 16 per cent women serving across all ranks. India should graduate progressively from five per cent to 15 per cent reservation for women personnel in this decade.
Physical fitness standards
The primary argument against the induction of women into the military has been about their physical fitness standards and the ability to withstand rigours of service. It’s true that women have certain physiological limitations but, ideally, the military should have gender-neutral standards.
As per a study carried out by a United States Presidential Commission on the induction of women into close combat units in 1992, female soldiers, on average, are shorter and smaller than men. They have 45-50 per cent less upper body strength and 25-30 per cent less aerobic capacity, which are essential for close combat.
Due to the below-par performance of women affecting operational efficiency, the US army made fitness standards gender and age-neutral. Since last year, the Army Combat Fitness Test has again been made gender specific. However, no compromises were made on the fitness standards required for close combat arms.
In my view, the physical fitness standards for women must be equivalent to the minimum/satisfactory standards for men in supporting arms/services. But for fighting arms and Special Forces, they should be at par with the men to withstand the rigours of combat. Thus, on physical standards alone, the employment of women in the armed forces will be restricted to specific roles. But the ones who meet the standards should not be denied the opportunity, as has been done by a number of countries. Rather than go through a prolonged hit-and-trial process, it would be prudent for the Indian armed forces to carry out a scientific study to review the physical fitness standards for both men and women.
Sexual harassment and assault
With a large number of women being inducted as PBORs, one of the most serious problems likely to arise is sexual harassment and assault by superiors, colleagues and subordinates. This societal problem manifests itself more acutely in the armed forces due to the stereotypical ‘male warrior’, who does not accept women as equals. Men and women in the age group of 20-40 living, training and fighting in close proximity only compounds the problem. Consensual sex with others on duty—which violates military rules and regulations—also becomes a major problem.
In 2021, 8.4 percent of women and 1.5 percent of men were sexually assaulted on duty in the US military. Sexual offences against women as a percentage of all crimes in the military are the highest. So much so that one of the first actions of US President Joe Biden was to order a 90-day Independent Review Commission on sexual assault in the military.
It is not practical to raise and maintain gender-based units and sub-units. Operational efficiency requires that they have to be mixed. The armed forces will have to create the necessary gender-based billeting infrastructure in mixed units, particularly in field areas.
So far, the Indian military’s experience is limited to a relatively small number of women officers. Most reported gender-related offences against them have been committed by male superiors or fellow officers. The women officers’ position of authority safeguarded them from soldiers. Now that a large number of women are likely to be inducted as PBOR, the armed forces must carry out a detailed study based on past incidents in the Indian military and those of other countries to lay down policy rules, regulations and laws to deal with gender-based crimes.
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Terms and conditions of service
Equal opportunities and gender parity for women must not come at the cost of additional workload on male soldiers resulting from concessions with respect to terms and conditions of service. Needless to say, physiological and gender-specific rights like maternity and childcare leave will have to be granted to women. The armed forces will have to exercise great care laying down the terms and conditions of service, keeping in view the organisational interests and operational efficiency.
I have seen a significant drop in the performance of women after they get married and have children. There is also a marked tendency among them to request peace tenures to look after the children and more-than-authorised postings with spouses. It was still a manageable problem due to the relatively smaller number of women officers. But now, women soldiers will have to cope with 50 per cent of service in field tenures, away from family, and with the same privations as men.
Need for visionary and far-sighted policy
Let there be no doubt that it was the Supreme Court that enforced gender-neutral opportunities and a dithering government and reluctant armed forces had to fall in line to initiate reforms. The public debate and legal battles have been driven by gender parity and the constitutional right to equality. The ethically assessed performance of women in the military was never made an issue.
The induction of 15 per cent or approximately 2,00,000 women into the armed forces in a decade will be one of the most complex organisational challenges that they have faced. The experience is limited and restricted to women officers whose role and terms and conditions of service took three decades to be finalised through hit and trial and proddings by the Supreme Court. This must not be repeated with women enrolled as PBORs.
The military would do well to conduct an all-encompassing study to frame a policy for entry, training, fitness standards, terms/conditions and management of women in the armed forces, incorporating the experience and best practices of all modern militaries. The policy must be framed with the foresight to ensure gradual and streamlined execution without sacrificing operational efficiency.
Lt Gen H S Panag PVSM, AVSM (R) served in the Indian Army for 40 years. He was GOC in C Northern Command and Central Command. Post-retirement, he was a Member of the Armed Forces Tribunal. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)