A selection board of the Indian Army has cleared the way for promotion of five women officers to the rank of colonel after completing 26 years of countable service. This is the first time that women officers have risen to the rank of colonels outside branches such as the Army Medical Corps (AMC), Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps (AEC).
Indian army statement
The Army said a selection board of the Indian Army has cleared the way for the promotion of five women officers to the rank of colonel after completing 26 years of outstanding service. A statement by the Indian Army said that this is the first time that women officers serving with the Corps of Signals, Corps of Electronic and Mechanical Engineers (EME) and Corps of Engineers have been sanctioned the rank of Colonel. The Army said that earlier promotion to the rank of colonel was applicable only to women officers in Army Medical Corps (AMC), Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Army Education Corps (AEC). The expansion of promotion avenues in more branches of the Indian Army is an indication of the growing career opportunities for women officers. With the decision to grant permanent commission to women officers from most branches of the Indian Army, the move defines the Indian Army’s approach towards a gender neutral army.
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Here are the five women selected
The five women officers selected for the Colonel Time Scale rank are Lt Col Sangeeta Sardana from the Corps of Signals, Lt Col Sonia Anand and Lt Col Navneet Duggal from the EME Corps, and Lt Col Reenu Khanna and Lt Col Richa Sagar from the Corps of Engineers.
Know when can be made colonel
Presently, due to the pyramid structure of the Indian Army and the stringent selection criteria, a large proportion of officers do not manage to make the cut for the rank of Colonel. That is, a lieutenant colonel cannot become a colonel until a current colonel retires or is promoted to brigadier. Periodically after 26 years of countable service they become colonels and hence they write their rank as Colonel (TS).
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