In A First, Air Force Gives Woman Officer Command Of Frontline Combat Unit

Breaking the glass ceiling, the Indian Air Force has chosen Group Captain Shaliza Dhami to assume control of a frontline combat unit in the Western area.

A woman officer has been assigned command of a frontline combat unit for the first time in the history of the IAF; in this case, a missile squadron in the Western region.

The Army started assigning female officers to command positions outside of the medical stream earlier this month. About 50 of them will serve as leaders of units in forward operations regions. Both the Northern and Eastern Commands will experience this.

Group Captain Dhami has more than 2,800 hours of flying experience and was commissioned as a helicopter pilot in the year 2003. She has worked as the Flight Commander of a Helicopter Unit in the Western sector and is a qualified flying instructor.

In the IAF, a group captain is the equivalent of an army colonel. The officer is currently assigned to the Operations division of a frontline Command Headquarters and has received two commendations from the Air Commander Commanding-in-Chief.

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