Induction of Women: Have the Indian Armed Forces Benefitted

Induction of Women: Have the Indian Armed Forces Benefitted

(Fauji Apr 2015)

Major General Mrinal Suman

Two events of the recent past have reignited the debate about the induction of women in the Indian armed forces. One, the Guard of Honour given to President Obama was commanded by a woman officer. Two, the Republic Day Parade included women contingents. Undoubtedly both are noteworthy occurrences – the nation is certainly proud of their smart turn-out and drill movements. As both were political decisions of symbolic value, no euphoric reaction is warranted.

Unfortunately, the Indian media (both print and electronic) is populated by the reporters who know little about national security imperatives and military matters. They thrive by blazoning hyperbolic and embellished headlines. Overwhelmed by the sight of women marching on the Rajpath, a well-known media personality proclaimed, “Women have proved that the defence of the nation is safe in their hands”. Can there be a more comical statement? One reporter declared that equality of sexes stood proved beyond doubt. Yet another columnist went to the absurd lengths of calling it ‘a grand display of Nari Shakti’. They did not care to explain as to how marching on Rajpath can be construed as a testimony of women’s prowess to fight on the borders.

Similarly, a few months back, media was agog with the news that a woman officer had been selected for the ‘coveted post’ of ADC to a General. It was hailed as a path-breaking recognition of the woman-power. Needless to say, the media did not know that the appointment of ADC is neither coveted nor based on any selection criteria. It is entirely dependent on the personal preferences of the concerned commander. 

Ignorance and unwillingness to learn render Indian media incapable of examining the issue of women’s entry in the services in an objective manner. For media, it is simply a case of ‘women empowerment’, ‘conquest of the last male bastion’, ‘gender equality’ and ‘women’s liberation’. It is least concerned about the fighting potential of the services.

Many people cite the bravery of Rani Jhansi, Razia Sultana and Chand Bibi to emphasise suitability of women for combat. How juvenile can one get! They forget that these brave ladies were exceptions. More importantly, even they did not recruit women in their armies.

It is often suggested that women can be easily accommodated in safe and softer posts in peace areas and not exposed to tough operational environment. Proponents of such ideas have to be reminded that there are only a handful of such posts and even male officers need a break from the grind of hard field postings to sort out their family affairs.

The hollowness of the arguments offered by the self proclaimed advocates of women power can be gauged from their claim that induction of women helps overcome the shortage of male officers. There cannot be a more senseless and foolish argument. It is a fallacy that male volunteers are insufficient. As per UPSC reports, more than 400 candidates apply for each seat in NDA. It is just that the services seek very exacting standards for males while women are accepted with abysmally laughable standards. For that matter, there are no standards for women. No woman cadet ever fails or gets relegated.

Raison d'être of the Armed Forces

The armed forces are created for the sole purpose of ensuring security of the nation, both against internal and external threats. That is the only justification for their existence. If that be so, every single policy decision must result in the enhancement of their fighting potential.  

Hence, before a major policy decision is taken, it should be studied thoroughly and its affects thought-through. Unfortunately, the decision to induct women was taken in the early 90s by a service Chief, in a cavalier, hasty and shoddy manner. It was simply a case of aping foreign militaries – ‘if other armies can have women, we should also have’. It was a patently flawed logic.

The militaries are designed, organised, equipped and trained to operate in the threat environment faced by the country. As no two countries face similar threats, no two militaries are alike. Every nation has to weigh its options against the backdrop of its operational imperatives and threat assessment. It is absurd to replicate models of foreign countries.

Unlike the Western countries, Indian military is facing hostile external and internal environment. Majority of the troops are deployed on active combat duties in remote, inhospitable and uncongenial areas. Only physically fit and tough troops with raw physical power can survive to deliver in such environment.

Additionally, whereas high-tech militaries of the West need a large number of technical personnel for which women can contribute effectively, the low-tech Indian military has very few such jobs. 

Howsoever righteous and morally upright the principle of equality of sexes may be; it should be applied to the armed forces in a conscientious manner without succumbing to populist pressures. The military exists to win wars, not to serve as an equal opportunity employer.

The Foreign Militaries

Foreign militaries are often cited by the self proclaimed champions to demand increased induction of women in the Indian armed forces. They forget that it is a matter of compulsion for them. As enough men are not volunteering for the services, women have to be inducted as they are ‘better than nothing’.

Although women have been serving in the militaries of developed countries for a long time, they are still grappling with various functional, social, behavioral and psychological issues. A few aspects have been clarified here.

No country has employed women in direct combat. Despite the much touted huge presence of women in the US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, there has not been a single woman casualty in direct action against the enemy. Some women have certainly lost lives ‘due to hostile activities’, like IED blasts, suicide bombers and rocket attacks.

To date most countries do not allow women tank crews because of the cramped conditions and lack of privacy. There are also concerns about cramped living conditions on board submarines and dangers posed by fumes inside the submarine to a foetus if a woman becomes pregnant. Even in Israel which has conscription for women (as well as men), women are not allotted active battle field duties. They serve in technical, administrative and training posts to release men for active duty.

A recent review conducted by the British army concluded that women have neither the upper-body strength nor the physical resilience to withstand intensive combat. Tests in 2000 respondents found that women were eight times more likely than men to sustain injuries other than wounds in action. The female skeletal system is less dense and more prone to breakages; in particular to stress fractures. With 25-30 percent less aerobic capacity, their endurance ability is far lesser than men.

Supporters of women’s induction never tire of citing the US as a shining example of women’s participation. They will be shocked to learn the truth. As per Gordon Duff, senior editor of Veterans Today, “The US military has become a culture of rape, prostitution and violence.”

As per the report released by the US Defence Department in May 2013, sexual abuse is a routine occurrence.  The report admitted that, on an average, three sexual assaults took place every hour or 500 every week in the US military during 2012. The Marine Corps had the worst record – on an average, four women were sexually abused each day in 2012. These figures refer only to the reported cases whereas a large number of cases remain unreported. Many women have been too traumatised to lead a normal life afterwards and need continuous counselling and medical attention.

Conditions in the British forces are better, but only marginally. A joint survey carried out by the Ministry of Defence and the Equal Opportunities Commission found that 67 percent of the respondents had experienced ‘sexualised’ behaviour directed at them personally in the previous 12 months. While 15 percent had a ‘particularly upsetting’ experience, sexual assault was cited by 12.7 percent of the respondents.

Women and the Indian Services

Nearly 25 years have passed since the decision to induct women was taken. It is time to find out whether the services have benefitted from the said decision? Have the women improved the fighting prowess of the services by their contribution? Their induction can be justified only if the answer to the above posers is in the affirmative.

Unfortunately, not a single officer, JCO or soldier considers women to be an asset. Their response varies between outright disapproval to nonchalant dismissal of the issue. Most consider their induction to be a political gimmick that merits no serious deliberation.

The women cannot be employed on all tasks and the flexibility available to the commander gets restricted. In a few cases, male officers have been seen to be resenting additional work load that they have to undertake as many tasks (like patrolling, night duty checks) cannot be assigned to women.

Grant of Short Service Commission (SSC) to women has been a totally short-sighted and wasteful policy. Women normally gain commission at the age of 23 to 25 years. Within two to three years of their commission, they get married. Every pregnancy means three years’ exemption from physical activities – one year pre-natal and two years post-delivery. With the standard two-child norm, a women officer remains physically inactive for close to six years. Thus the services gain little.

The services are mired in numerous court cases filed by women officers. They are demanding permanent commission. It is now for the courts to decide whether a woman should be given command of a unit or not. The services have abdicated their power to make personnel policies to the courts. How stupid can an organisation get! Can there be another example of shooting in the foot?

Worse, instead of earning kudos for inducting women, the services are getting flak from the judiciary, media and self-appointed experts.

Although most commanders are reluctant to have women officers in their units, they lack moral courage to admit it openly. Talk to them in private and they concede that the decision to induct women was hasty and not need-based. It is considered politically incorrect to oppose induction of women, more so after the flak received by a previous Vice Chief for his innocuous and honest remarks.

It is time to revisit the policy. Women should continue to serve in the Medical, Dental and Nursing Services as at present. They have been performing creditably. Grant of SSC to women should be stopped.

The current policy of granting permanent commission in Judge Advocate General and Army Education Corps of Army and their corresponding branches in Navy and Air Force; Naval Constructor in Navy; and Accounts, Technical, Administration and Meteorology Branches in Air Force should be continued. In addition, women could be considered for permanent commission in the Survey of India, Military Engineering Service Militarised Cadre, Director General Quality Assurance and such organisations.

Finally

Sharing his experience of multiple wars, Colonel Gordon D. Batcheller of the US Marine Corps put it brusquely, “There is no quality of life beyond staying alive: no comfort, no privacy, and no provisions for hygiene. Endurance — both physical and emotional — and raw strength are essential. The battlefield is a man’s world”. 

“No military in the world has ever sought more women to better the combat force or claimed that the mixed force is more effective than an all male force”, he proclaimed.

Finally, he averred, “Some advocates insist it is a woman’s right to serve in the military if she wants. That, of course, is nonsense. The military is created and structured to win wars, and its personnel policies are crafted to serve that end, not satisfy vocational whims”. 

The issue is certainly too serious to be reduced to a publicity gimmick to flaunt sexual equality. National security cannot be compromised just to humour some ill-informed champions of Nari Shakti. To date, no one has been able to justify the decision to induct women in the Indian armed forces. The disconcerting question ‘in what way have the services gained’ remains unanswered.*****