NDA, Army can learn from US how to change women’s standards without sacrificing fitness

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YesJustice in the Armed Forces gets another round when it is passed by the Supreme Court interim order To allow women to take the entrance exam to the National Defense Academy, or NDA, which is scheduled to take place on September 5 this year. Kush Kalra’s writ petition invoked articles relating to fundamental rights while the Additional Solicitor General relied on the principle of judicial non-interference in policy matters to defend itself. In fact, the defense stood no chance, as the ramparts of the male bastion had already faced a major crackdown in early 2020, when the Supreme Court passed the order. Order Regarding grant of permanent commission to women officers in the army. It took a decade for the case to be decided. Justice was delayed but not denied.

While the previous fight for gender justice was limited to serving only women officers, the emphasis is now on the entry system of the armed forces as well. The Supreme Court is also hearing a petition regarding denial of admission to girls in Sainik Schools. However, in November 2019, the Defense Ministry had already announced Decision to open Sainik School for girls.

Therefore, the Court decided to post both the matters for 8 September 2021, holding that they are directly related. Gender justice has already been done in Sainik School case and interim order saying – “The counter-affidavit filed by the respondent broadly seeks to suggest that the process of admission of girls has already started and will be carried forward as far as Sainik Schools are concerned. Where As far as Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) is concerned, it is said that it is a 99 year old institution which will complete 100 years next year.The question is whether it completes its 100 years with gender neutrality or No!”

I was written record In December 2018 that the armed forces should allow women to engage in combat roles, as long as they meet the required professional standards and the compromise required of the endowment of the nature of physical differences not to be allowed to impede military effectiveness – a decision that should be left to the military leadership. The Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy (IN) have already inducted women Short Service Commissioned pilots into combat roles and are currently flying Rafale / Su-30 / MiG 21 / helicopters on warships. If they have children, they are authorized maternity leave of one year each for two children. The IAF/IN cannot afford to keep these pilots away for so long as it may not only affect the military effectiveness but will certainly affect the performance as well as career prospects of a pilot.

Female pilots provide a snapshot of the conflict between gender justice and military effectiveness. Conflict is particularly challenging for the military due to the nature of its combat roles. The legal solution to balance must privilege national security and it seems that learned judges are now being encouraged to dismiss professional arguments. It was also true that some of the professional arguments made in the Permanent Commission case reflect traditional gender biases, which ignored the fact that even if a woman was fully aware of the difficult nature of the military profession, she still had the power to make a decision. Decides, the gates of entry and career advancement cannot be blocked by policy.

Read also: Women in Armed Forces, Army, Navy and Air Force chiefs to review NDA infrastructure for women cadets

questions of physical standards and Habitat

In the case of an inter-services entity such as NDA, the three distinct geographies, land, sea and air, in which each individual service operates, apply different professional standards. But except for some special requirements like vision during the initial medical procedure, these mostly come into play after commissioning. Candidates are required to be informed about the opportunities and restrictions imposed by each service. This is a communication issue that the Armed Forces and UPSC must jointly address.

Two other issues are relevant to the training and administration of women in the NDA.

The physical training of female cadets, and later as officers as well, should take into account differences in gender physiology. Experience with women cadets at Officers Training Academy (OTA) Chennai is indicative. Data on injuries to the pelvic system of Indian women have revealed the fact that nature has caused injuries to design it differently for child-bearing purposes. However, the United States has already identified such sensitive areas and formulated common testing standards. study can be seen Here. NDA and all military institutions can learn from it and implement it without sacrificing the standards of physical fitness. The Indian Armed Forces is also understood to have conducted a similar study which is being evaluated.

Yet another important aspect is the administration of housing. Preferably, we should emulate the model at the Naval Academy in Ezhimala in which these requirements were built into the design at the construction stage itself. The women’s accommodation is segregated but is part of the main complex and can be closed as needed. Accommodation in the NDA based on the squadron is also suitable for such an arrangement with very few modifications. But the initial intake is likely to eventually result in a much smaller number than necessary which is going to be problematic.

IN has formulated a policy of deploying women officers only on large warships where there are adequate cabins with attached bathrooms or a section that can be completely detached.

Read also: ‘Mindset not changing’: SC passes interim order, allowing women to appear in NDA exam

Amendment system to include women

With the Supreme Court’s interim order given just two weeks’ notice to the UPSC, and given the stiff competition and the high standards of the Services Selection Board, the number of women entering the NDA’s portal in the first batch might struggle. To reach the tens figure. This can be a major reason for women adjusting to an entirely male-dominated environment. This will be a fleeting difficulty. Over time, with the inclusion of a larger number of women, the problems of training academies should be reduced. But it may create big issues for the armed forces in the near future.

Take the example of women officers who have been inducted into the Air Traffic Control Wing of the Indian Air Force and Navy. Let us take a station A, which has 20 percent female air traffic controllers. Since they are allowed to take maternity leave twice a year and must be given time to care for their children, officially sanctioned absences will have to be borne by their male counterparts as there is no provision for additional personnel who can There are such shortages. Over time, as the number of women officers increases, the problem will get worse unless the government makes a provision to create reserves for such contingencies. With the deep expertise of military systems, the problem is not difficult to foresee. The great thing is that intake and career systems cannot be viewed separately, but as a whole.

With the judicial system looking at the issue of gender justice in parts, the downstream effects for the larger military system are likely to be lost. Undoubtedly, many policies need to be changed to manage gender justice so as to meet the aspirations of Indian women, who have long been clinging to the patriarchal culture.

Military leadership must support gender justice and the marriage of institutional imperatives. This would require an acceptance of Khalil Gibran’s wisdom on marriage, “the pillars of the temple stand apart and the oak tree and the cypress do not grow in each other’s shadow”.

Lt Gen (Retd) Dr. Prakash Menon Director, Strategic Studies Programme, Taxila Institute; Former Military Adviser, National Security Council Secretariat. He is from 40th NDA course. He tweeted @prakashmenon51. Thoughts are personal.

(Edited by Neera Mazumdar)

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