Indian Navy Appoints First Woman Commanding Officer On Warship INS Trinkat

Lieutenant Commander Prerana Deosthali would head the fast attack craft based in Goa.

Indian Navy’s Chief Admiral, R Hari Kumar, said that the Indian Navy appointed a woman commanding officer on its ship in line with its philosophy of ‘all role-all ranks’ to deploy women in the service.

Video Credits: Oneindia News 

It is the first instance where a female officer would command a naval ship in the country. Per sources, the officer is a qualified navigation instructor and has trained observers inducted into the Indian Navy.

She is also the first female officer who was an observer in the Indian Navy’s Tupolev Tu-142 maritime patrol aircraft. Per Admiral Kumer, the officer will now go through training before taking over her new role.

He also mentioned that the Indian Navy’s submarine branch is open to women. They are eligible after they clear an aptitude test and perform well in the training before deployment. He mentioned that the number of women Agniveers is over a thousand, adding that the Navy is committed to its ‘all roles-all ranks’ policy to deploy women in the service.

In March, the Air Force of India chose Group Captain Shaliza Dhami to command a frontline combat unit in the western sector. Even in the Indian Army, many women officers are commanding several units.

According to reports, there are about 10,493 female officers in the Indian Armed Forces, including the medical services. The Army has the largest number of women, numbering 1,705, followed by 1640 in the Air Force and 559 in the Naval Force.

References: Indian Express, Deccan Herald