What a Woman need to do to enter the Armed Forces?

Topic We Cover: What a Woman need to do to enter the Armed Forces

1. Indian Army

Graduate UPSC (Non –Technical)
Graduate UPSC (Technical)
Graduate Non-UPSC

2.Indian Air Force

Flying Branch
Ground Duty (Technical Branch)
Ground Duty (Non-Technical Branch)

3. Indian Navy

Air Traffic Control Officer (ATC)
Observer
Law
Logistics
Education
Naval Architecture

Have you ever think why there are no women fighting on frontline alongside the men, when you watch movies based on war with neighbor country some of them are Border, LOC Kargil, etc? This fact alone enough to force us to think about the status of the women in serving their country.

Till the year 1992, the armed forces is the field lay solely under men’s territory the women could not enter in this particular field. But not anymore! In 1992, the three pillars of our defence sector, the Army, Navy and Air Force, opened their gates to women.

Isn’t that great? Women who have an enthusiastic desire to serve their country against enemy forces now have the chance to do so. So, if you are agreeable to do whatever it takes, I will feature the various routes through which you can Join the armed forces of India. Feeling pumped up? Let’s begin!

Indian Army

Women who aim to join the Indian Army can do so for a total period of 14 years under the scheme of Short Service Commission. They can enter into various branches like Law, Engineering, Logistics, Medicine, and Education.

There are three different routes through which you can join the Indian Army:

Graduate UPSC (Non-technical)
Graduate UPSC (Technical)
Graduate Non-UPSC.

Through the official website of the Indian Army you can apply online to these routes. By the SSB either in Dec/Jan or Jun/July the shortlisted candidates are then called for an interview.

Route 1: Graduate UPSC (Non –Technical)

Those who have a non-engg. background in graduation fall under the category of Short Service Commission (non-technical) and its selection is done through a written exam organized by UPSC twice every year in the month of Feb and Sep. The deserving candidates who pass the written exam are then called for the interview conducted by the Service Selection Board (SSB).

Eligibility Criteria:

Through this route The female candidates applying must be unmarried and fall in the age group of 19 to 25 years.
From a recognized university candidates must also have done graduation (any stream).

Route 2: Graduate UPSC (Technical)

This graduate UPSC (technical) route is for female candidates who possess a degree of graduation in Engineering. On the basis of merit the selection for Short Service Commission (technical) is done solely and no written exam has been conducted till date. On the basis of cut-off percentage the candidates are shortlisted applied on their marks obtained till 6th semester.

Eligibility Criteria:

Through this route the female candidates applying must be unmarried and fall in the age group of 20 to 27 years.
In the notification published by UPSC on its official website candidate must also have done engineering in the stream mentioned.

Route 3: Graduate Non-UPSC

There are two distant sub-routes under this route: National Cadet Corps and Judge Advocate General (JAG).

Short Service Commission (National Cadet Corps)

A youth development organization is the NCC or National Cadet Corps, which provides young individuals with basic military training in small arms and parades. Through this route those female candidates who had been an active volunteer in the NCC can join the Indian Army.

Eligibility Criteria:

Through this route the female candidates applying must be unmarried and fall in the age group of 19 to 25 years.
Candidates must be graduates (in any stream) with a min. of 50% aggregate marks.
A Female candidate should also have done 2 years of service in NCC Senior Division Army obtaining a min. ‘B’ Grade in ‘C’ certificate exam.

2. Short Service Commission (Judge Advocate General)

In the Indian Army the Joint Advocate General is a branch that provides legal help to the military, particularly related to military law and court-martials. To apply through this route, you require to have a recognized law degree (either 3-year or 5-year).

Eligibility Criteria-

Through this route a female candidates applying must be unmarried and fall in the age group of 21 to 27 years.
They must have LLB Graduated with 55% marks and have passed through a law course recognized by the Bar Council or be a member of the Bar Council of India.
Those candidates who pass the SSB interview go on for the medical test done by the military hospital. Once they are stated fit, they have to be subjected to training at Officers Training Academy, Chennai for a time period of 49 weeks (11 months). Either in the month of April or October the training commences.

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Indian Air Force

Those females who are willing to touch the sky can without doubt do so by joining the Indian Air Force! To join the Air Force, you require to pass the AFCAT Exam, held twice a year (February and August). Once you successfully qualify the exam, you are then called for the interview of AFSB (Air Force Selection Board). Those who qualify the interview undergo certain medical tests, clearing which they receive their final offer letters.

Through AFCAT women can enter the Flying branch, Technical branch and Non-Technical branch.

1. Flying Branch

For Short Service Commission you can apply in the flying branch, which extends for a max. of up to 14 years. In the flying branch, you can be transport/cargo aircraft, flying fighter planes, helicopters etc.

Eligibility Criteria:

You need to be 20 to 24 years of age to join the flying branch, and have a graduate degree in any discipline or a B.E/ B.Tech Degree with an aggregate of 60% marks.
At 12th level you should also have studied Physics and Math with min 60% marks.

NCC Special Entry: As an Air Wing Sr. Div. ’C’ Certificate holder of the NCC i.e National Cadet Corps, you can apply to the Flying Branch of the Indian Air Force directly. In case you have a valid commercial pilot license the upper age limit is relaxed to 26 years at the time of commencement of the course.

2. Ground Duty (Technical Branch)

In the age group of 20 to 26 years female engg graduates can join the technical branch. There are two types of services whose educational qualifications are:

A. Aeronautical Engineer (Mechanical)

You require to fulfil one of the following conditions:

A min. of 4-year degree course with an aggregate of min. 60% marks and qualification in at least 8 subjects out of 18.
Cleared Section A and B exam of Aeronautical Society of India or Associate Membership of Inst. of Engineers in regular courses.

B. Aeronautical Engineer (Electrical)

You require to fulfil one of the following conditions:

Min. 4-year degree course from a recognized univ. with an aggregate of min. 60% marks and qualification in at least 8 subjects as per notified in the advertisement.
Cleared any of the following exams: Aeronautical Society of India, Section A and B exam of Associate Membership of Inst. of Engineers, or graduate membership exam of the Inst. of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers in regular courses.

3. Ground Duty (Non-Technical Branch)

This branch includes departments like Accounts, Administration, Education, Logistics, and Meteorology. As part of these departments, you would be needed to manage human resources (education), control air traffic, material resources/ inventories, funds etc.

Eligibility Criteria: For graduates and postgraduates 20 to 26 years. In ground duty branches there are five types of services whose Educational Qualification conditions are given below:

A. Administration

The officers are selected to carry out the duties under this branch like Fighter Controller (involves close contact and management of people between the air and radar for effective airspace management) or Air Traffic Controller (involves maintaining an orderly flow of traffic and airspace management)

You need to have done graduation in any discipline from a recognized university with aggregate of 60% marks OR cleared Section A & B examination from a recognized university with a minimum of 60% marks or equivalent of Associate Membership of Inst. of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India

B. Accounts

For joining the accounts branch, you need to have a B.com Degree (min. three-year degree course) with min. 60% marks or equivalent.

C. Logistics

The department of Logistics is responsible for the material mgmt of all Air Force resources. For joining this branch, you require to have a graduate degree (Min. three-year degree course) in any discipline with 60% marks or cleared section A & B exam with a min. of 60% marks or equivalent of Associate Membership of Inst. of Engineers (India) or Aeronautical Society of India.

D. Education

For Joining the education branch, you require to have min. 50% marks in MA/M.Sc degree in any of the following fields: Physics, English, Chemistry, Mathematics, Statistics, Defence Studies, International Relations, Psychology, International Studies, Computer Science, Management, IT, MBA, Public Relations, MCA, Journalism, Mass Communication.

You should also have a min. of 60% marks in your graduation from a recognized university.

E. Meteorology

A PG Degree with a min. of 50% aggregate in any Geography/ science stream/ Mathematics/ Environmental Science/ Oceanography/ Statistics/ Computer Applications/ Applied Physics/ Ecology & Environment/ Agricultural Meteorology/ Geophysics/Environmental Biology (provided Maths & Physics were studied at the graduation level with a min. of 55% marks in both).

Indian Navy

At present, in the Indian Navy women are directly inducted on Short Service Commission. For each post through advertisements published in leading newspapers and employment news the applications are invited twice a year between February to May and August to November.

After receiving the applications, on the basis of the cut-off (% in educational qualification/ current year JEE Main Rank) candidates are shortlisted for the SSB interview decided by the Integrated HQs of Ministry of Defense (Navy)/ DMPR.

Following are the cadres/ branches/ specializations of the navy where women can be inducted as SSC Officers:

1. Air Traffic Control Officer (ATC)

For controlling and navigating the aircrafts an ATC officer is responsible both ashore and afloat. The age bracket for women candidates should fall in of 19.5 to 25 years with a BE/ B.Tech degree in any discipline with Physics & Maths in XII.

2. Observer

In the ship an observer officer operates various equipment like radars, sonics, communication and sonars devices. The age bracket for women candidates should fall in of 19 to 24 years with a B.E/ B.Tech degree in any discipline and Physics & Math in 12th

3. Law

The age group for female candidates lies between 22 to 27 years should possess a Degree in Law qualifying them for becoming advocates.

4. Logistics

A Logistics officer is involved in forecasting, planning, and executing the budget and inventory mgmt. of spare parts and other day-to-day material requirements on the ship. Under the logistics branch there are three different categories vis. Works, Logistics cadre, and Catering. The age limit for each category has of 19.5 to 25 years.

Educational qualifications for each of these cadres are:

For Logistics Cadre – BE/ B.tech in Any Discipline with 1st class or MBA with 1st class or B.Sc/ BCom/ B Sc (IT) with 1st class and PG Diploma in Logistics/ Finance/ Material Management or MCA/ Supply Chain Management/ MSc (IT) with 1st class.
For Works – A degree in B.E or B.Tech (Civil Engineering) or B.Arch
For Catering – A Postgraduate Degree in M.Sc (Hotel Management)/ MBA (Hotel Management)/ B.Sc with 1st Class and PG Diploma in Hotel Management.

5. Education

To enter into the education branch, the age bracket for female candidates must fall in between 21 to 25 years with any of the following educational qualifications-

A Degree in Mechanical Engg., Electrical Engg. or Engg. in Computer Science/ Tech.
Master’s degree in computer application or CS. At their graduation level must have studied either Maths or Physics.
A PG degree in Humanities (History/ Economics/ Political Science)

6. Naval Architecture

Eligibility Criteria – The age group for females candidates in between 19.5 to 25 years require to have scored at least 60% marks in BE/B.Tech degree in any one of the following streams: Civil, Mechanical, Metallurgy or Naval Architecture, Aeronautical.

SSB Interview

Basically, the SSB (Service Selection Board) Interview, it is a selection procedure of five-day through which candidates are selected to join the Indian Navy, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. It comprises of two stages:

Stage 1: This stage is for screening test and resides of Officer Intelligence Rating (OIR) test, picture perception (PP) and description (PP & DP) test.
Stage 2: It consists of Group Testing Officer Tasks (GTO Tasks), psychological tests, personal interview and conference.

Each stage is an elimination round and those candidates who successfully qualify all the 5 stages then go on for medical tests. Those who successfully qualify the medical tests are then conscripted in the specific defence branch.

The different ways women can enter into the armed forces are briefly introduces you to through this article. Women can also enter the paramilitary forces and Indian Coast Guard, but in this article, we have limited the discussion to the most popular defence areas – Army, Navy, Air Force.

Now that you are understand of the various routes through which you can join the armed forces, I hope it will help you in making your decision on which branch to join. Undoubtedly, the process of selection is rigorous but it remains unmatched to the pride in serving your own country.