After 23 years, Indian Navy deploys women officers on warships

In a major step, the Indian Navy has recently deployed four women officers onboard its warships after a gap of around 23 years when lady officers were posted for the first time on the maritime force's vessels.

"Four Indian navy women officers have been deployed recently on warships in recent times. Two of them are posted on the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya while two other are deployed on the tanker ship INS Shakti," an Indian Navy spokesperson said on International Women's Day.

For the first time in 1998, women officers started getting deployed onboard warships but the decision was changed soon after due to certain logistical and other issues.

The lady officers were posted on two different warships recently.

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Women officers deployed onboard the tanker vessel INS Shakti include a doctor who said the Indian Navy has given her an opportunity to serve both as a doctor and onboard warship.

"We work shoulder to shoulder with our male counterparts," the lady officers said.

The Indian Navy had started building separate cabins and toilets for women officers a few years ago on its warships to prepare the vessels for lady officers.

The force also recently deployed a lady officer as the first women defence attache posted abroad. The lady officer is Lieutenant Commander Karabi Gogoi who is posted at Moscow as naval attache.