Captain Surbhi Jakhmola, 1st woman officer posted on foreign assignment at BRO

Captain Surbhi Jakhmola of the Indian Army's 117 Engineer Regiment will be the first woman officer to be posted on a foreign assignment at the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), news agency ANI reported. The officer will be sent to Bhutan as part of Project Dantak. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is an executive road construction force in India that supports the Indian armed forces.

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BRO builds and maintains road networks along India's borders and in friendly neighbouring countries. It is also included in the armed forces Order of Battle, ensuring their support at all times. In order to improve border connectivity, BRO was transferred entirely to the ministry of defence in 2015.

The BRO's deployment comes just days after the Indian Air Force deployed woman fighter pilot squadron leader Avani Chaturvedi to Japan for the exercise Veer Guardian 2023, which will take place from January 16 to 26 at the Hyakuri Air Base and its surrounding airspace in Omitama, as well as the Iruma Air Base in Sayama in Japan.

Avani Chaturvedi, a Su-30MKI pilot and one of India's first three women fighter pilots will depart for Japan shortly to take part in the exercise. Chaturvedi was born, raised, and completed her education in Madhya Pradesh. She was inducted into the IAF fighter squadron after six months of intensive training at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad.

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The Indian Armed Forces also deployed a woman officer, Captain Shiva Chauhan of the Corps of Engineers, to a frontline post in Siachen Glacier. This is the world's highest battlefield's first such deployment. The officer was assigned to the Kumar post in Siachen last week for a three-month assignment after undergoing rigorous training, according to Army officials.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed his best wishes to Captain Chauhan, saying he was pleased to see more women joining the armed forces and rising to every challenge."Excellent news! I am extremely happy to see more women joining the Armed Forces and take every challenge in stride. It is an encouraging sign. My best wishes to Capt Shiva Chauhan," he tweeted.

Captain Shiva Chouhan is a Bengal Sapper Officer from Rajasthan. She attended Udaipur schools and earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the NJR Institute of Technology in Udaipur.

According to government data presented last month in Lok Sabha, the percentage of women officers in the Indian armed forces is as follows: The Indian Air Force has the highest proportion of women officers, accounting for 13.69%, followed by the Indian Navy at six per cent and the Indian Army at 3.97 per cent.

(With inputs from agencies)