Newly confirmed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has drawn a spotlight on the role of women in the US military, having made statements over the years questioning the effectiveness of female troops in combat.

During his Senate confirmation hearing two weeks ago, Hegseth, a former Army officer and conservative talk show host, was peppered with questions over his position on women in the military and was accused by Democrat Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of "denigrating" female service members.

In November, Hegseth told podcaster Shawn Ryan that women should "straight up" not be permitted to serve in combat roles. And Hegseth told the Senate hearing that service members of the most powerful military in the world would "rejoice" over his proposals removing "woke" policies such as diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.

However, he also told lawmakers that women would have access to combat roles, given the caveat that "standards remain high."

Debate over female soldiers in India

This debate over the role of women in the military is not limited to the US. In India, which prides itself for promoting "Nari Shakti" (Women Power) in the defense forces, a similar debate on women in command roles has come to the fore.

In late 2024, a letter from a top Indian general alleged that there were management issues in the army units led by women officers.

The five-page letter was intended to be an internal review of eight female commanding officers, but it sparked a fervent national discussion after it was published in Indian media.

The general has accused female commanding officers of having "mundane ego problems" and a "lack of empathy" for troops in their units. The document even goes on to say that the lack of empathy may be attributable to "a need to overcompensate."

DW discussed the letter with serving and former women officers, many of whom found the message disconcerting, especially as India is trying to get women to take on leadership roles in the armed forces.

But in India's capital, New Delhi, 20-year-old Mehak Preet said she was unperturbed by this lack of faith in women soldiers, which she has witnessed time and again as she works toward her dream of serving a combat role in the Indian Air Force.

"Obviously men and women are physically different, there is no doubt about that, but when it comes to serving the nation, it does not depend upon the gender of a soldier, they are all trained equally," she told DW.

An evolving role for women

Nearly 7,000 female officers are currently serving in India's Army, and over 1,600 in the Air Force, according to the latest government figures released in 2023.

The roles of women in the country's armed forces have evolved over the years.

During World War I, women were inducted as nurses in army hospitals because there were not enough men. In 1942, a Women's Auxiliary Corps was established during the British colonial rule to serve in non-combatant, clerical roles.

"From that we have come a long way. In fact, my batch was the first where we were sent to field hospitals and field postings, and after that there has been no looking back," Madhuri Kanitkar, a retired army doctor, told DW. Kanitkar was the third Indian woman to be elevated to the rank of lieutenant general.

At one point, women were allowed to serve in India's armed forces on so-called short service commissions, granting them officer ranks for a limited period, However, there were also legal breaks on the progress of their career.

A historic Supreme Court order in 2020 granted women a permanent commission. This enabled them to access the same opportunities as their male counterparts, such as holding command posts.

"It took cultural change for us to be looked at the way we were looked at. Otherwise, in the defense forces, women were only the lady wives of male officers," said Cheryl Dutta, a retired squadron leader and one of the Air Force's first female helicopter pilots.

"There was a very different structure that was followed," she told DW.

What about women in combat?

Women in India still cannot serve in some core combat roles of the army, including infantry, armored and mechanized units.

However, in a sign of progress, a group of women is now serving in the army's artillery regiment.

Former lieutenant general Kanitkar stressed there are cautious and firm steps being taken when it comes to inducting women in combat roles.

"One thing is putting women in combat roles for tokenism, and the other is whether there is a real need for it. At the moment, we have enough people in the combat roles," she said.

According to Kanitkar, logistics need to be taken care of when you go into combat roles.

"In a tank where there are just three people in a very small space, how would women get their privacy? It is good to take those steps in a guarded manner," she said.

'I think it's competence which matters'

Currently, India's Armed Forces Medical Services, and separately, the Medical Services of the army and the navy are all headed by women.

Back in 2020, the Indian government argued in front of the Supreme Court that men in the armed forces were not yet "mentally schooled" to accept female officers in command.

Kanitkar said that in her experience with the medical corps, gender was never a concern.

"There were more men around me than women, but I never had a problem leading such teams as a woman. Nor did I have problems when I took administrative posts even in field areas," she said.

"I was interacting with commanders across my area of responsibility and I never felt any kind of discomfort from my side or from them. They looked at my professionalism. I think it's competence which matters," Kanitkar explained.

Retired Air Force squadron leader Dutta said male Indian army soldiers and airmen display some societal prejudice against women in the early stages of the service, seeing them as the weaker gender.

"When you come into the forces you leave some amount of your societal thinking behind, become a soldier and you have a role to play." she said.

"The gender barrier is moving and being eroded slowly. But it will take time for sure."

Challenges and the way ahead

A woman who decides to join India's armed forces is still seen as breaking several gender and societal barriers. Some women officers feel that they still struggle to prove themselves.

"A woman should not have to keep constantly proving herself that she is good in a certain role, because she has got exactly the same training as her male counterpart, so she will be good. It's just that our way of looking at it, the perspective, probably needs to change," said Dutta.

The controversial review letter also sparked debate over the need for a mindset change at the policy-making level and at the level of senior commanders.

"We are looking at things from the bottom to top. I think we also need to look at it from the top to the bottom. When you are looking from top down, you need to change and see it in a very gender-neutral way. You need to look at it as you are assessing a soldier and not a woman. And not look at her as if she is weak," said Dutta.

India's advancement to ensure gender equality in the armed forces has been slow, but many point out that steady progress has been made.

"We have so many women officers simultaneously in leading roles. They are setting the path for more. A lot will depend on how they perform. If they are doing well the acceptability becomes easier and the road map becomes clearer for the next people to follow," said Kanitkar.

Meanwhile, Indian Air Force aspirant Mehak agrees women are fighting an uphill battle in the armed forces, but that has not deterred her from being optimistic.

"I really want to see the day when Indian women are allowed on the front lines," she said.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn