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Indian Army Considers Pilot to Induct Women Soldiers in Territorial Army Battalions

The trial would start with roughly a ten‑soldier section in select Home & Hearth battalions following fresh DGTA vacancy notices.

Overview

  • Army sources say the pilot would begin in a few Territorial Army units with possible expansion after evaluation.
  • The Indian Express reports the DGTA has issued additional 2025–26 vacancies for Infantry (TA) Home & Hearth battalions, with some slots earmarked for women.
  • Home & Hearth battalions number 11, largely raised for Jammu & Kashmir and the North‑East, and support counter‑insurgency, intelligence and disaster response tasks.
  • Women are currently commissioned in 10 arms and services, and only the Corps of Military Police recruits women as soldiers, with core combat arms still closed to them.
  • Army sources stress the Territorial Army is not deployed in front‑line battle roles and functions as a citizen‑soldier force of about 50,000 personnel.