Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma Becomes First Non-Medical Woman Two-Star Officer in Indian Armed Forces
Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma has become the first woman officer from a non-medical branch of the Indian Defence Forces to reach the two-star rank, a landmark development for women serving in the Army, Navy and Air Force. The Ministry of Defence said she assumed charge on September 1, 2026 as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Education) at Air Headquarters.
Her elevation to Air Vice Marshal, and to the equivalent two-star rank across the services, makes her the first non-medical woman officer in the Indian Army, Indian Navy and Indian Air Force to attain that level. The announcement places her among the most senior women officers ever to serve in the Indian military outside the medical services.
A career of more than three decades
AVM Sharma was commissioned into the Education Branch of the Indian Air Force on June 18, 1994. Over a service career spanning more than 30 years, she has held appointments at training establishments, field stations, Command Headquarters and Air Headquarters, building experience in education, training and institutional work within the force.
Her latest posting as Assistant Chief of the Air Staff (Education) places her in a senior leadership role at Air Headquarters, where the Education Branch is responsible for matters connected with learning, training and professional development in the Air Force.
Linking the military with academia
Among the notable contributions highlighted in her career is her role in strengthening ties between the Indian Air Force and leading academic institutions in the country. She spearheaded initiatives that led to the establishment of the IAF Chairs of Excellence at IIT Kanpur and Pune University.
These chairs were intended to deepen academic engagement and support strategic defence collaboration, creating avenues for research, education and dialogue between the armed forces and universities. The initiatives reflected the wider effort to connect operational experience with academic inquiry and strategic studies.
First woman officer from the Tri-Services to command a Sainik School
Sharma had already made history earlier in her career as the first woman officer from the Tri-Services to command a Sainik School. She served as Principal of Sainik School Kapurthala, one of the country’s prominent military-oriented residential schools that prepares students for careers in the Armed Forces and other fields of national service.
That appointment placed her at the helm of an institution with a long association with military education and leadership development, adding another first to a career that has repeatedly broken new ground for women officers.
A milestone for women in military leadership
The Ministry of Defence described her promotion as a “landmark” moment in the journey of women officers in the Indian Defence Forces. Her rise comes at a time when women officers across the Army, Navy and Air Force have taken on a wider range of operational, command, instructional and staff responsibilities.
AVM Sharma’s elevation now adds another breakthrough at the senior-most levels for officers serving outside the Armed Forces Medical Services. With more than three decades of distinguished service behind her, she has moved into one of the most senior appointments of her career while also becoming a historic figure in the evolving role of women in India’s armed forces.
Her journey, the Ministry said, embodies the Indian Air Force motto: “Touch the Sky with Glory.”
