Meta Description: Explore the inspiring careers of Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, pioneering women in the Indian Armed Forces who have broken barriers and led with distinction.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi: A Trailblazer in the Indian Army
Early Life and Education
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi was born in 1981 in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, to a highly-educated family. Mohammad Qureshi, her father a civil engineer and Amina Qureshi, her mother, is a mathematics professor. She attended school at Loreto Convent in Lucknow. She earned a Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) degree, in Electronics and Communication Engineering, from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1993.
Military Career and Achievements
Commissioned into the Army Signal Corps in 1994, she was involved in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and in the Northeast during the early years. Qureshi was part of the team that developed the Army’s first mobile digital communication network in 2001.
In 2016, Qureshi made history as the first woman officer to command an Indian Army Contingent during a Multinational Exercise when she led a 40-element contingent at the ASEAN Plus Multinational Military Exercise ‘Force 18’.
Her leadership of international peacekeepers began when she commanded over 500 personnel of the Indian Army in the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO), to the date she became the first woman to command an all-male Indian Peacekeeping contingent.
Qureshi’s qualifications in cyber warfare earned her a role as Deputy Director-General of India’s Cyber Defence Command, where she supported the development of the country’s military cyber doctrine.
Operational Role in Operation Sindoor
During that conflict in 2025, Colonel Qureshi was a co-lead of the media briefing on Operation Sindoor, India’s surgical strike against terror camps in both Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Qureshi’s involvement in Operation Sindoor exemplifies the increasing role of women in theater-specific military operations.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh: Flying High in the Indian Air Force
Early Interests and Education
Vyomika Singh always dreamed of flying since she was a little girl. Her first name, Vyomika, means “one who stays in the sky”, which likely encouraged her dream of flying. She was involved in the National Cadet Corps during high school and college before obtaining her engineering degree and training at the Air Force Academy in Dundigal, Hyderabad.
Meritorious Service and Missions
Singh was commissioned into the Indian Air Force’s Flying Branch on December 18, 2004, and has over 2,500 flying hours having flown Chetak and Cheetah helicopters in some of the most difficult terrains (Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast). Singh’s missions have included reconnaissance, troop transport, and rescue.
In 2021, she took part in a tri-services all-women mountaineering expedition to Mount Manirang organized in respect of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, highlighting her versatility and dedication to the service.
Leadership in Operation Sindoor
Wing Commander Singh and Colonel Qureshi co-led the media briefing on Operation Sindoor, where they described the dedicated and precise role of the Indian Air Force in the air strikes. Their presence in the briefing was a representation of how women are now intrinsically involved in frontline military operations and strategic communications.
Pioneering Representation and Implications
Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh jointly appearing in the briefing on Operation Sindoor, represented as much a paradigmatic change in the Indian Armed Forces regarding gender roles. Their presence and command representation of women in military operations and timelines, challenge outmoded concepts of the past and inspire future generations of women to join the defense services.
Conclusion
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh are brilliant, courageous, and exemplary women who demonstrate the Indian Armed Forces’ core values. Their extraordinary actions not only advance defence objectives, but enhance inclusion and diversity in the defence sector. As role models, they demonstrate both the shifting face of India’s military and the endless possibilities of OCC women officers.
Keywords: Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, Indian Army, Indian Air Force, women in military, Operation Sindoor, Force 18 exercise, UN peacekeeping, military leadership, gender equality in armed forces
