Pakistani female officers receiving military training in the United States have increased considerably over the past decade.
According to the media report quoting data from the US State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, there has been a considerable increase in the participation of Pakistani female military officers in the International Military Education and Training Program (IMET).
The US State Department-sponsored program aims to foster military relationships between partner nations.
As per the report, 55 women attended IMET courses during 2020-23 as compared with 22 participants from 2013 to 2019. Pakistan has been leading the region for the past two years in sending female military officers for courses in America.
Pakistani women officers have been actively involved in specialized training programs that cover a wide range of subjects, such as anti-terrorism, anti-piracy, military justice, information technology, cyber strategies, public affairs, gender-based violence, and medical-related topics.
Female officers receiving training in the US come from various branches of Pakistan’s Army, Navy, and Air Force.
These officers undergo the same rigorous selection process as their male counterparts when joining the Army, Navy, and Air Force. In training academies, they face the same tough training stages as male cadets.
The Army Training Academy is located in Kakul, a city in the Abbottabad district, while the Air Force Training Academy is in Risalpur, a city in the Khyber Pakhtun Khwa district, and the Navy Training Academy is in Karachi.
There are currently 34 women pilots in the PAF, including Squadron Leader Ayesha Farooq, who holds the distinction of being Pakistan’s first female fighter pilot. She currently serves as the adjutant of a flying wing within the PAF fighter jet fleet.
