Newspunjab
2 sept,2026
Air Vice Marshal Shakti Sharma has created history in the Indian Defence Forces by becoming the first non-medical woman officer to attain the two-star rank. She assumed the charge of Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Education) at Air Force Headquarters on 1 September 2026. Shakti Sharma, who joined the Education Branch of the Indian Air Force on 18 June 1994, has held several important responsibilities at field stations, command headquarters, training centres and Air Headquarters during her illustrious career spanning over three decades. She has made significant contributions to several institutional initiatives including setting up the Indian Air Force Chair of Excellence at IIT Kanpur and Pune University. Shakti Sharma’s achievement is being considered a major symbol of the growing role of women in the defence sector and the new opportunities opening up for them.
