Jubilee Post News & Views
Special Desk
Saudi ministry of defence has said that women in Saudi Arabia can now join the military. The move comes under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 initiative.
With the announcement women will be able to do jobs that were previously limited to men only. The plan to allow women into the military was first announced in 2019, the same year when the Saudi kingdom said it would allow women to leave the country without permission from a male relative.
It has been already discussed that Indian and Saudi armies will undertake joint bilateral exercises. The Indian forces contingent will be travelling to Saudi Arabia for the exercises. This will be the first such exercises of both the armies together. According to the ministry, Saudi women would be recruited as soldiers, lance corporals, corporals, sergeants, and staff sergeants.
To join the armed forces, a woman must be between the age of 21 and 40, be 155 centimetres tall or above, and cannot be a government employee.
A Saudi woman must also hold an independent national identity card, have at least a high school education, and cannot be married to a non-Saudi. For male citizens wanting to join the armed forces, they must be between the ages of 17 and 40 and be a minimum of 160 centimetres tall.
