Meet Lt Col Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh: Two Trailblazing Women Leading Operation Sindoor

In a historic first for India, two senior women officers, Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, led the official media briefing about the operation Sindoor. Their presence showed the active role women are now playing in India's defence leadership.

Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Qureshi is the first Indian woman officer to lead an Army contingent at a multinational military exercise, and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh is a decorated helicopter pilot in the Indian Air Force, who stood at the forefront of India's official media briefing on Operation Sindoor. They represented the Indian armed forces during the announcement of the tri-services strike, which targeted multiple terrorist camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Two Trailblazing Women in the Armed Forces: Who are Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh? Explore their inspiring biographies, remarkable careers, and the strong family foundations that have shaped their paths to success.

Who is Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Qureshi?

Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Qureshi serves in the Army's Signals Corps. She is 35 years old and made history in 2016 by becoming the first woman officer to lead an Indian Army team in a multinational military exercise. The event, called Exercise Force 18, was held in Pune and included countries like the USA, Russia, China, and Japan.

"It was about skill, not gender. I was proud to lead," she said. She has also served as a military observer in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Congo in 2006.

When the media asked why she joined the Army, she said, "It's the same charm that draws the men-the love for the country and the pride in the uniform."

Lieutenant Colonel Sophia Qureshi hails from Vadodara in Gujarat and comes from a family with a strong military background. Her grandfather served in the Indian Army, and her father also worked in the Army for a few years as a religious teacher. Growing up in this environment, Sophia was closely exposed to Army life from an early age, which played a key role in shaping her interest in joining the armed forces.

She is married to Major Tajuddin Qureshi, who is also in the Army, and they have a nine-year-old son. "I balance my home and duty. But duty always comes first," she said.

Who is Vyomika Singh?

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh is a decorated helicopter pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF). With a name that literally translates to "one who dwells in the sky," Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said her dream to fly began early. "I knew in Class 6 that I wanted to be a pilot. The sky fascinated me," she shared.

IAF officer Singh joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to follow her passion for flying. She later completed an engineering degree. On December 18, 2019, she received a permanent commission in the flying branch.

She has accumulated over 2,500 flying hours on Chetak and Cheetah helicopters. She has worked in high-altitude areas like Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast. One of her notable missions was in Arunachal Pradesh in November 2020. She led a rescue operation in difficult weather conditions. In 2021, she took part in a tri-services, all-women mountaineering expedition to Mt. Manirang.

Vyomika Singh is coming from a family that has always served the nation. Her husband, Dinesh Singh Sabharwal is also an IAF Wing Commander.

India Pakistan Tension: Operation Sindoor

India launched a military operation in the early hours of May 7, 2025, Wednesday. It targeted terrorist infrastructure throughout Pakistan and the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK).

Under the code name Operation Sindoor, air, naval, and land-based assets were deployed in a tri-services operation. It is the largest cross-border precision strike India has conducted since the 2019 Balakot operation.