Historic: IAF welcomes its first Air Marshal 'couple' and second female Marshal

Air Vice Marshal Sadhna Saxena Nair, Director General Hospital Services (Armed Forces),with her promotion to the rank of Air Marshal on October 23, 2023, has become only the second woman officer to achieve this milestone. What sets this promotion apart is the fact that Air Marshal Nair is married to Air Marshal KP Nair (Retd), marking the first Air Marshal couple in the history of the IAF.

Air Marshal Padma Bandopadhyay had previously blazed the trail as the first woman to attain the rank of Air Marshal in the IAF. Now, Air Marshal Sadhna Saxena Nair follows in her footsteps.

Before reaching her current rank, Air Marshal Nair served as the Principal Medical Officer (PMO) at the Bengaluru Headquarters in the Training Command of IAF. Currently, she also holds the position of Principal Medical Officer, Armed Forces . Interestingly, as the PMO of Western Air Command and Training Command, she holds the distinction of being the first and only woman in this role.

Nair embarked on her journey when she was first commissioned into the Air Force's medical branch on December 3, 1985. Throughout her career, she has held the position of Senior Medical Officer (SMO) at three different stations, including the Air Force Station in Pune. In each of these roles, Air Marshal Nair distinguished herself through professionalism and a commitment to her duties.

Her exceptional contributions did not go unnoticed, as she received commendations from IAF's Western Air Command Chief in 2001, while serving as SMO at Air Force Station Arjangarh, and from the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi in 2006 during her tenure as SMO at 13 Base Repair Depot. The Station Medical Centres (SMCs) under her leadership have been recognized as the 'Best SMC' of the Command on numerous occasions.

Air Marshal completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Maternal & Child Health in 2001 and a two-year course in Medical Informatics from AIIMS, New Delhi in 2008. Additionally, she authored two critical studies in 2005 and 2007, focusing on paediatric health and medical informatics, respectively.

Her impact extended beyond the medical realm, as she leveraged her extensive experience and newfound computer skills to enhance efficiency at the Command level, as mentioned in an article in the Sainik Samachar. This subsequently led to improvements in patient care, local purchase procedures, and medical boards. She also underwent specialised training in Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Warfare with the Israeli Defence Forces and received instruction in Military Medical Ethics in Switzerland.

In addition to her achievements, as stated by the Ministry of Defence in an older report, Nair single-handedly designed and developed the Southern Air Command (SAC) Medical Website, providing resources for medical officers across the periphery.

Air Marshal Sadhna Saxena Nair's promotion and her career serve as an inspiration to aspiring officers, as evidenced by the fact that the President has awarded her the Vishisht Seva Medal for her ‘distinguished’ service.