Yashaswi Solankee becomes first woman officer as President's ADC
Lieutenant Commander Yashaswi B Solankee was appointed Aide-de-Camp to the President of India in May 2025, becoming the first woman officer from the Army, Navy or Air Force in the role. She was presented the ceremonial aiguillette on May 9, 2025, for a tenure expected to run two and a half to three years. The President is generally supported by five ADCs. Solankee joined the Navy in 2019 and later handled defence projects in Hyderabad.
Source
Indian Navy · read the original report ↗
Desk check · some claims need care
What the desk checked (5)
- Lt Cdr Yashaswi B Solankee became the first woman officer from the Army, Navy or Air Force to serve as ADC to the President in May 2025. — Stated in source without named attribution; date and rank appear consistently in the text.
- She received the ceremonial aiguillette on May 9, 2025, for a tenure of about two and a half to three years. — Specific figure appears in source; tenure length given as an expectation, not confirmed.
- Solankee hails from Maharashtra. — Internally inconsistent — the same source elsewhere describes her as from Haryana; unresolved in text.
- She joined in 2019 in the Naval Armament Inspection Cadre, trained three years in naval weapons and was posted in Hyderabad. — Career details stated in source with no source given.
- In July 2026, Major Navya Shekhawat became the second woman and first Army officer appointed President's ADC. — Appears in source with a July 2026 dateline; unattributed and forward-dated, editor should confirm.
Analysts’ view opinion
This is more than one officer's career milestone — it is a highly visible step in a broader process by which women's advancement in uniform becomes political messaging. Having a woman officer stand, for the first time, in one of the most visible protocol roles at Rashtrapati Bhavan gives strong symbolic backing to the narrative that opportunities for women in defence are widening. That symbolism is amplified by the fact that the appointment sits alongside Droupadi Murmu, India's first tribal woman President. But this is an individual appointment, not a stated policy change — how much political value it yields depends on how far it is carried into public messaging.
- The President is generally supported by five ADCs, so numerically this is a small change but in visibility terms it is one of the highest-impact posts available.
- Symbolic 'firsts' of this kind are politically useful raw material for any government pushing a women's-empowerment narrative.
- A tenure of roughly two and a half to three years means the symbol stays on display at official state functions for a long stretch.
- The appointment of an Army woman officer to the same role in July 2026 suggests this is becoming a trend rather than a one-off.
- No party is likely to oppose such an appointment openly; the political argument will more plausibly centre on whether symbolism is outpacing structural change.
What to watch — Watch how prominently the government features this appointment in official speeches and outreach material, and whether the opposition responds by pressing on structural issues such as permanent commissions and promotions for women.
The story does not establish any political motive behind the appointment, nor does it record any party reaction or announce a formal policy shift on women in the armed forces.
Deep dive
Research brief · 8 facts · 6 dates · exam-readyThe brief
Context
The Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the President of India is a prestigious ceremonial and protocol appointment drawn from the three armed services, with the President generally supported by five ADCs — three from the Army and one each from the Navy and Air Force. In May 2025, Lieutenant Commander Yashaswi B Solankee of the Indian Navy became the first woman officer from the Army, Navy or Air Force to hold the post. Her appointment came amid a gradual widening of roles for women in the armed forces, including the Navy's evolving policies on women commanding warships. In July 2026, Major Navya Shekhawat of the Army Service Corps became the second woman, and first from the Army, to be appointed President's ADC.
Key facts
- Lieutenant Commander Yashaswi B Solankee was appointed ADC to the President of India in May 2025, the first woman officer from the Army, Navy or Air Force in the role.
- She was formally presented the ceremonial aiguillette on May 9, 2025, marking the start of her tenure.
- Her tenure is expected to run around two and a half to three years.
- The President is generally supported by five ADCs — three from the Army and one each from the Navy and Air Force.
- Solankee joined the service in 2019 as a specialised officer in the Naval Armament Inspection Cadre under the Executive Cadre of the Indian Navy.
- She underwent extensive training in Naval Weapons for 3 years and was then posted in Hyderabad, handling defence projects for the Navy.
- Officers selected as President's ADC typically have at least five to seven years of consistent service behind them.
- In July 2026, Major Navya Shekhawat of the Army Service Corps became the second woman overall and first from the Indian Army to be appointed President's ADC.
Timeline
- 2019Solankee joins the Indian Navy as a specialised officer in the Naval Armament Inspection Cadre under the Executive Cadre.
- After joining (3 years)Undergoes extensive training in Naval Weapons, then is posted to Hyderabad to look after defence projects for the Navy.
- Before assuming officeSelection process including an interaction with President Droupadi Murmu, security clearances and an orientation period.
- May 2025Appointed Aide-de-Camp to the President of India — first woman officer from the Army, Navy or Air Force in the role.
- May 9, 2025Formally presented with the ceremonial aiguillette, beginning a tenure expected to last two and a half to three years.
- July 2026Major Navya Shekhawat of the Army Service Corps becomes the second woman officer and first from the Army to be appointed President's ADC.
Who has a stake
- Lt Cdr Yashaswi B Solankee — First woman officer from the three services to serve as President's ADC; responsible for coordinating the President's engagements and accompanying her at state functions.
- President Droupadi Murmu / Rashtrapati Bhavan — The appointing authority and office served; the ADC team manages protocol, dignitaries and ceremonial engagements.
- Indian Navy — Contributes one of the five ADCs; its evolving policies on women, including command of warships, are reflected in the appointment.
- Indian Army and Air Force — Supply three and one ADC respectively; the Army saw its first woman ADC, Major Navya Shekhawat, in July 2026.
- Women officers in the armed forces — Access to prestigious ceremonial, protocol and cross-service assignments previously held only by men.
Why it matters
The President's ADC is among the most visible ceremonial appointments in the armed forces, so opening it to women signals that prestige postings at Rashtrapati Bhavan are no longer male-only. Solankee's appointment sits within a broader shift — including the Navy's moves on women commanding warships and taking cross-service responsibilities — and was followed within about a year by the Army's first woman ADC, showing the change is not a one-off.
UPSC angle
Prelims pointers
- Lt Cdr Yashaswi B Solankee: first woman officer from Army/Navy/Air Force appointed ADC to the President, May 2025.
- President is generally supported by five ADCs: three Army, one Navy, one Air Force.
- Ceremonial aiguillette presented to Solankee on May 9, 2025; tenure about two and a half to three years.
- Solankee joined the Navy in 2019 in the Naval Armament Inspection Cadre under the Executive Cadre.
- Major Navya Shekhawat (Army Service Corps): second woman and first Army woman officer as President's ADC, July 2026.
- Selection involved interaction with President Droupadi Murmu, security clearances and orientation.
Mains framing
The appointment of Lt Cdr Yashaswi B Solankee as the first woman ADC to the President in May 2025 is best read as an institutional signal rather than an isolated personnel decision. Ceremonial and protocol roles at Rashtrapati Bhavan — five ADCs drawn three from the Army and one each from the Navy and Air Force — have historically been an all-male preserve, and their opening reflects the cumulative effect of wider changes in the armed forces, including the Navy's evolving policies on women commanding warships and taking on cross-service responsibilities. The eligibility norms themselves are demanding: five to seven years of consistent service, a rigorous selection process involving interaction with the President, security clearances and orientation, which Solankee met through weapons training and defence project postings in Hyderabad. The rapid follow-up appointment of Major Navya Shekhawat of the Army Service Corps in July 2026 suggests such firsts can normalise quickly once a precedent exists. The way forward, on the source's own logic, lies in ensuring women officers get the technical, logistics and field postings that build eligibility for high-visibility roles, so that representation in prestige appointments becomes routine rather than historic.
Key terms
- Aide-de-Camp (ADC)
- A service officer attached to the President to coordinate official engagements and accompany the President at state functions, investitures and diplomatic meetings.
- Aiguillette
- The ceremonial braided cord worn by an ADC; its formal presentation marks the start of the appointment.
- Naval Armament Inspection Cadre
- A specialised branch under the Indian Navy's Executive Cadre dealing with naval armament; Solankee joined it in 2019.
- Executive Cadre (Indian Navy)
- The Navy's main branch of officers under which specialised cadres such as Naval Armament Inspection function.
- Army Service Corps
- The Army arm to which Major Navya Shekhawat, the first woman Army officer appointed President's ADC in July 2026, belongs.
Practice questions
- Discuss the significance of opening ceremonial and protocol appointments such as President's Aide-de-Camp to women officers for gender inclusion in India's armed forces.
- What are the functions of an Aide-de-Camp to the President of India, and how is the ADC contingent composed across the three services?
- Examine how changes in service policies, such as the Navy's approach to women commanding warships and cross-service roles, shape women officers' access to high-visibility appointments.
Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.