Captain Divya Ajith Kumar is an Army Air Defense (AAD) officer in the

Indian Army The Indian Army is the land-based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), who is a four ...

. She graduated from the

Officers Training Academy The Officers Training Academy (OTA) is a training establishment of the Indian Army that trains officers for the Short Service Commission (SSC). The 49-week course at the OTA prepares graduates for all branches of the Army, except for the Army Me ...

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. Kumar is the first woman to be conferred by the Army with the Sword of Honour, a prize given to the best cadet. She led an all-woman contingent of 154 female officers and cadets during the Republic Day Parade in 2015.

Early life and education

Divya Ajith Kumar was born in Chennai to a

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family. She is a first-generation soldier. She attended Good Shepherd Matriculation Higher Secondary School, and Stella Maris College, Chennai, where she completed her B.Com. (Hons). She joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and participated in the NCC women contingent in

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. Kumar later joined, and graduated from the Officers Training Academy (OTA). Kumar was awarded the Sword of Honour prize, given to the best cadet. She was the first woman to be awarded the prize.

Military career

Kumar was commissioned into Corps of Army Air Defence in September 2010. She also jointly topped the Young Officers' course of the Army Air Defence College in 2011 and was awarded the Silver Gun Trophy. Kumar led the first all-women contingent of the Army on

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in 2015. She led a contingent of 126 officers and 28 cadets during the parade, where US President Barack Obama was present as the chief guest. She currently teaches at the Officers Training Academy in Chennai.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Divya Ajith Indian Army officers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Stella Maris College, Chennai alumni