From Army to Navy to Air Force: Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, DG AFMS, Shares What She Learned from Each Service
From Army to Navy to Air Force: Surgeon Vice Admiral Arti Sarin, DG AFMS, Shares What She Learned from Each Service
Breaking barriers with discipline, determination, and decades of service.
Vice Admiral Arti Sarin has scripted history as the first woman officer to head the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS), assuming the role of Director General after more than four decades of service. Her appointment marks a defining moment for the armed forces, where women in leadership roles are still a rarity.
Born at the Army Base Hospital in Delhi Cantonment, Sarin grew up steeped in naval tradition. Her father served for 41 years in the Indian Navy, and her brother was a submariner. Inspired by this environment, she chose medicine and joined the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, graduating with an MBBS in 1985. “I used to wear the uniform even at the age of four. When it became reality during the passing-out parade, it was a defining moment,” she recalled in an interview.
Sarin pursued an MD in Radiodiagnosis and advanced training in Radiation Oncology at Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Centre before further specialising in Gamma Knife Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. She was commissioned into the AFMS in December 1985, beginning a career that would span clinical, academic, and command assignments.
Over the years, she served across all three services—Army, Navy, and Air Force—an exceptionally rare distinction. Her postings included stints in insurgency-hit Kupwara, J&K, and at forward surgical centres during the tense pre-Kargil period. Later, she held key leadership roles as Commandant of INHS Asvini in Mumbai and Command Medical Officer for both Southern and Western Naval Command. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she oversaw critical quarantine centres and naval medical facilities.
Sarin’s rise came in a domain traditionally dominated by men. In 2020, she and her husband, Surgeon Rear Admiral C.S. Naidu, both occupied Command Medical Officer positions in different naval commands—an unprecedented instance of a couple holding such senior posts simultaneously. Beyond leadership, she has contributed as a teacher, researcher, and policy advisor, mentoring postgraduate students, authoring medical research, and serving on the Supreme Court’s National Task Force for doctors’ safety in 2024.
Her exemplary service has been recognised with the Vishisht Seva Medal (2021), the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2024), and three service commendations. She has also been a strong advocate for Nari Shakti in the armed forces, encouraging young women to pursue military careers.
For aspiring women officers, Sarin’s journey is a beacon of what perseverance and commitment can achieve. Her story demonstrates how tradition and progress can move together, shaping a future where women at the highest echelons of military leadership become the norm, not the exception.
