The Royal Australian Navy has highlighted its first Hindu chaplain, Kamala Sharma-Wing, as part of Harmony Week, underscoring the role of diversity and inclusion in strengthening Defence culture, capability and workforce wellbeing.
Appointed in early 2025 as the Australian Defence Force’s first full-time Service Category 7 Hindu chaplain, Sharma-Wing supports personnel from all backgrounds, focusing on resilience, cohesion and readiness. Based at HMAS Harman, her work includes pastoral care, crisis support, ethical guidance and day-to-day engagement aimed at maintaining morale across the ranks.
Her appointment reflects broader demographic changes within the ADF and an effort to ensure its support services align with an increasingly diverse workforce. While chaplaincy has long been part of military life, the inclusion of a Hindu chaplain at this level is unprecedented.
Chaplain Sharma-Wing said her focus was not on promoting a particular faith, but on helping individuals find meaning and resilience in ways that suited them. Drawing on training in counselling, Hindu traditions, yoga and mindfulness, she provides practical strategies to manage stress and maintain focus in high-pressure environments.
Her journey to the role spans three decades. Born in Nepal, she migrated to Australia as a teenager, completing her schooling while adapting to a new language and culture. She later enlisted in the Navy in 1995 as a writer—now known as a maritime personnel operator—and went on to serve as a maritime logistics officer across ships and shore establishments.
The transition to chaplaincy began in 2016 after a senior defence chaplain recognised her aptitude for pastoral care and cross-cultural understanding during a leadership program. At the time, there were no Hindu chaplains in Defence.
After several years of reflection, a placement in an aged-care memory support unit in 2019 proved defining in shaping her decision to pursue the vocation. She subsequently completed a Master of Counselling, undertook extensive religious training to become a Hindu priestess, and gained qualifications in yoga instruction and pastoral care. She was ordained in November 2024.
Since taking up the post, her daily work has ranged from leading early-morning wellbeing sessions to providing one-on-one support and facilitating multi-faith observances. Colleagues have described her appointment as both a personal milestone and an institutional step towards more inclusive support structures.
Chaplain Sharma-Wing said she hoped to see further expansion of multi-faith representation within Defence, encouraging people from varied backgrounds to consider how they could contribute to service life.
Her appointment underscores a growing recognition within the ADF that supporting personnel wellbeing—across cultural and spiritual dimensions—is central to operational readiness.
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