The Israel Defense Forces has announced a company of all-women tank operators would become a permanent feature of the Israeli military following the success of a two-year pilot program integrating women in the Armored Corps.
IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi said the female fighters from the Caracal light infantry battalion “met all the goals for which they were tested.”
The new commander of the battalion will be a woman for the first time.
“We are successfully concluding a professional and in-depth process, as part of the concept that the IDF is opening up more and more combat roles for women,” he added.
The women fighters will be stationed mostly along the border with Egypt, the army said.
“I trust that the female tank soldiers will carry out the task of defending the borders professionally and with great success, and will be a significant part of the IDF’s operational effort,” Kohavi said.
An Israeli soldier walks before parked Merkava battle tanks at a position in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights near the border with Syria on August 29, 2022. (JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)
The decision to make company permanent “was made in light of professional and operational considerations and in accordance with the needs of the army, after the female troops met the predefined criteria,” the IDF said.
The border with Egypt has seen several dozen smuggling attempts in recent years. Maj. Or Livni, the Caracal battalion’s incoming commander, was wounded during a gunfight with smugglers several years ago.
The army has only signed off on gender-segregated tank crews for now, which according to The Times of Israel, is in consideration of modesty concerns, since crew members are often required to use the bathroom and perform other bodily functions within the confined space of the tank.
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