All-female tank crew begins operations on Egyptian border
They will operate Merkava IV tanks, having completed their training last week and began their operational activity along the Egyptian border.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFAll-female IDF tank crewwoman discusses role
An all-female crew of tank operators has been deployed on the Egyptian border and began their operational activity on Thursday, the IDF spokesperson unit has confirmed.
They will operate Merkava IV tanks, having completed their training last week.
The company of all-female tank operators were deployed to serve under the command of the Paran Brigade in the mixed-gender Caracal Battalion. All-female battalion of tank operators deployed on the Egyptian border (IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
While the 15 combat fighters will take part in operational duty, their deployment does not mean the pilot program was successfully completed. According to the IDF, its success will be determined by a number of factors, including long-term operational activity and quality of force building.
The first pilot program, which was aimed at training women to operate tanks, concluded in June 2018 with four female soldiers graduating as tank commanders and two-thirds of the overall program successfully completing the course.
However, in April 2019 the military announced that despite the seeming success of the trial program, it would not be continuing and the women who qualified would not be permitted to continue working with the corps.
An investigation was launched in early 2020 into whether the results of the trial had been intentionally distorted to make it seem like it had been unsuccessful.
In November 2020, the IDF began preparations for a second round of the program, with several changes including the height and weight restrictions on the women and the duration of the operational missions in which they will be participating.
Anna Aronheim and Shira Silkoff contributed to this report.
