IDF says no to women tank crews, despite successful pilot

The IDF has decided against allowing women into combat positions in the Armored Corps.

By David Isaac, World Israel News

The Israel Defense Forces will not let women into the Armored Corps. it announced on Sunday.

The Army made the decision despite a successful pilot program less than a year ago, in which 10 female IDF soldiers were trained as tank crews, four of whom went on to train as tank commanders.

An IDF Spokesperson said: “During the course of a year and four months, an experiment was conducted to examine whether a team of women could operate a tank that was operationally suited to the challenge of defending the borders. During the course of the training, three tank crews and four tank commanders were successfully trained.”

However, the spokesperson continued, “An assessment of the situation by General Army Command in the Armored Corps showed that the next stage would require a significant increase in manpower and infrastructure for the realization of the process” of creating female tank units.

As a result, Army Radio reported that the IDF decided to integrate women combat soldiers into existing units.

According to Ynet news, five soldiers dropped out of the pilot program for various reasons. Two did so because of medical problems unconnected to training, two for professional reasons and one for motivation issues.

The trainees were assisted by a team of experienced tank commanders, nutritionists, combat fitness and medical personnel, Ynet says.

Graduates of the pilot program will continue to serve in the Armored Corps. for the time being.