The IDF Ground Forces have completed preparations to receive the Armored Corps’s first company of female tank soldiers designated for maneuvering combat, with the new track set to begin when recruits enlist in November, Walla learned on Tuesday.
Following a series of staff studies, pilot programs, and examinations of a dedicated training track adapted for women, and amid a heated public debate and opposition from rabbis, the High Court of Justice ruled in April that the IDF must establish an all-female maneuvering tank company as an organic combat unit without further delays.
The tank crews in the first company will consist entirely of female soldiers, who will serve for the first time as an operational maneuvering force in a role similar to that of male combat soldiers.
The IDF Ground Forces have not yet decided which armored brigade will receive the company.
Female tank soldiers have previously served in border defense missions under the 80th "Edom" Division along the Egyptian border. They fought during the October 7 massacre, at both Gaza border communities and at military posts in the sector overseen by the Gaza Division’s Southern Brigade.
The soldiers killed terrorists and prevented further attacks and attempted infiltrations into Israeli communities. Despite their actions, the IDF's General Staff did not authorize them to participate in maneuvering operations deep inside the Gaza Strip during the war.
Training for female Armored Corps soldiers slated to take place at different base to male compatriots
According to IDF Ground Forces plans, the training track for the female combat soldiers will be similar to that of male soldiers, but will take place at a separate base.
The ground forces also decided that the facility would serve as the recruits’ basic training base for the duration of training. The base currently serves as a facility for repairing IDF equipment in southern Israel.
The IDF’s training apparatus has made adaptations at the base ahead of the arrival of the female combat soldiers.
The recruits are scheduled to enlist in the dedicated track in November 2026.
The IDF also decided to establish additional medical and logistical support for the training program because of the base’s distance from the Shizafon base, home to the Armored Corps’ 460th Training Brigade.