IDF deems pilot program integrating female recruits into elite Yahalom unit a success

The IDF has deemed a pilot program integrating female recruits into the Combat Engineering Corps’ elite Yahalom unit a success, paving the way for women combat engineers to have a permanent role in the military.

The program, which began two and a half years ago, was intended to examine the integration of women in Yahalom, as part of efforts by the IDF to open up more roles for female fighters.

During that time, three cohorts of female troops were recruited to Yahalom and underwent “a unique training track that included specialization in operating special platforms, advanced technologies, and meeting the operational standards” of the elite unit, according to the IDF.

The military says that over the past two years, officers in the corps and the Ground Forces “refined the operational role of the female soldiers in light of the operational needs.”

The female combat engineers were “integrated into hundreds of operational activities” on the northern front and in the Gaza Strip, and they “contributed significantly to the unit’s capabilities, and demonstrated professionalism, determination, and high motivation,” the IDF says.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has concluded that the pilot program was a success and instructed the army “to continue the integration model of female combat soldiers in Yahalom as part of the overall approach to strengthening the Combat Engineering Corps’ combat array and integrating women into combat roles throughout the IDF,” the military says.