IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced Thursday that the military will discontinue its current pilot program to train female soldiers for the infantry mobility specialty.
A revised pilot, tailored specifically for women, is planned for next year. The decision follows a recommendation by Ground Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan and comes after six months of training.
“The decision was made based on findings presented by professional staff and training commanders after approximately six months of training," the IDF said in a statement.
While the findings indicated that the female trainees demonstrated strong professional performance, comparable to that of their male counterparts, their physical and combat fitness levels fell short of the standards required to qualify for the role. The IDF also cited medical data showing potential health risks for the women still in training, particularly in light of the expected increase in physical intensity.
Given the projected ineffectiveness of continuing the current track, the IDF decided to bring the pilot to an early end.
The military emphasized that the program received "extensive command-level attention," with close oversight from medical and fitness personnel, as well as the training staff, to ensure the women had optimal conditions for success in a physically demanding environment. A new pilot will only be launched after lessons are drawn from the current trial experience.
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As for the women who participated in the program, the IDF said they would be reassigned, either to combat or non-combat roles, based on personal preference. “Commanders appreciated the female soldiers’ efforts in joining the pilot and committed to placing them in meaningful roles,” the statement said.
In closing, the IDF stressed its longstanding commitment to gender integration: “Women have served in the IDF since its founding and contribute significantly to its mission. Over the years, the military has expanded the range of roles available to women, especially in combat. Today, more than 90% of IDF positions are open to women, and they make up about 20% of combat recruits—playing an exceptional operational role.”
34 female soldiers began the training course, 23 remained after six months
The IDF began experimenting with integrating women into infantry units in November 2023 with 34 recruits, of whom 30 started the training at the Paratroopers’ basic training base. Six months later, 23 remained.
The pilot was part of a broader initiative to integrate women into additional combat roles across elite units such as Sayeret Matkal, Unit 669, Yahalom, Unit 504 and an Armored Corps program still in planning. The infantry mobility training was intended to mirror the full training path of male infantry soldiers.
In recent weeks, senior IDF personnel—including the heads of the Ground Forces Command and Manpower Directorate—held discussions with medical and fitness experts to evaluate the trainees' progress, concluding that the soldiers were unlikely to meet the physical and combat fitness benchmarks. Many were also experiencing medical issues related to the training, with a risk of worsening if it continued.
Chief Infantry and Paratroopers Officer Brig. Gen. Eran Ulliel met with the participants Thursday morning to inform them of the decision. An officer from the Human Resources Directorate accompanied him, offering one-on-one consultations to any soldier seeking guidance on her next assignment. All will be placed in meaningful positions, with efforts made to accommodate their personal preferences, according to the IDF.
Combat recruitment among women has increased nearly ninefold over the past decade, reaching around 4,500 new female combat recruits annually. According to IDF data from December, the November-December 2024 cycle saw a 28% rise in female combat enlistment compared to the same period in 2023—partly due to new pilot programs, including the infantry mobility course and a gender-integrated unit in the Combat Intelligence Corps.