28th

Is the IDF Submarine Force going coed?

September 2010

The IDF is facing a manning problem. According to Ha’aretz, the Israeli Defense Forces’ sub fleet is working to expand the submariner pipeline, growing from three sub teams to a total of ten. Are women going to be a part of this new cadre?

Look, finding enough guys capable of completing the grueling training cycle is hard enough, but, as the IDF sub fleet grows to five hulls, trebling the IDF sub force is pretty much impossible without a new source of recruits. Which gets us to the image at the right, taken from the Ha’aretz story. The sailor training in the background (working in the IDF’s sweet new “land-sub” training facility) is either sporting some unusually long-hair or…the sailor is a woman.

Could the traditionally-all male IDF Sub force be integrating?  Read more at NEXTNAVY.COM


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  • Scott

    Maybe she is just a tech who works at the submarine trainer?

  • http://www.coatneyhistory.com Lou Coatney

    It is my understanding that those U-boats that the Germans have given the Israelis have nuclear cruise missile launching capability.

    And we certainly don’t want someone petulantly starting World War 3, because she’s having a bad hair day.

  • Haole Jon

    Wow. Bad hair day. Really?

    Yes, people, guess what? There are computer technicians and combat systems experts that are women. Just because they don’t serve or deploy on a vessel doesn’t mean they cannot work on (or possibly design) the gear. Women can’t be fighter pilots in the U. S. armed forces. But women work on F-18s all the time.

    The fact that this one picture prompted an article on two seperate websites (at least) is really disappointing. And that it resulted in immature comments as well is even more so.

  • Haole Jon

    I must correct myself. Women are allowed to fly combat missions in the military (SecDef Aspin enacted this policy in 1993). You really want to make hair jokes with these women? Every day is a “bad hair day” for them (they wear flight helmets). It doesn’t appear to affect their accuracy.

  • ETC Jeremy Tria

    Women are just as capable as men. The only problem a sub force always faces is manning and we are always needing people that are qualified. The problem I see with women in this role is if they get pregnant the severely affect the operations of that ship. Submarines already have small crews and it is really hard for us to absorb that blow.

    I am all for women on subs as long as policy makers understand that this may lead to a bigger manning problem. We may need to build in spare people in the system somewhere. Whether that be another crew or a shore facility that has people qualified to step up.

  • http://www.militarybootsdirect.com/ military boots

    I didn’t think the military even thought twice about placing women in important duty positions.

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