Israel Appoints First Female Aviation Squadron Commander

The IAF has appointed Lt. Col. T. as the first female pilot to act as Squadron Commander. Congrats!

By: The Tower and United with Israel Staff 

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) announced that it has appointed its first female aviation squadron commander.

The commander, who was identified only as “Major T,” after the first initial of her name, due to security concerns, was promoted to lieutenant-colonel and will head a squadron of transport planes.

Major T is the mother of two young children.

“She will be the first female pilot to have this position and to have this rank,” according to a statement from the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

Maj.-Gen. Amikam Norkin, the IAF commander, announced the promotion of another woman, known as “Maj. M,” to command the IAF’s Operational Command and Control Unit. She is also being promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. Maj. M will be the highest ranking woman to serve as an IAF traffic controller.

The two appointments mark a trend within the IAF to integrate and promote more women into the Israel Defense Forces. In November it was announced that Capt. Y was appointed as the first female deputy commander of a combat squadron.

The increased integration into the armed forces is occurring not just in the air, but on the ground as well.

In 2016, the Israeli military decided to test women’s ability serve in infantry and special forces units. In January 2017, Israel’s first female tank operators completed their training.

While women in the majority of the Middle East are degraded, robbed of rights and horribly abused, in Israel they are integral to all parts of the society, including the IDF.