Israel’s Snapir naval unit is an elite fighting force that protects Israel’s shores, with one third of its members women.

This week, the battle-ready IDF naval unit known as Snapir launched live-fire drills in the waters just off of Israel’s coast.

While this elite group of Israeli combatants’ primary task is battling terrorists, it is also confronting stereotypes in the process, with over 30 percent of its members women, including a commander and a medic.

As the Snapir unit demonstrates, the IDF does far more than pay lip service to the Israeli value of equality for all.