Cats.

This is coolbert:

From the Internet web site of the distinguished Israeli military historian and theoretician [?] Professor Martin Van Creveld yet another extract with my commentary:

“Not-Hot”

Professor Martin an Israeli but hardly an advocate for women serving in combat arms units. Combat arms usually referred to and defined as infantry, armor, artillery, air defense and army aviation.

These figures Professor Martin cites are confined specifically to the ground forces? I am not sure but think this is so!

Contrary to popular opinion women serving in combat units of the Israeli Defense Forces a very small percentage of the whole. Women conscripted but doing their duty in those type of units usually defined as combat support or combat service and support.

"First, the background. The IDF active force, including both regulars and conscripts, numbers 176,000 troops. Of those about 30 percent (58,000) are female. . . . According to the figures, the total number of female 'fighters' in the regular force is said to be 1,593. All are volunteers; unlike men, who are assigned, women only serve in 'combat' if and when they want to. In other words, under 3 percent of female soldiers serve in 'combat' units."

. . . .

"Now let’s take a closer look at what 'combat' actually entails. The largest group, 442 out of 1,593, serve in three mixed battalions named 'Caracal,' 'Leopard,' and 'Lions of the Jordan' respectively. In each of these they form 60 percent of the total. What all three have in common is that they are permanently deployed along the borders with Egypt and Jordan. Those in turn have this in common that, over the last forty years, they have seen hardly a shot fired in anger."

Devoted readers to the blog already familiar with the mixed-gender combat-arms battalions such as "Caracal". Caracal a desert cat the appearance of an undetermined gender when viewed from a distance. You cannot tell if it is a male or female!

These mixed-gender units primarily their mission is patrolling, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering and direct combat. That is my understanding.

See previous blog entries regarding the mixed-gender Israeli combat arms units:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/07/lieutenant-noy.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/05/team-mor.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/06/lions-of-jordan.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/06/negev-tavor.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/09/caracal-mout.html

coolbert.