Israel Navy's first female missile boat chief expected to earn further promotions - exclusive

Lieutenant-Commander "R" broke the glass ceiling in February when she became the first female missile boat chief, but is expected to break more in the future after excelling in the role.

The first-ever female missile boat commander, Lt.-Cmdr. R, has excelled in her first half-year managing her naval vessel and is expected to eventually earn additional promotions in the navy, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

When the IDF announced that it had appointed Lt.-Cmdr. R to be the first-ever female boat commander in February, she had already broken a new glass ceiling in the navy, but it appears that her trajectory is set for cracking even higher levels.

In recent years, the navy has seen an increase in female sailors and officers, but in February, R became the navy's most prominent new female representative.

According to the IDF, the missile boat in question was expected to be at the forefront of naval combat operations.

It had already been involved in attacking the Syrian navy, assassinating the political head of Hamas in Gaza, the head of Hezbollah's aerial threats Unit 127, and a variety of other offensive and defensive operations.

The Post can confirm that under R's command, the vessel has continued to be involved in high-profile operations for the navy and has continued to carry out complex missions successfully.

R joined the navy's commanders course in 2016 and has since fulfilled a wide range of positions, including being a missile boat deputy commander and the commander of a Dvora-class vessel.

Ex-Israel Navy chief praises trailblazing female officer

Back in February, then-IDF Navy chief V.-Adm. David Saar Salama praised R, saying she was the right choice for the role based solely on her qualifications, while clearly the IDF wanted to highlight the advancement of women in combat roles.

Since then, the Post has learned from R's current superiors that her ongoing performance leaves little doubt that she will gradually earn additional promotions.