Colonel Reut Rettig-Weiss became the IDF's first female brigade commander in June 2022. She was appointed to command the Artillery Brigade of the 99th Division and to head fire support at the Urban Warfare Training Center. The appointment placed a woman in command of a combat brigade, rather than a staff position. The IDF announcement identifies both roles.
Command in the field
Rettig-Weiss had previously commanded the Sky Rider unit in the Artillery Corps. The IDF said she was the first woman to hold the rank of colonel as a combat officer in that corps before taking the brigade command. Her career shows how service in a specialist operational unit can lead to senior command.
Another visible combat leader is Lt. Col. Or Ben-Yehuda, who commanded the Caracal Battalion. On October 7, 2023, she led soldiers defending the Sufa outpost and coordinating with other forces. In its detailed reconstruction, the Times of Israel reports her account of directing the defense and helping soldiers emerge from the besieged position. The account describes a specific command episode rather than a claim about the overall number of attackers killed.
Appointments in technology and the General Staff
Senior leadership also includes technology and staff commands. In 2022, Brig. Gen. Naama Rosen-Grimberg was named military secretary to the President of Israel, becoming the first woman in that post. The IDF reported she would join the General Staff Forum, where she became its third female member at the time. The appointment announcement gives her title and the forum context.
These appointments involve different responsibilities: a brigade commander directs an operational formation, a battalion commander leads soldiers in a specific unit, and a military secretary serves in a senior liaison and advisory post. Naming the role precisely matters more than grouping every appointment under a single claim of command.
What the milestones establish
Rettig-Weiss's brigade appointment and Ben-Yehuda's battalion command establish that women have held combat command posts. Rosen-Grimberg's appointment shows women also serving in high-level General Staff and state-facing positions. These examples document access to specific leadership roles; they do not imply that women hold every command post or that all branches have the same leadership profile.
For related operational examples, read about Caracal and its tank crews and the development of women's combat roles.