A logistics NCO in a mixed-gender infantry battalion is relieved of duty after a full and exemplary service for refusing a direct order from the battalion commanding officer
Copyright: Israel Defense Forces [CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)]
Last week, warriors from one of the three the mixed-gender infantry battalions, Caracal, arrived at a training base on the Egyptian border. Initial planning called for housing the soldiers in barracks, but upon arrival it was determined that these accommodations did not provide sufficient privacy for the female personnel.
Both battalion commanding officer and his second in command, upon evaluating the situation, decided that the soldiers would be housed in tents and ordered the NCO in charge of logistics in the platoon to erect the tents and make them ready for occupation. As it happened, Israel was in the throes of of one the worst winter storms to date and the strong winds have created in the NCO’s mind unsafe conditions, as a result of which she refused to carry out the order.
Following her refusal, battalion CO relieved her from duty and reassigned her to battalion headquarters where she is likely to be discharged from service. Platoon personnel subsequently erected the tents and the incident seemed to have reached its conclusion.
However, friends and family members of the NCO have approached the Israeli media and complained that she had been treated unfairly only a short time before she was due to be discharged from active service after two and a half years, a service in which she had excelled. They added that the NCO treated the 100 soldiers of the platoon “as if they were her own small children” and that all of her actions were motivated only by concern for their welfare.
In response, IDF spokesperson issued a statement saying that the battalion commander acted within his lawful authority in dismissing a soldier for insubordination and that the tents were properly deployed and provided adequate shelter and privacy to the mixed-gender platoon for the duration of its training.
For images of the training facility please visit: https://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5664027,00.html
