Although it will take several more months until the historic promotion becomes an actuality on the ground, the IDF confirmed Bacher’s new assignment and she is expected to become the head of the intelligence battalion that is stationed on the Israel-Egyptian border, Ma’ariv said.
Bacher is a 17-year IDF veteran, having previously served as commander of Eagle Company, located in southern Israel, a unit whose scope of responsibilities include the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Bacher has also served as a special adviser on women’s issues to the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.
Bachar is currently completing a course on command and special staff at Glilot, and will then go on to begin a battalion commander’s couse. Her husband, Maj. Ohad Bachar, told an army publication in recent days that they both shared the goal of becoming battalion commanders, and praised his wife for “realizing her ambitions and making a breakthrough as the first woman in the role.”
Ma’ariv reported that IDF officials who have been in contact with Oshrat Bacher since she received news of her promotion say that she is thrilled and is currently being flooded with congratulatory phone calls.
“Our approach is that nothing is difficult, and there is no difficulty that cannot be overcome,” Bacher once said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 2. Bacher also acknowledged those responsible for her amazing rise, saying that, “I could not have succeeded without the support of my parents. Without them and the help of my various commanders, I never would have thrived.”