In 1993, the recognized Oxford scholar John Keagan made the following assertation in his book A History of Warfare: “Women, however, do not fight. They rarely fight among themselves and they never, in any military sense, fight men. If warfare is as old as history and as universal mankind… it is an entirely masculine activity”. Almost 30 years have passed after combat roles were opened to women in at least 25 military institutions around the world and still, the mere presence of women in combat duty keeps being challenged. This investigation asks, what achievements and challenges do women face while serving in military combat and combat-support positions? This research is expected to contribute to the studies of women’s representation, recognition, and visibility in warfare, defense forces, and strategic studies with the analysis of women’s integration into military combat units. My research fills a void in Feminist IR theory inclined to view the women combatants based on the barriers and abuses they have experienced while serving in the military. I demonstrate and explore women’s unsuccessful and successful incorporation into the armed forces of two states: Israel and Canada - democratic industrialized nations that have enforced defence policy shifts to actively incorporate women into combat roles as earlier as 2000-2001.