The Depth Corps ( he, מפקדת העומק, ''lit.'' Depth Headquarters) of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is a command formed in 2011 to coordinate the IDF's long range operations and operations deep in enemy territory. The command originally formed in the 1980s but was scaled down and then planned again in the 2000s. The decision for its formation in the current form was taken by Chief of Staff

Benny Gantz Benjamin Gantz ( he, בִּנְיָמִין "בֵּנִי" גַּנְץ, Transliterated: ; born 9 June 1959) is an Israeli politician and retired army general serving as the minister of Defense since 2020 and deputy prime minister of Israel si ...

in 2011. Its current commander is Major General

Itai Veruv Itai Veruv ( he, איתי וירוב; born April 14, 1966) is a Major General (aluf) who is currently serving as the Commander of the Israel Defense Forces Depth Corps and Commander of the IDF Military Colleges. He previously served as Chief of ...

History

The command originally operated in 1982–1986. It was subordinated to the Southern Command and headed by Major General

Doron Rubin Doron Rubin ( he, דורון רובין; 1944 – 20 January 2018) was an Israeli general. He was head of the Israeli Defense Forces' Instruction and Doctrine Directorate and commander of the headquarters for special operations. Military career ...

. It was scaled down and commanded by a

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

until 2011. The last commander of the unit in this form was Gil Tamir.

Operations

The Depth Corps was recreated as a major command out of a feeling that Israel's special forces were underutilized in the nation's conflicts, and out of a lack of a body coordinating their operations behind enemy lines. This was made possible by preparations made by the major generals

Shay Avital Shay Avital Rapoport (; born in 1952) is a Aluf, Major General (Ret.) in the Israel Defense Forces, IDF and former head of the Special Operations Forces Command (Depth Corps). During his military career Avital was, among others, Commander of Saye ...

, Aviv Kokhavi,

Ido Nehoshtan Aluf Ido Nehoshtan, also Nehushtan ( he, עידו נחושתן; born 1957) is a retired general in the Israel Defense Forces. He replaced Eliezer Shkedi on 4 April 2008 as Air Force Commander until he himself was replaced by Amir Eshel on 10 May ...

and

Gadi Eizenkot Gadi Eisenkot or Eizenkot ( he, גדי איזנקוט; born 19 May 1960) was the 21st Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (16 February 2015 – 15 January 2019). He is the originator of the so-called Dahiya doctrine. Biography ...

. According to Israeli newspaper '' Haaretz'', it was also a means for Defense Minister Ehud Barak to realize his vision of having more special forces veterans in IDF's General Staff. Previously, many of IDF's special operations were commanded by the naval or air force chiefs by virtue of the soldiers being transported by sea or air, respectively, regardless of the essence of these operations. One of the primary missions for the new corps will be the special forces operations to prevent transfer of advanced weaponry of supplies to Groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.. This may include new naval units and possibly a squadron of

Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey is an American multi-mission, tiltrotor military aircraft with both vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) and short takeoff and landing (STOL) capabilities. It is designed to combine the functionality of a conventio ...

aircraft.Opall-Rome, Barbara
, topnews, text, FRONTPAGE "Israel’s Growing Commando Force Eyes V-22s."
''DefenseNews'', 28 April 2012.

References

{{Israel Defense Forces Special forces units and formations Special forces of Israel Military units and formations established in 2011