The 89th "Oz" Brigade ("Courage" in Hebrew) is a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. ...

of the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...

(IDF), dedicated entirely to special operations. It was established on December 27, 2015. The new brigade, dubbed the Commando Brigade, is composed solely of infantry special-operations units removed from their previous

chain of command A command hierarchy is a group of people who carry out orders based on others' authority within the group. It can be viewed as part of a power structure, in which it is usually seen as the most vulnerable and also the most powerful part. Milit ...

structures to create a new tactical formation. Commanded by Aluf Mishne (Colonel) Avi Blut, the brigade operates as part of the 98th Division.

Ideation and development

According to the IDF, the Commando Brigade is the brainchild of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...

Gadi Eisenkot and is the implementation of operational lessons learned during

Operation Protective Edge The 2014 Gaza War, also known as Operation Protective Edge ( he, מִבְצָע צוּק אֵיתָן, translit=Miv'tza Tzuk Eitan, ), was a military operation launched by Israel on 8 July 2014 in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory that h ...

in the summer of 2014 and the Second Lebanon War in 2006. According to the 98th Division Commander, the brigade is not only an integration of the elite teams of the Infantry Corps under one command, but also a body expected to lead operational and tactical thinking in order to establish a new warfare doctrine. The new Brigade, furthermore, is intended to provide special operations units a previously lacking centre of gravity. The concept of a commando brigade was developed by IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot during the formulation of the 5-years military plan. The new brigade is said to draw further parallels between Israel's special forces and

75th Ranger Regiment The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as Army Rangers, is the U.S. Army's premier light infantry unit and special operations force within the United States Army Special Operations Command. The regiment is headquartered at Fort Benning, G ...

. Other special-operations units,

Sayeret Matkal General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (formerly Unit 269 or Unit 262), more commonly known as Sayeret Matkal ( he, סיירת מטכ״ל) is the special reconnaissance unit (''sayeret'') of Israel's General Staff (''matkal''). It is the prime special ...

Shayetet 13 Shayetet 13 ( he, שייטת 13, lit. ''Flotilla 13'') is a unit of the Israeli Navy and one of the primary sayeret ''(reconnaissance)'' units of the Israel Defense Forces. Shayetet 13 specializes in sea-to-land incursions, counter-terrorism, ...

, Shaldag,

Oketz The Oketz Unit ( he, יחידת עוקץ, ''lit.'' sting), is the independent canine special forces (sayeret) unit of the Israel Defense Forces. History It was founded in 1939 as part of Haganah, and later dismantled in 1954. In 1974, a new un ...

and Yahalom will continue to operate independently.

Structure

The 89th Brigade consists of three (formerly four) special operations units of the IDF: The brigade had a fourth battalion, the now defunct Unit 845, or " Rimon", desert warfare unit, which was absorbed into Maglan on June 27, 2018. * Unit 212 – Maglan – special reconnaissance unit, formerly under the 98th Division * Unit 217 – Duvdevan – undercover counter terrorism unit, formerly under Central Command * Unit 621 – Egoz – guerilla warfare unit, formerly under the

Golani Brigade The 1st "Golani" Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת גּוֹלָנִי) is an Israeli military infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. It is one of the five infantry brigade ...

Gal Perl Finkel
Wisdom is in the timing

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the pap ...

, December 12, 2019.

Commander

* Brigadier General David Zini (2015–2017) * Brigadier General Avi Blot (2017–2018) * Colonel Kobi Heller (2018 –2021) * Brigadier General Meni Liberty (2021–Present)

Insignia

The insignia chosen for the new brigade depicts the Hebrew letter Quf (ק), the first letter in the Hebrew word for Commando (קומנדו), composed of a commando knife rising from the sea and a double headed arrow above it. It symbolizes the special designation of the brigade and its mobility, by air, land or sea.

References

{{Israel Defense Forces Brigades of Israel Special forces of Israel Military units and formations established in 2015

Ideation and development

Structure

Commander

Insignia

See also

References