IDF to form new commando brigade

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot announced Monday plans to form a new commando brigade that will bring together four special forces units: Maglan, Duvdevan, Egoz and Rimon. The decision followed extensive preparatory work by the military, as part of its multi-year work plan.

Maglan specializes in operations deep behind enemy lines; Duvdevan, which is deployed across Judea and Samaria, specializes in undercover urban warfare operations; Egoz is a reconnaissance unit specializing in anti-guerrilla warfare and operates mainly in the northern sector; and Rimon, which specializes in desert warfare, is deployed along Israel's southern borders.

The new brigade will be under the command of the 98th Paratroopers Division, known as the Fire Formation. Former Egoz Commander Col. David Zini, who is currently the GOC Central Command's chief operations officer, has been named its commander.

A military statement said the new brigade "strives to improve joint operations in time of emergency, as well as reinforce the Infantry Corps, special forces and spearhead divisions."

A military source quoted by the Walla news website said the new brigade will afford the General Staff a "new and improved instrument by which the coordination between the special and elite units can be enhanced. The IDF believes the quality of human capital and each of the units' specializations will allow for the more effective execution of large operations."

Currently, each unit offers its soldiers independent training, and uniting them under one brigade will enable the Israel Defense Forces to offer soldiers comprehensive training based on uniform operational logic, another defense source said.

Nevertheless, the units are expected to continue with specialized operations in their sectors as they do today. Their joint training is meant to better prepare them to deal with the evolving threat of terrorism in the region, he said.

Similar plans to join the military's various special forces units have been explored in the past, but have never come to fruition.

Eizenkot's decision was criticized by reservists serving with the special forces, who said it would strip the units of their unique characteristics.

"I don't understand the rationale behind consolidating the units, other than eliminating what makes each unit special and undermining unit pride by forming an unnatural connection between units that are completely different," N., a Maglan reservist told Israel Hayom Monday.

The move, he said, "didn't work in the past and it won't work in the future."