A rare look at Shaldag, the IAF's clandestine commando unit

For the first time since its inception 40 years ago, the IDF last week allowed a rare glimpse at the Israeli Air Force's Shaldag commando unit, also known as the Special Air-Ground Designating Team. Shaldag is one of the most classified units in the army, tasked primarily with clandestine missions behind enemy lines within the framework of what Israel calls the "war between wars."

The unit's responsibilities today primarily include reconnaissance for IAF missions, establishing assault zones or airfields, carrying out offensive ground operations, and taking part in joint ground-air operations.

In addition, the unit functions as a testing and development outfit for the air force's newest and most sophisticated weapons systems.

Shaldag was established in 1976 as part of the lessons learned from the 1973 Yom Kippur War, as the air force came to realize the need for its own ground unit to maintain operational independence and flexibility. The unit was initially purposed with providing a solution to the enemies' array of surface-to-air missiles, posing a threat to Israeli aircraft.

During the Lebanon War in 1982, the unit displayed its laser-designation capabilities, marking high-quality targets and directing pinpoint airstrikes from the ground undetected. In the early 1990s, the unit began operations to counter the surface-to-surface missile threat, becoming experts at hunting these missiles. A senior Shaldag officer, meanwhile, told reporters that during the 1990 Gulf War the unit did not conduct operations inside Iraq.

Search and rescue, deep inside Lebanon

During Operation Grapes of Wrath in 1996, the unit carried out over 30 operations on Lebanese soil, involving over 200 unit operators. For its contributions to that operation, the unit received the Chief of Staff Citation.

A decade later, during the Second Lebanon War, the unit conducted dozens of intelligence gathering missions, hunted Hezbollah missile-launching crews, carried out assaults and performed demolition operations. The most-publicized of its activities during the Second Lebanon War was Operation Sharp and Smooth, which was carried out in conjunction with Sayeret Matkal, the IDF's elite reconnaissance unit. During the operation, the commando units raided a hospital in the city of Baalbek deep inside Lebanon, which was being used as a Hezbollah headquarters. Shaldag soldiers partook in the search and rescue efforts to recover the body of Sgt. Maj. (res.) Keren Tendler, the IAF's first female airborne mechanic.

In the early stages of the Second Intifada in 2000, Shaldag carried out numerous operations in Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip. The unit was tasked with carrying out the first targeted assassinations.

In 2014, during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, the unit conducted assault operations and took part in the efforts to destroy Hamas' grid of underground terror tunnels.

The unit's claim to fame, meanwhile, are the special operations it carries out in times of calm, across all operational sectors.

According to a Shaldag insider, the unit's missions, in most cases, require unique and creative solutions, the development of a wide range of reconnaissance tools and task force adaptability. For every such mission, which often call for months of preparation, soldiers are selected according to their specific skill set. In one of these missions, carried out in the late 1980s deep inside Lebanon, a light airplane was gutted to fit a small force of six to eight unit operators. The force arrived at its objective, gathered intelligence and marked its targets with lasers to guide the ensuing precision airstrike.

In the mid-1990s, Shaldag carried out an operation against one of Hezbollah's most fortified installations in Lebanon. Entrance to the highly-guarded facility, however, meant coming into contact with the local civilian population and members of Hezbollah. Several days ahead of the planned operation, an advance reconnaissance team had taken up positions around the facility to provide surveillance. Once the go-ahead signal was given, the assault force arrived at the site, infiltrated the facility, booby-trapped access roads and exfiltrated undetected. As the operation continued to unfold, IAF assault helicopters were thrown into action and other classified measures were implemented.

To qualify for the chance to join the unit, prospective candidates must undergo a battery of aptitude tests prior to enlisting in the military. Once graduating from the initial vetting process, potential candidates must weather grueling training spanning nearly two years, which has a 25% drop-out rate.

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