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.

History

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

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,

Aviv Kokhavi Rav-Aluf (Lieutenant General) Aviv Kochavi ( he, אביב כוכבי; born 23 April 1964) is the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, having taken the oath of office on January 15, 2019. He was the commander of the Gaza Division, ...

, Ido Nehoshtan and Gadi Eizenkot. According to Israeli newspaper ''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner ...

'', it was also a means for Defense Minister

Ehud Barak Ehud Barak ( he-a, אֵהוּד בָּרָק, Ehud_barak.ogg, link=yes, born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli general and politician who served as the tenth prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until Ja ...

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 convention ...

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