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

special forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, 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 ...

of the

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

(IDF). It was established in December 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. Military chain of command In a military context, the chain of command is the line of authority and responsibility along which orders ...

structures to create a new tactical formation. Commanded by

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Omer Cohen, the brigade operates as part of the 98th Division.

Ideation and development

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

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and is the implementation of operational lessons learned during Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014 and the Second Lebanon War in 2006. According to the 98th Division Commander, the brigade is an integration of the elite teams of the Infantry Corps under one command, and a body expected to lead operational and tactical thinking in order to establish a new warfare doctrine. The new Brigade 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 the American

75th Ranger Regiment The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as the United States Army Rangers, Army Rangers, is the United States Army Special Operations Command's premier light infantry and direct-action raid force. The 75th Ranger Regiment is also part of Joint S ...

. Other special-operations units,

Sayeret Matkal Sayeret Matkal () (formerly Unit 269 or Unit 262) (English: General Staff Reconnaissance Unit), is the special reconnaissance unit (''sayeret'') of Israel's General Staff (''matkal''). It is considered one of the premier special forces units of ...

Shayetet 13 Shayetet 13 () is a naval commando 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, sabotage, maritime intelligence ...

, Shaldag, Oketz and Yahalom continue to operate independently.

Brigade organization

The 89th Brigade consists of three (formerly four) commando 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 in June 2018. It also has an elite transport unit tasked with transporting special operations soldiers to and from battlefields in a variety of conditions, assorted support units, and a commando training school. As of 2025, the brigade consists of: * 89th Oz Brigade

89th Commando Brigade Oz/Courage ** Unit 212 " Maglan" – special reconnaissance unit ** Unit 217 " Duvdevan" – undercover counter terrorism unit ** Unit 621 " Egoz" – guerilla warfare unitGal Perl Finkel
Wisdom is in the timing

The Jerusalem Post ''The Jerusalem Post'' is an English language, English-language Israeli broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, Israel, founded in 1932 during the Mandate for Palestine, British Mandate of Mandatory Palestine, Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''Th ...

, December 12, 2019. ** Combat Mobility Unit 5515 ** Aerial Medical Unit ** Logistic Battalion ** Signal Company ** Commando School "Oz"

Commanders

* Brigadier General David Zini (2015–2017) * Brigadier General Avi Blot (2017–2018) * Colonel Kobi Heller (2018 –2021) * Brigadier General Meni Liberty (2021–2023) * Colonel Omer Cohen (2023-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

Brigade organization

Commanders

Insignia

See also

References