Israel’s military said on Wednesday that it has created a new type of combat unit it called the first of its kind anywhere in the world. It will bring together several military specialisations under one roof. The Israeli Defence Forces said the unit, which will be comprised of air power, combat engineering, infantry, and tanks is part of a plan to make Israel’s military more lethal, effective, and prepared for threats it is expected to face.
"Its members are meant to know how to operate in all fronts of the war, with the central characteristic being a high level of fitness and the ability to locate, attack, and destroy the enemy in all regions and on all levels", the military said.
The IDF said the unit is revolutionary and has no analogue in the Israeli military. Even in cases when tanks are fighting along with infantry, each area is subordinate to its own commanders. The new unit would see all military specialisations under the same commander.
The detachment, which military officials said would be the size of a battalion, has not been named yet, but at the moment is being referred to as "the multi-faceted unit". It will be commanded by a lieutenant identified only by the first letter of his Hebrew name.
The Israeli Defence Forces said it would not reveal what units would become part of the new detachment. However, it revealed that among them would be members of the 401st Armoured Brigade, the Golani Brigade, Nahal Brigade’s Reconnaissance Battalion, the elite Yahalom combat engineering unit, and the Paratroopers Brigade.
The new detachment is also meant to serve as a testing ground for another combat unit tasked with developing new techniques and tactics.
