The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; Hebrew: צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל Tzva Hahagana LeYisra'el , lit. "The Defensive Army for Israel"; Arabic: جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي, Jaish Al-Difaa Al-Isra'ili), commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal (צה"ל), are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel. The IDF is headed by its Chief of General Staff, the Ramatkal, subordinate to the Defense Minister of Israel; Rav Aluf Benny Gantz has served as Chief of Staff since 2011.
IDF Kirya Compound, Tel Aviv
An order of Defense Minister David Ben-Gurion on 26 May 1948, officially set up the Israel Defense Forces as a conscript army formed out of the paramilitary group Haganah, incorporating the militant groups Irgun and Lehi. The IDF served as Israel's armed forces in all the country's major military operations—including the 1948 War of Independence, 1951–1956 Retribution operations, 1956 Sinai War, 1964–1967 War over Water, 1967 Six-Day War, 1968 Battle of Karameh, 1967–1970 War of Attrition, 1973 Operation Spring of Youth, 1973 Yom Kippur War, 1976 Operation Entebbe, 1978 Operation Litani, 1982 Lebanon War, 1982–2000 South Lebanon conflict, 1987–1993 First Intifada, 2000–2005 Second Intifada, 2002 Operation Defensive Shield, 2006 Lebanon War, 2008–2009 Gaza War
and others. The number of wars and border conflicts in which IDF was
involved in its short history, makes it one of the most battle-trained
armed forces in the world.[11][12] While originally the IDF operated on three fronts—against Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan and Iraq in the east, and Egypt in the south—after the 1979 Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty, it has concentrated its activities in southern Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories, including the First and the Second Intifada.
The Israel Defense Forces differs from most armed forces in the world
in many ways. Differences include the conscription of women and its
structure, which emphasizes close relations between the army, navy and
air force. Since its founding, the IDF has been specifically designed to
match Israel's unique security situation. The IDF is one of Israeli
society's most prominent institutions, influencing the country's
economy, culture and political scene. In 1965, the Israel Defense Forces
was awarded the Israel Prize for its contribution to education.[13] The IDF uses several technologies developed in Israel, many of them made specifically to match the IDF's needs, such as the Merkava main battle tank, high tech weapons systems, the Iron Dome, Trophy countermeasure, and the Galil and Tavor assault rifles. The Uzi
submachine gun was invented in Israel and used by the IDF until
December 2003, ending a service that began in 1954. Following 1967, the
IDF has had close military relations with the United States,[14] including development cooperation, such as on the F-15I jet, THEL laser defense system, and the Arrow missile defense system.
Etymology
The Israeli cabinet ratified the name "Israel Defense Forces" (Hebrew: צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל), Tzva HaHagana LeYisra'el, literally "army for the defense of Israel," on 26 May 1948. The other main contender was Tzva Yisra'el (Hebrew: צְבָא יִשְׂרָאֵל). The name was chosen because it conveyed the idea that the army's role was defense, and because it incorporated the name Haganah, upon which the new army was based.[17] Among the primary opponents of the name were Minister Haim-Moshe Shapira and the Hatzohar party, both in favor of Tzva Yisra'el.Organization
All branches of the IDF answer to a single General Staff. The Chief of the General Staff is the only serving officer having the rank of Lieutenant General (Rav Aluf). He reports directly to the Defense Minister and indirectly to the Prime Minister of Israel
and the cabinet. Chiefs of Staff are formally appointed by the cabinet,
based on the Defense Minister's recommendation, for three years, but
the government can vote to extend their service to four (and in rare
occasions even five) years. The current chief of staff is Benny Gantz. He replaced Gabi Ashkenazi in 2011.
Regional commands
ArmsGround Arm
Other bodiesMilitary:
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BranchesGeneral Staff
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Related bodies
The following bodies work closely with the IDF, but do not (or only partially) belong to its formal structure.
Security forces
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Development
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Ranks, uniforms and insignia
Ranks
Unlike most world armies, the IDF uses the same rank names in all
corps, including the air force and navy. All enlisted ranks, as well as
some of the officer and NCO ranks, may be given as a result of time
spent in service, and not for accomplishment or merit.
For ground forces' officers, rank insignia were brass on a red
background; for the air force, silver on a blue background; and for the
navy, the standard gold worn on the sleeve. Officer insignia were worn
on epaulets on top of both shoulders. Insignia distinctive to each
service were worn on the cap (see fig. 15).
Unlike most world armies, the IDF uses the same rank names in all
corps, including the air force and navy. All enlisted ranks, as well as
some of the officer and NCO ranks, may be given as a result of time
spent in service, and not for accomplishment or merit.
For ground forces' officers, rank insignia were brass on a red
background; for the air force, silver on a blue background; and for the
navy, the standard gold worn on the sleeve. Officer insignia were worn
on epaulets on top of both shoulders. Insignia distinctive to each
service were worn on the cap (see fig. 15).
Enlisted grades wore rank insignia on the sleeve, halfway between the
shoulder and the elbow. For the army and air force, the insignia were
white with blue interwoven threads backed with the appropriate corps
color. Navy personnel wore gold-colored rank insignia sewn on navy blue
material.
From the formation of the IDF until the late 1980s, sergeant major
was a particularly important warrant officer rank, in line with usage in
other armies. However, in the 1980s and 1990s the proliferating ranks
of sergeant major became devalued, and now all professional NCO ranks
are a variation on sergeant major (rav samal) with the exception of rav nagad. All translations here are the official translations of the IDF's website.[18]
Conscripts (Hogrim) (Conscript ranks may be gained purely on time served)
- Private (Turai)
- Corporal (Rav Turai)
- Sergeant (Samal)
- First Sergeant (Samal Rishon)
Warrant Officers (Nagadim) (All volunteers)
- Sergeant First Class (Rav Samal)
- Master Sergeant (Rav Samal Rishon)
- Sergeant Major (Rav Samal Mitkadem)
- Warrant Officer (Rav Samal Bakhir)
- Master Warrant Officer (Rav Nagad Mishneh)
- Chief Warrant Officer (Rav Nagad)
Academic officers (Ktzinim Akadema'im)
- Professional Academic Officer (Katzin Miktzo'i Akadema'i)
- Senior Academic Officer (Katzin Akadema'i Bakhir)
Officer (Ktzinim)
- Second Lieutenant (Segen Mishneh)
- Lieutenant (Segen)
- Captain (Seren)
- Major (Rav Seren)
- Lieutenant Colonel (Sgan Aluf)
- Colonel (Aluf Mishneh)
- Brigadier General (Tat Aluf)
- Major General (Aluf)
- Lieutenant General (Rav Aluf)
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