IDF completes large-scale drill to improve readiness for war
The two-week long drill saw troops and reservists from all levels of the 36th Armor Division, also known as the Ga'ash (“Rage") Formation, train on combat scenarios in complex and urban areas.
By ANNA AHRONHEIMIDF Merkava tank during a drill in Israel's north(photo credit: ANNA AHRONHEIM)
Israel’s military completed a large-scale divisional exercise in the North on Friday to improve its readiness for war, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced.The two-week long drill saw troops and reservists from all levels of the 36th Armor Division, also known as the Ga'ash (“Rage) Formation, train on combat scenarios in complex and urban areas. The troops, who drilled on operational planning and discourse, dealt with operational challenges on a tactical level.The Division's units operated in brigade combat teams in accordance with the concept of the "Gideon Battlegroup” while providing logistical solutions through a mobile logistic center.Israel’s ground forces have been undergoing a major change over the past several year with a combined fighting method of infantry, tanks and combat engineering in one unified force-the “Gideon Battlegroup,” a combat brigade with thousands of IDF soldiers.The new method, which is designed to make the ground forces more efficient and better suited to the types of fighting they might face against terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, will be implemented in the coming years.“The division's forces practiced a variety of combat scenarios, combined with advanced and unique capabilities in complex scenarios, which increased the division's preparedness for war,” the military said.The IDF has significantly stepped up the scope and frequency of its combat training in order to improve it’s readiness. As part of the IDF’s five-year Gideon plan, the military has returned to 17 weeks of consecutive training, an increase from the 13 weeks soldiers trained for the past 15 years.The IDF has been training in Israel’s Golan Heights for another war with Hezbollah which over the years since the Second Lebanese War has morphed into an army with more advanced weaponry and more mobile, able to draft large amounts of fighters and deploy them quickly into enemy territory.
