Israeli Field Intelligence Corps
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The Israeli Field Intelligence Corps is the newest of the IDF GOC Army Headquarters’ five corps, created in April 2000, and is tasked with collecting combat intelligence and is responsible for intelligence units from the battalion level and up to the entire force. Accordingly, it is professionally subordinate to Aman. Due to the need for collecting combat intelligence and in maintaining observation networks, it is in the midst of expansion.
The corps consists of the following units:
- The Shahaf Battalion (Northern Command).
- The Nitzan Battalion (Central Command).
- The Nesher Battalion (Southern Command).
- The Field Intelligence School, also known as the Centre for Reconnaissance and Intelligence, including the Corps Command.
In 1993, the Yachmam (abbreviation for Target Field Intelligence) unit, also known as the Nitsan Commando, was created. The unit was designated to provide intelligence in real time and sighting enemy targets. It was appended to the Artillery Corps and its soldiers wore black berrets, even though they were under the direct command of the General Staff. During the 1982 Lebanon War, it operated as an elite outfit tasked with collecting combat intelligence. After the February 4, 1997 Israeli helicopter disaster, in which the unit lost two men out of a total of 73 killed, the Supreme Court of Israel instructed to reveal their names, and consequently, the unit's existence was revealed to the public.
The Chief Field Intelligence Officer is appointed by the head of GOC Army Headquarters in coordination with Aman. As of 2005, the Chief Field Intelligence Officer is Brigadier-General Guy Lipkin.