Nahal
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| Nahal Brigade | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1982- |
| Country | Israel |
| Branch | Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | 1) Infantry
2) Combat service for distinct population sectors (Haredi Jews, Moshav and kibbutz youth, Women, Volunteer groups) |
| Size | 4 Infantry batallions |
| Part of | Formerly: Israeli Central Command
Currently: HR Organization- Ground Forces Wing, Infantry and Paratroopers Command; Operational Organization- Various regional commands in the West Bank, Gaza, and along Israeli borders |
| Garrison/HQ | Beit Leed, Israel |
| Nickname | "Sticklights" |
| Motto | "The Human Advantage" |
| Colors | Light green beret |
| March | "Ha-Nachal Kan" ("The Nachal is here") |
| Battles/wars | 1956 Mitla Pass;1967 Reunification of Jerusalem; 1967 Umm-Katef; 1982 Lebanon War; First Palestinian Intifadah; Al-Aqsa Intifadah; 2006 Israel-Lebanon War |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
Colonel Roni Numa |
Contents |
[edit] History
Nahal (Hebrew: נח"ל), a Hebrew acronym for Noar Halutzi Lohem (lit. Fighting Pioneer Youth), historically refers to a program for Israeli youth that allows them to combine their compulsory three-year military service with volunteer-type 'civilian' service such as organizing social welfare projects in neighborhoods and towns suffering from socioeconomic difficulties, acting as counselors for youth organizations, or founding and developing new agricultural settlements.
The history of the Nahal reaches all the way back to the early days of the Jewish state. In 1948, in a famous letter, a gar'in (seed) committee sent a letter to Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion requesting that he allow all gar'in members to enlist into military service as a group, instead of being split up at random into different units according to the military's needs.
A gar'in is essentially a 'cell' of a larger youth movement, such as the Israeli Scouts, usually formed by youths of high school age in order to take part in various public welfare activities. In the years before and slightly after the creation of Israel, gar'inim were mainly involved in settlement, but have expanded their activities to all manner of charitable volunteerism. Gar'inim are usually tightly knight groups, often identified with communist and/or democratic socialist philosophies, and continue living together on communes for many years, sometimes decades, after their military service, though this has become less common.
In response to the letter, Ben-Gurion created the Nahal program, which allowed the gar'inim to combine their military service with volunteerism. Gar'inei Nahal served together in various army units, most famously in the Nahal Mutznach battalion (Airborne Nahal) of the Paratroopers Regiment, the reserve battalion of which was instrumental in the Israeli victory in the Battle of Jerusalem during the Six Day War (1967). Also, many Nahal-founded settlements are still thriving today in the Galilee, the Negev, and the West Bank (as well as formerly in the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip).
[edit] Organization
[edit] Nahal and Youth Command
Today, there are two distinct units carrying on the historical tradition and name of the Nahal. The first is a large, non-combat command belonging to the IDF Education Corps, whose primary responsibility is to organize and coordinate the volunteer-type programs and activities that made the original Nahal unit famous in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. This command has a full staff of educational officers and soldiers, and also sponsors other endeavours such as Gadna, a week-long 'introduction' to the military for high-schoolers in which they become acquainted with the history, traditions, and routines of the military that they are about to join.
[edit] Nahal Infantry Regiment
Nahal is also the name of one of the Israeli Defence Forces infantry regiments, alongside the Golani Regiment, Givati Regiment, Tzanhanim (Paratroopers) Regiment, and others.
The regiment was created in 1982 as a result of an increased need for infantry manpower in the IDF- a direct consequence of the conflict in southern Lebanon. The name Nahal was given to the regiment because the first battalion attached to it, the 50th, was the Airborne Nahal battalion, transferred over from the Paratroopers regiment (which was compensated with the raising of a new battalion). Two former patrol units, the 931st and the 932nd were also converted into infantry battalions and attached to the new regiment. Today, the 931st and 932nd are both high-quality, regular infantry battalions whose soldiers are drafted from the general population and serve a full three-year combat service.
The 50th battalion, on the other hand, currently has a unique makeup. Half of the battalion's companies are made up of gar'inim, who serve two years military service and then one year civilian volunteer service, and the other half, including the battalion's veteran combat companies, are made of Bnei Mashakim LePikud, nick named Mishkonim. The Mishkonim are youths from kibbutzes and moshavs, who, prior to their military service were invited to and completed/passed a two-day gibush (selection phase involving various physical, mental, and sociometric challenges), and after their initial training are sent, most often within the first year, to Command Sergeants School. They also, as a continuation of 50th Battalion tradition, complete a paratrooper course after their advanced infantry training. The 50th is considered to be the IDF regular infantry battalion with the highest quality manpower, even more than the Paratroopers Regiment, as a result of the selection phase that the soldiers must pass prior to admittance and the fact that nearly 70% of its soldiers are qualified command sergeants, though only a few are picked to actually serve in this regard. The Mishkonim all serve a full three-year service and many continue on to Officer Candidates School.
A fourth Nahal battalion was created in the early 1990s to serve as a special forces detachment for the regiment. Soldiers wishing to serve in this elite battalion must pass a three-day gibush, after which they are dispersed into specialized training programs for each of the three companies that make up the battalion: the Palsar (Sayeret/Plugat Siur, Reconnaissance Company), which is generally considered to be the most elite company (enjoying the highest budget, longest training cycle, and receiving first pick of the soldiers from the gibush- though, in truth, the difference in quality between its soldiers and those of the other two companies is negligible), the Palnat (Pluga Neged Tankim, Anti-Tank Company), and the Palhan (Plugat Handasa VeHabala, Engineering and Explosives Company). The task of the battalion is to serve as a pathfinder force for the regiment, and to conduct special operations in accordance with each company's unique abilities. In the current low intensity conflict, the companies usually act as counter-terrorist forces, raiding terrorist homes and hideouts.
Nahal regiment soldiers are usually distinguished by their light green ("sticklight") berets. In addition, due to the unit's history and the social strata from which it primarily recruits it's soldiers, the Nahal regiment has been tagged (somewhat justifiably) with a leftist-leaning stereotype. Throughout it's history, the regiment has struggled with issues of prestige, and is often looked upon as being unproven in combat and of only average soldiering capability. This is in large part due to the fact that it is one of the newer infantry regiments, and has yet to achieve the combat resume of the Golani and Tzanchanim units. In an attempt to remedy this, Nahal commanders in recent years have begun aggressively lobbying for more high-risk deployments, as they have seen that such deployments not only remove the stigma from new units, but also drastically improve their combat skills as well (ex: Givati Regiment in Gaza). Still, despite high performance scores by the regiment's 50th Battalion and special forces units, the Nahal still consistently ranks only third or fourth in the yearly Officer's School scores, sports competitions, and combat games. On a positive note however, for the past three years the Nahal has been the most highly requested infantry placement among new recruits.
[edit] Other Units
These units were at one point or another loosely associated with the Nahal but are now independent in their organizational command:
- Caracal Battalion: A light infantry battalion in which male and female soldiers serve together (the first and only IDF infantry unit to allow this). Currently assigned to low-profile security missions on the borders with Egypt and Jordan.
- Nahal Haredi: Netzah Yehuda Battalion - the unit for Haredi Jews. This unit was created as an attempt by the IDF to reach out to the ultra-religious community and persuade them to serve in the military (most ultra-orthodox Israelis are exempt from military service). Nahal Haredi, which has recently changed its name to Netzah Yehuda, combines regular infantry service with religious elements and allows orthodox Israeli youth to complete their service in an ideal religious environment (special kosher food, religious instruction, etc.).
[edit] Lahakat HaNachal
The "Nachal Band" is a famous military choir/music troupe known for its canonical Eretz Israel songs which have become classics. The band gave birth to many Israeli entertainment talents such as Tuvya Tzafir, Neomy Polani, Gidi Gov and more. It is currently part of the Nahal and Youth Command, and was recently featured on the popular Israeli telenovela Our Song.
