GOC Army Headquarters
General Officer Commanding Army Headquarters | |
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MAZI flag (Mifkedet Zro'a ha-Yabasha) | |
Active | 1998 |
Country | Israel |
Allegiance | Israel Defense Forces |
Nickname(s) | Mazi |
The Israeli GOC Army headquarters (Hebrew: זְרוֹעַ הַיַבָּשָׁה, Zro'a ha-Yabasha, "Ground Arm"), known unofficially as MAZI, is a multi-corps command headquarters created in 1998, which amalgamates the ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces. The current size of the Israeli Ground Forces is estimated at roughly 133,000 active soldiers and 380,000 soldiers in reserve.
Name
The GOC Army Headquarters is known unofficially as MAZI, the Hebrew pronunciation for an acronym for "Ground Arm Command" (מָזִ"י, מִפְקֶדֶת זְרוֹעַ הַיַבָּשָׁה, Mifkedet Zro'a ha-Yabasha), which was the GOC Army Headquarters' previous name before being renamed to the current "Ground Arm" (זְרוֹעַ הַיַבָּשָׁה). After this renaming, the acronym MAZI officially refers nowadays to "Commander of the Ground Arm" (מְפַקֵּד זְרוֹעַ הַיַבָּשָׁה, Mefaked Zro'a Ha-Yabasha). However the old acronym MAZI still remains the popular name for the GOC Army Headquarters.
Units and structure
MAZI includes the five ground-warfare corps of specific military functions:
- The maneuvering corps:
- Infantry Corps (חֵיל הַרַגְלִים)
- Armor Corps (חֵיל הַשִׁרְיוֹן)
- The сombat support corps:
- Artillery Corps (חֵיל הַתּוֹתְחָנִים)
- Combat Engineering Corps (חֵיל הַהַנְדָּסָה הַקְרָבִית)
- Field Intelligence Corps (חֵיל הַאִיסּוּף הַקְרָבִי)
In addition, MAZI includes four "staff divisions":
- Planning Division (Budget and Organization Planning) (חֲטִיבָת הַתִּכְנוּן)
- "Ground" Division (Training and Doctrine) (חֲטִיבָת יַבָּשָׁה)
- Personnel Division (חֲטִיבָת כּוֹחַ-אָדָם)
- Technological Division (Materiel R&D and Acquisition) (חֲטִיבָת הַטֶכְנוֹלוֹגְיָה)
The IDF's third arm
Under the IDF 2000 reforms, MAZI was set to become the IDF's third Arm, alongside the Air and Space Arm and the Sea Arm. Until the creation of MAZI, IDF ground forces were directly subordinated to the Chief of Staff through the Regional Commands (North, South, and Central). The intention of the reform was to subordinate the ground forces to one ground commander, who is a part of the Joint Staff, by the example of the Israeli Air Force and Navy; and unlike most of the other armed forces, where operational Army, Air Force, and Navy plus other auxiliary support units, are all subordinated to unified commands.
The proposed reform for the Ground Arm was rejected and the ground forces remain subordinated to the three regional commands. Likewise with combat support and rear-line corps, which are partly subordinated to the respective Directorates. In times of war, the Ground Arm Commander acts as an advisor to the IDF Chief of Staff on ground warfare.
As an IDF arm, the Ground Arm is meant to build of the ground forces' strength and working toward balance, combination, and coordination between the ground corps. It does so by instruction and training of individual units, planning and publishing the relevant doctrine, organizing the forces respectively for their missions, and R&D and acquisition of materiel. Its authority ranges up to the corps level. Above it, meaning the regional commands themselves, the authority is of the IDF Joint Staff.
Hierarchy
NATO Code | OF-10 | OF-9 | OF-8 | OF-7 | OF-6 | OF-5 | OF-4 | OF-3 | OF-2 | OF-1 | OF(D) | Student Officer | |
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Israel | No Equivalent | No Equivalent | No Equivalent | No Equivalent | |||||||||
Rav aluf "Chief General" |
Aluf "General" |
Tat aluf "Subordinate General" |
Aluf mishne "Junior General" |
Sgan aluf "Deputy General" |
Rav seren "Chief Commander" |
Seren "Captain" |
Segen "Deputy" |
Segen mishne "Junior Deputy" |
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USA | General of the Army | General | Lieutenant General | Major General | Brigadier General | Colonel | Lieutenant Colonel | Major | Captain | First Lieutenant | Second Lieutenant | Officer Candidate | Officer Cadet |
Heads of Mafchash and MAZI
- Dan Shomron (1983–1985)
- Amir Drori (1985–1986)
- Uri Sagi (1986–1991)
- Emanuel Sakel (1991–1994)
- Ze'ev Livne (1994–1996)
- Amos Malka (1996–1998)
- Moshe Soknik (1998–2001)
- Yiftah Ron-Tal (2001–2005)
- Benjamin Gantz (2005 – December 20, 2007)
- Avi Mizrahi (December 20, 2007 – 2009)
- Sami Turgeman (2009–2013)[1]
- Guy Tzur (since 2013)
IDF Ground Forces equipment
Future
The IDF is currently planning major structural reform. Due to the poor training and equipment among army reservists, large numbers will be dismissed.[2]
References
External links
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