Israel Defense Forces insignia
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Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , 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...
, excluding rank insignia. For ranks, see Israel Defense Forces ranks and insignia.
Uniforms
The Israel Defense Forces has several types of uniforms:- Service dress (aleph) - the everyday uniform, worn by enlisted soldiers.
- Field dressBattledressBattledress, or fatigues in the general sense, is the type of uniform used as combat uniforms, as opposed to 'display' dress or formal uniform worn at parades and functions. It may be either monochrome or in a camouflage pattern...
(bet) - worn into combat, training, work on base. - Officers / Ceremonial dress - worn by officers, or during special events/ceremonies.
- Dress uniformDress uniformDress uniform , is the most formal military uniform, typically worn at ceremonies, official receptions, and other special occasions; with order insignias and full size medals...
and Mess dressMess dressMess dress is the military term for the formal evening dress worn in the mess or at other formal occasions. It is also known as mess uniform and mess kit...
- worn only abroad. There are several dress uniforms depending on the season and the branch.
The service uniform for all ground forces personnel is olive green; navy and air force uniforms are beige. The uniforms consist of a shirt, trousers, sweater, jacket or blouse, and shoes or boots. The navy has an all white dress uniform. Green fatigues are the same for winter and summer and heavy winter gear is issued as needed. Women's dress parallels the men's but may substitute a skirt for the trousers, or sandals for boots.
Some corps or units have small variations in their uniforms - for instance, military policemen wear a white belt and police hat. Similarly, while most IDF soldiers are issued black leather boots, some units issue reddish-brown leather boots for historical reasons- the paratroopers, Nahal and Kfir brigades, as well as some SF units (Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal
Sayeret Matkal is a special forces unit of the Israel Defence Forces , which is subordinated to the intelligence directorate Aman. First and foremost a field intelligence-gathering unit, conducting deep reconnaissance behind enemy lines to obtain strategic intelligence, Sayeret Matkal is also...
, Oketz
Unit Oketz
The Oketz Unit , is the independent canine special forces unit of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded in 1939 as part of Haganah. The unit specializes in training and handling dogs for military applications. Originally, Oketz trained dogs to attack kidnappers, but training has since become...
, Duvdevan
Duvdevan Unit
Duvdevan is an elite special forces unit within the Israel Defense Forces, directly subordinate to the West Bank Division and the Paratroopers Brigade. Duvdevan are particularly noted for conducting undercover operations against militants in urban areas...
, Maglan
Maglan
Maglan is an Israeli Special Forces unit which specializes in operating behind enemy lines and deep in enemy territory using advanced technologies and weaponry....
, Counter-Terror School).
Berets
Each corps in the Israel Defense Forces has a beretBeret
A beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
of a different color and/or a different beret pin worn by its soldiers, independent of rank and position. Israel Defense Forces soldiers wear berets on their heads only on formal occasions, such as ceremonies and roll calls. The beret is placed beneath the left shoulder strap while wearing the service uniform (alef), but not while wearing the combat/work (bet) uniform in the field. On base it is left to the unit's discretion whether to wear berets or field hats. Air force and navy officers, military orchestra soldiers and military police law enforcement soldiers wear combination caps. formerly, male soldiers of all ranks wore combination caps, while female soldiers wore the garrison cap
Garrison cap
A Side cap is a foldable military cap with straight sides and a creased or hollow crown sloping to the back where it is parted. It is known as a garrison cap , a wedge cap , or officially field service cap, , but it is more generally known as the side cap.It follows the style which...
. In the 1950s, the beret was adopted as the default headgear for the service uniform. The color of the air force beret was blue-gray; armored corps, artillery, and special operations personnel wore a black beret. Paratroopers, following the pattern of the British Army, wore red
Maroon beret
The maroon beret is a military beret and has been an international symbol of elite airborne forces since it was chosen for British airborne forces in World War II. This distinctive head dress was officially introduced in 1942, at the direction of General Frederick Browning, commander of the British...
, all other infantry wore olive drab. Combat engineers wore a gray beret. For all other army personnel, except combat units, the beret for men was green and for women, black. Women in the navy wore a black beret with gold insignia while men wore the traditional white sailor cap
Sailor cap
A sailor cap is a round, flat visorless hat worn by sailors in many of the world's navies. A tally, an inscribed black silk ribbon, is tied around the base which usually bears the name of a ship or a navy. The cap may be further embellished with a badge, cockade or other accessory...
like that of the US Navy.
| Corps | Color |
|---|---|
| Air Force | |
| Air Force Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence... |
|
| Infantry Corps Israeli Infantry Corps The Israeli Infantry Corps is a corps in the IDF GOC Army Headquarters. It is a maneuvering corps which primarily relies on infantry troops. It includes several regular and reserve service units and brigades which are operatively commanded by the IDF’s regional commands.-Overview:The corps moves to... |
|
| Golani Brigade Golani Brigade The Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. Its symbol is a green tree on a yellow background, and its soldiers wear a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the... |
|
| Paratroopers Brigade and SF units | |
| Nahal Brigade Nahal Nahal is an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade. Historically, it refers to a program that combines military service and establishment of new agricultural settlements, often in outlying areas... |
|
| Givati Brigade Givati Brigade The Givati Brigade is an infantry brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, and serves as its amphibious force. Givati soldiers are designated by purple berets... |
|
| Kfir Brigade |  |
| Armor Corps | |
| Armor Corps Israeli Armor Corps The Israeli Armored Corps is a corps of the Israel Defense Forces, since 1998 subordinate to GOC Army Headquarters... |
|
| Artillery Corps | |
| Artillery Corps | |
| Engineering Corps | |
| Engineering Corps Israeli Engineering Corps The Israeli Combat Engineering Corps is the combat engineering forces of the Israel Defense Forces.The Combat Engineering Corps beret's color is grey and its symbol features a sword on a defensive tower with a blast halo on the background... |
|
| Intelligence | |
| Directorate of Military Intelligence Aman (IDF) The Directorate of Military Intelligence is Israel's central, overarching military intelligence, of the Israel Defense Forces. Aman was created in 1950, when the Intelligence Department was spun off from the IDF's General Staff ; the Intelligence Department itself was composed largely of former... |
|
| Military Police | |
| Military Police Israeli Military Police The Military Police Corps of the Israel Defense Forces is the Israeli military police and provost. The military police serves the Manpower Directorate during peace time, and the Technological and Logistics Directorate during war.... |
|
| Border Police | |
| Border Police Israel Border Police The Israel Border Police is the gendarmerie and border security branch of the Israel National Police. It is also commonly known by its Hebrew abbreviation Magav , meaning border guard, whilst its members are colloquially known as Magavnikim . Border Guard is often used as the official name of the... |
|
| Home Front | |
| Home Front Command Israeli Home Front Command The Israeli Home Front Command is an Israel Defense Forces regional command, created in February 1992 following the Gulf War, which was the first war since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War in which centres of civilian population faced significant threat.... |
|
| General | |
| General Corps Israeli General Corps The Israeli General Corps is the Israel Defense Forces authority responsible for those soldiers which do not belong to any corps.It is headed by the head of the Manpower Directorate's Staff Department, current Colonel Michal Ben-Muvhar.... |
|
| Navy | |
| Sea Corps Israeli Sea Corps The Israeli Navy is the naval arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea theater. The current commander in chief of the Israeli Navy is Aluf Ram Rothberg.-History:... |
|
Beret pins (or Cap badgeCap badgeA cap badge, also known as head badge or hat badge, is a badge worn on uniform headgear and distinguishes the wearer's nationality and/or organisation. The wearing of cap badges is a convention commonly found among military and police forces, as well as uniformed civilian groups such as the Boy...
s)
All berets in the Israel Defense Forces, other than general corps berets (when worn by recruits), have pins attached to their front, which represent the symbol of the corps. While soldiers may wear the beret of another corps due to serving at that corps' base, they will always wear the pin of their native corps. Each pin consists of the corps symbol as well as a certain ornament which also contains the name of the corps.| Corps | Pin symbol |
|---|---|
| The Chief of Staff Ramatkal The Chief of the General Staff, also known as the Commander-in-Chief of the Israel Defense Forces is the supreme commander and Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. At any given time, the Chief of Staff is the only active officer holding the IDF's highest rank, Rav Aluf , which is usually... Rosh HaMate HaKlali (Ramatkal) |
The IDF emblem |
| General Staff Israeli General Staff The Israeli General Staff , abbreviated Matkal , is the supreme command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is based in the Kirya compound in Tel Aviv.-Members:... HaMate HaKlali |
Sword wrapped by an olive branch |
| Home Front Command Israeli Home Front Command The Israeli Home Front Command is an Israel Defense Forces regional command, created in February 1992 following the Gulf War, which was the first war since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War in which centres of civilian population faced significant threat.... Pikud HaOref (Heil HaOref) |
Sword wrapped by an olive branch with large triangle in the background |
| Military Rabbinate Military Rabbinate The Military Rabbinate is a corps in the Israel Defense Forces that provides religious services to soldiers, primarily to Jews but also including non-Jews, and makes decisions on issues of religion and military affairs. The Military Rabbinate is headed by the Chief Military Rabbi, who is ranked a... HaRabanut HaTzva'it |
Figure of the Ten Commandments with a sword in the foreground |
| Military Advocate General Military Advocate General The Military Advocate General assists the Israel Defense Forces in imposing rules of conduct through legal advice, legal instruction, maintaining the mechanisms for military prosecution and legal defense, and fulfilling special legal tasks... HaPraklitut HaTzva'it |
Scales and a sword |
| Air Force Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence... Heil HaAvir |
Sword, olive branch, Star of David and wings (eagle wings, found at Bet-Shean excavations). |
| Infantry Corps Israeli Infantry Corps The Israeli Infantry Corps is a corps in the IDF GOC Army Headquarters. It is a maneuvering corps which primarily relies on infantry troops. It includes several regular and reserve service units and brigades which are operatively commanded by the IDF’s regional commands.-Overview:The corps moves to... Heil HaRaglim |
Sword wrapped by an olive branch |
| Armor Corps Israeli Armor Corps The Israeli Armored Corps is a corps of the Israel Defense Forces, since 1998 subordinate to GOC Army Headquarters... Heil HaShiryon |
Tank with olive branches |
| Artillery Corps Heil HaTothanim |
Cannon/artillery piece |
| Combat Engineering Corps Israeli Engineering Corps The Israeli Combat Engineering Corps is the combat engineering forces of the Israel Defense Forces.The Combat Engineering Corps beret's color is grey and its symbol features a sword on a defensive tower with a blast halo on the background... Heil HaHandasa HaKravit |
Sword and castle surrounded by blast's halo |
| Field Intelligence Corps Israeli Field Intelligence Corps 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. It is responsible for intelligence units from the battalion level and up to the entire force. Accordingly, it is professionally... Heil Ha'Isuf Ha'Kravi |
|
| Ordnance Corps Israeli Ordnance Corps The Israeli Ordnance Corps is a combat-support corps in the IDF GOC Army Headquarters. Before the Israeli Technological and Logistics Directorate was dismantled, it fell under its jurisdiction. The corps is responsible for the development and maintenance of war materiel, combat-support materials,... Heil HaHimush |
Sword, torch and a cog |
| Medical Corps Israeli Medical Corps The Israeli Medical Corps is an Israel Defense Forces corps responsible for providing healthcare services and medical treatment and instruction to all levels of the IDF. During wars or emergencies, it also assumes authority over the civilian healthcare system in Israel... Heil HaRefu'a |
Snake around torch with Star of David on the bowl of the torch |
| Intelligence Corps Israeli Intelligence Corps The Israeli Intelligence Corps is an Israel Defense Forces corps which falls under the jurisdiction of IDF Directorate of Military Intelligence and is responsible for collecting, disseminating, and publishing intelligence information for the General Staff and the political branch... Heil HaModi'in |
Fleur-de-lis Fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry... with half a star. |
| C4I Corps C4I Corps The C4I Corps , or Teleprocessing Corps, is a combat support corps of the Israel Defense Forces under the command of the Teleprocessing Branch, formerly the Computer Service Directorate. The C4I Corps is responsible for all areas of teleprocessing and communications in the IDF... Heil HaTikshuv |
Sword with wings and a pair of lightning bolts |
| Education and Youth Corps Israeli Education and Youth Corps The Israeli Education and Youth Corps is the IDF Manpower Directorate corps responsible for the education of soldiers and commanders in Israel's military... Heil HaHinukh VeHaNo'ar |
Star of David, book and bow and arrow |
| Adjutant Corps Israeli Adjutant Corps The Israeli Adjutant Corps is a support corps in the IDF Human Resources Directorate. Its current commander is Brigadier General Arie Dahan.The corps's designation is to assist IDF commanders in dealing with manpower, as well as soldiers' individual problems... Heil HaShalishut |
Sword wrapped by an olive branch, a book, and a disk |
| Logistics Corps Israeli Logistics Corps The Israeli Logistics Corps is a support corps in the IDF Technological and Logistics Directorate, which centralizes the logistical activity in the IDF, including the transporting of supplies, shipments of fuel, construction, and transport... Heil HaLogistika |
Sword, olive branch and a steering wheel |
| Military Police Israeli Military Police The Military Police Corps of the Israel Defense Forces is the Israeli military police and provost. The military police serves the Manpower Directorate during peace time, and the Technological and Logistics Directorate during war.... Heil HaMishtara HaTzva'it |
Shield and flame |
| Border Police Israel Border Police The Israel Border Police is the gendarmerie and border security branch of the Israel National Police. It is also commonly known by its Hebrew abbreviation Magav , meaning border guard, whilst its members are colloquially known as Magavnikim . Border Guard is often used as the official name of the... Mishmar HaGvul (Magav) |
Israel Police Israel Police The Israel Police is the civilian police force of Israel. As with most other police forces in the world, its duties include crime fighting, traffic control, maintaining public safety, and counter-terrorism... Star of David |
| General Corps Israeli General Corps The Israeli General Corps is the Israel Defense Forces authority responsible for those soldiers which do not belong to any corps.It is headed by the head of the Manpower Directorate's Staff Department, current Colonel Michal Ben-Muvhar.... HaHayil HaKlali |
Two crossed swords and a fig leaf |
| Navy Israeli Sea Corps The Israeli Navy is the naval arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea theater. The current commander in chief of the Israeli Navy is Aluf Ram Rothberg.-History:... Heil HaYam |
Sword wrapped by an olive branch, anchor and seaweed Seaweed Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae... |
Shoulder tags
Typically, each IDF unit (yehida) has its own shoulder tag. Shoulder tags consist of a long section and a tip, which can be one of four shapes: a circle (commands, directorates and air force units except anti-aircraft), a square (Golani BrigadeGolani Brigade
The Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. Its symbol is a green tree on a yellow background, and its soldiers wear a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the...
), a diamond, or a shield-like shape (most common). Shoulder tags are only worn on dress uniforms, on the left shoulder attached to the shoulder strap.
Some of the IDF shoulder tags: