The premise driving the formation of the IDF's elite Commando Brigade was to create a unit that could deploy rapidly and operate effectively deep behind enemy lines to achieve decisive results in battle. It was one of the main lessons of the 2006 Second Lebanon War, during which the military found it was stuck on the border, unable to execute significant maneuvers in enemy territory.
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The past year, however, has positioned the Commando Brigade as the immediate response to the threats posed by the terrorist groups lurking on Israel's borders: Hezbollah's Raduan Brigades in the northern sector and Hamas' Nuchba special forces in the Gaza Strip.
Both units were formed with the explicit purpose of infiltrating the border, breaching Israeli communities and military bases, and wreaking havoc.
"I don't think they understand what we can do to counter this threat," Commando Brigade chief Col. Kobi Heller told Israel Hayom. "We're not a small unit of special forces fighters – we're a massive contingent of well-trained, highly skilled operators who will know to stop any event, contain it and prevent it from going beyond the border – as well as follow it with an assault on enemy territory."
The Commando Brigade was formed in 2015 by then-IDF Chief of Staff Let. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot. And with all due respect to the army's top infantry brigades – Golani, the Paratroopers, Givati, Nahal, and Kfir – no brigade currently matches the qualitative edge honed by the Commando Brigade.
This elite group of fighters comprises three of the IDF's top special forces units: Duvdevan, which specializes in undercover urban warfare; Maglan, which specializes in operations deep behind enemy line, and Egoz, a reconnaissance unit specializing in counter-guerrilla warfare.
"The division brings a different, multi-faceted capability, mainly in intelligence-gathering and target identification, with an emphasis on the Air Force, and merging the relative advantages of each unit to produce a force that is much greater than the sum of its parts," he explained.
It may seem simple, but seamlessly blending Duvdevan, Maglan, and Egoz's specialties is a complex mission.
"There is no one else today who knows how to both deal with border flare-ups and serve as the 'X Factor' in war. Every morning we wake up to ask what our added value is. What different thing we can bring to the table."
"We've made significant strides in our night warfare abilities, sniping prowess, independent fire – on the border and certainly in deep [enemy territory]. I don't strive to compete with Golani," Heller clarified. "When they arrive on the battlefield with their skills, they will out-perform us in many ways. But if a rapid response with high maneuverability skills is called for – we know what to do."
Ostensibly, there is a contradiction between the two immediate missions of the Commando Brigade – on the front line and deep behind enemy lines. But the scarcity of elite forces and resources, and the quality of the fighters and the means at their disposal led to the decision that it would carry both loads.
The only question is whether the senior political-military echelon will give them the order to operate deep in enemy territory.
"We train for a situation like this," Heller explained. "Our cooperation with the Air Force – on an intimate level with squadron commanders – is unprecedented so as to allow landing [behind enemy lines] in complex situations. That's why we often train abroad."
The Commando Brigade held an exercise in Cyprus last year and plans to hold another drill there later this year, as part of the IDF's month-long war games maneuver, which will see the troops drill fighting multiple enemy forces on multiple fronts.
Q: Why is training overseas preferable?
"When a helicopter pilot takes off from Palmachim [Airbase] and lands anywhere in Israel – he's done that 50 times. There's no challenge there and it doesn't require detailed planning. Such training doesn't require the troops to pinpoint infiltration routes or deal with new threats and tasks.
"Landing in unfamiliar territory – certainly one similar to Lebanon – makes it possible to prepare the fighters physically and mentally to deal with hostile territory, without food and water, with a foreign language [barrier], with very little ammunition and complex challenges, such as communication with Israel. Fighters come back from these drills with totally different insights."
Q: Do you see the IDF deploying this capability in war – sending the brigade deep into Lebanon?
"This is a very significant operation. We have practiced it quite a bit, and I believe in it," Heller said. "We can reach the enemy's centers of gravity and upset their balance. This is an actual proficiency and it will require Hezbollah to invest not only in its offensive capabilities but in its defensive ones, as well. My job is to convince decision-makers that it's possible. And it's absolutely possible."
Heller believes that Israel could have done a better job of challenging the enemy both in the Second Lebanon War and in Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip in 2014.
"You don't have to deploy the Ground Forces for the sake of saying we did. You need to use this option [the Commando Brigade] because it will deliver the decisive victory."
Q: Is there such a thing when dealing with Hamas or Hezbollah?
"Winning is not about marking a single victory – it's about having the other side raise a white flag and say 'enough.' To get there you have to deliver harsh blows and we have these abilities now. To kill it, destroy it and eliminate its means and infrastructure. This is why we train."
High personal price
Heller. 44, is a married father of seven and lives in central Israel. He took over as head of the Commando Brigade in 2018, replacing Avi Blut, who was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and named military secretary to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is also the third consecutive religious-Zionist commander named to the head the elite unit.
This is his first media interview and one he was reluctant to give, as his record shows that he is not one to bother with being politically correct. In an era when many senior officers are careful not to ruffle their superiors' feathers, that makes him something of an anomaly.
The past decade has seen him serve in senior field positions, which means sporadic presence at home, at best.
"A commander in the military pays a very high personal price," he said. "I don't get to be home. I don't see the kids. I miss very significant events in their lives. My wife has been in many situations where she wanted me by her side.
"The Israeli public has to realize that commanders in combat [units], career officers live in a very complex reality and that in some cases, the conversation gets sidelined. Lashing out at career officers is unfair and it undermines our ability to keep the best [people in service]. We can't unionize to promote our interests – I serve the state."
Q: Is that why good people won't stay in the military?
"Commandos are highly motivated but when you combine a home life and family – especially over the past year with the coronavirus – that's something that can't be ignored."
Although the Commando Brigade is not regarded as highly as Sayeret Matkal – the IDF's top special forces unit, IAF Unit 5101 (Shaldag) or the Naval Commandos (Shayetet 13), it doesn't fall short in terms of quality manpower and resources. Recruits are scouted during the military's initial screening process for its top combat units and undergo long and rigorous training, seeing action only 14 months after enlisting. And there is plenty of action to go around given the brigade's intensive operational activity in all sectors.
"Not everything is cyber and Unit 8200," Heller says, referring to Military Intelligence's top unit. "Our recruits are highly motivated and they want to serve in the most challenging places. We have fighters from every part of the [social] mosaic: the periphery, south, north, kibbutzim, moshavim, religious, secular, all types of socio-economic levels. It really is the people's army."
Warrior ethos compromised?
Currently, each fighter signs on for an additional four months of service beyond conscription. This was part of a 2018 deal between the IDF and the Finance Ministry that was part of the IDF's streamlining plan and according to which, the military will significantly cut back the number of career officers.
This deal, however, expires at the end of the year and it doesn't look like the Finance Ministry plans to extend it despite previous understandings and the impact on the military.
Heller warns that sans the ability for the troops to remain in service for several additional months, the Commando Brigade will find it difficult to multitask as it has been.
Heller is concerned about something much deeper: in his opinion, the warrior ethos in Israeli society has been dangerously compromised. In other words, he fears that the public will no longer be willing to pay the price for state security.
"We enlist in the army to pay a price – if we have to. We do not relish war not do we want soldiers to be killed in battle, but if that's what it takes – the Israeli home front must know that my soldiers and I will pay any price so that rockets do not fly and so that Raduan or Nuchba forces won't breach communities.
"The warrior ethos must be based on the fact that a soldier is willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice and that he knows he may not return from battle. You can't shape another ethos.
"We have ways today to significantly deal with the other side, including killing the enemy, that doesn't require fighters on the ground and this creates real dilemmas. We cannot change this ethos because we want to remain the people's army. We don't want a professional army."
Q: But the world is changing. Cyber and air defenses play just as big a role as commandos.
"Absolutely. The problem isn't with the teens it's with us, the commanders. They're exposed to cyber and technology paths from a very young age and when they enlist they want to feel fulfilled – and that's totally legitimate.
"It's our job to make Israeli society understand that we need the best soldiers to go to combat units before they join other units. We want good soldiers who will receive the best training – one that includes morals and values and combat ethics – so that at the end of the day we'll also be able to look at ourselves in the mirror," he said.
"Calling someone who serves in [Unit] 8200 a 'cyber fighter' means we've got our wires crossed. Golani soldiers are fighters. Duvdevan, Maglan and Egoz soldiers are fighters. When I go out on a mission I need a wealth of intelligence and technological abilities, which also require excellent people. This tension needs to be properly managed but the ethos of 'the people's army' – as part of which every soldier who enlists is willing to lay down his life and pay a personal price – that cannot be broken."
It is IDF commanders' duty to ensure that combat units "get the best of the best," he stressed.
Heller, however, is acutely aware of the fact that officers, seasoned as they may be, are not infallible. Since its inception, the Commando Bridge has come under public criticism several times, when hazing incidents and – in stark contrast – training incidents made headlines.
"One of the most meaningful things a commander has to learn is how to admit mistakes. You can't underestimate the significance of this – it allows us to do better and be better going forward."
While Heller accepts that operational mistakes are part and parcel of being a commander, he is far less tolerant with respect to hazing in the military.
"I earned my stripes in Golani and I'm not naïve. We [the IDF] have been dealing with this subculture for years. I find it unacceptable. We can't allow these things to happen. It's our duty to develop sensors that will tip us off and we have to address such incidents in the gravest way – even before they happen. "
Not a 'yes man'
Heller is a vocal critic of what he sees around him. But while the military once welcomed a plurality of opinions, debates and challenges, these days many senior IDF officers prefer singing the same tune as their superiors rather than going off-key.
One of the most controversial events that saw the Commando Brigade make headlines was an incident on the Israel-Lebanon border last summer, when three Hezbollah terrorists, armed with a sniper rifle, infiltrated the border. The troops engaged but were ordered to allow them to cross back into Lebanese territory rather than eliminate them – something the soldiers harshly criticized.
"That's a legitimate conversation between soldiers and commanders," Heller said. "There were strategic considerations that were decided above our heads but on the ground, the troops that were there, could get it done, and it [a clash] would have ended 3:0 in our favor."
Q: What do you say to a combat soldier that you trained to kill an enemy, and that enemy gets to go home?
"The chief of staff came to talk to our fighters, and they didn't cut him any slack on this issue. He presented them with the considerations, saying that in this event, specifically, a decision had been made not to kill the terrorists, but stressed that he expects us to end the next event at 3:0. "
Q: That can be confusing for the soldiers.
"Yes, but our soldiers can understand this complexity. I understand the frustration and I'm proud of soldiers who demand answers. They want to eliminate terrorists who infiltrate our borders – as they should."
Q: Soldiers today lack considerable operational experience. Most sectors are calm and incidents are sporadic and localized. Some fighters end their service without having engaged the enemy once.
"That creates issues," he admits. "We address it first through rigorous and complex training."
Q: Could the Ground Forces be in a different place than the IDF would like it to be?
"I think the talk about the unprofessionalism of the army is neither serious nor professional. Soldiers today are no less good than before, and in some places, they are much better. They are more intelligent, more ethical, and they bring significant added value compared to the past. We're no longer in southern Lebanon or in Gaza, where encounters with the enemy created significant operational experience, especially for the junior officers, and we need to bridge that gap, although it cannot be completely met."
Q: During the Second Lebanon War, and also during Operation Protective Edge, the senior echelon hesitated to send the ground troops into battle. In both cases, you operated only a few hundred yards from the border.
"As an army man I want them to send me everywhere and that we'll know how to do it excellently. But I also understand the dilemmas and the fact that just before sending in ground troops, it might be possible to fire a missile which will get the job done better and safer."
Q: What about including women in the Commando Brigade?
"There is currently preparatory work in the GOC Army Headquarters examining the issue, but as a rule – wherever I encountered female combat soldiers, they were excellent. There is no question about it."
Q: And in the Commando Brigade specifically?
Personnel decisions, he said, "Should be professional and merit-based, not gender-based. There are mental, physiological and other aspects that are currently being reviewed."
Q: You were involved in fighting in Gaza and in operations in all sectors. Are you worried you could be under investigation by the International Criminal Court?
"The issue is being handled by the political echelon. In all my years as commander, in the most complex situations, we always knew at the end of the day, how to look at ourselves, both in investigations and in the mirror. I know that all of the orders I gave saw us operate professionally, accurately, and appropriately, even though it was sometimes a very complex situation."
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Q: Are you concerned?
"No. I know that those who should defends us will do so in the best possible way."
Q: What can you tell soldiers and officers you send on the next mission or into the next battle with orders to eliminate the enemy? They could be facing future ICC investigations.
"We will arrive at the next war with a clear backbone and we will know how to eliminate the enemy," Heller asserts. "That's our mission and I'm very comfortable with it."
