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Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Yossi Yehoshua

Gantz is honoring paratroopers

Analysis: In his last major round of appointments, IDF chief of staff promotes commanders who excelled in Operation Protective Edge, but where have the religious brigade leaders gone?

It was Chief of Staff Benny Gantz's last opportunity to select the next generation of IDF commanders, and his major round of appointments put a smile on the paratroopers' faces. Four senior officers from the Paratroopers Brigade competed for prestigious positions, and all were promoted.

  

 

Colonel Nimrod Aloni, who served as commander of the Maglan special forces unit and the paratroopers' patrol regiment, becomes the Paratroopers Brigade commander. Aloni received the Head of Regional Command Citation for his performance as commander of the Paratroopers Commando Unit during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002.

 

His rival for the job, Colonel Yaron Finkleman, commander of the Gaza North Brigade and formerly of the paratroopers' patrol regiment, gets instead major compensation in the form of the Givati infantry brigade.

 

Finkelman is an unusual appointment. All Givati commanders in the past decade have been fighters who advanced within the brigade. This time, someone has been appointed from outside.

Moreover, none of the Givati candidates has been promoted.

 

Another paratrooper has been appointed commander of the Kfir infantry brigade: Colonel Guy Hazut, who previously headed the 202nd Paratrooper Battalion and the Hebron Brigade.

 

Colonel Yaniv Alaluf, another paratrooper who led the 202nd Paratrooper Battalion and the Bethlehem Brigade, has been named commander of the Bahad 1 school for officers.  

 

New Nahal and Paratroopers commanders. Colonel Hacohen (R) and Colonel Aloni (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
New Nahal and Paratroopers commanders. Colonel Hacohen (R) and Colonel Aloni (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

 

Colonel Amit Fisher, a highly esteemed Golani Brigade officer who commanded the 12th Battalion, has been put in charge of the squad commanders' school.

 

Colonel Amos Hacohen has been tapped to lead the Nahal infantry brigade. Like Finkleman, Hacohen was highly praised for his performance during Operation Protective Edge as commander of the Gaza South Brigade.

 

New Kfir Brigade commander, Colonel Guy Hazut (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
New Kfir Brigade commander, Colonel Guy Hazut (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

 

Apart from the paratrooper promotions, there seems to be another trend. It may be coincidental, but while at the moment there are three religious brigade commanders – Eliezer Toledano of the Paratroopers, Ofer Winter in Givati and Mordechai Kahane in the squad commanders' school – in the next round we will see no brigade commanders with a skullcap on his head.

 

Kahane, the nephew of Rabbi Meir Kahane, has been promoted to the rank of brigadier-general and appointed chief combat intelligence collection officer.

 

Additional appointments include Colonel Moshe Schneid, who will be promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, as chief intelligence officer. Colonel Rafi Milo, who served as commander of the Shayetet 13 naval forces unit and whose promotion was delayed after he lost a laptop containing classified documents, will be promoted to the rank of brigadier-general and appointed commander of the Edom Division on the Israel-Egypt border.

 

Colonel Dan Neuman will be commander of the 7th Armored Brigade, and Colonel Nir Ben-David has been tapped as commander of the 188th Armored Brigade.

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.21.14, 12:23
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