GOC Army Headquarters

General Officer Commanding Army Headquarters
MAZI flag (Mifkedet Zro'a ha-Yabasha)
Active	1998 - present
Country	Israel
Allegiance	Israel Defense Forces
Size	133,000 active 380,000 reserve
Nickname(s)	Mazi
Engagements	South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) First Intifada (1987–1993) Second Intifada (2000–2005) Second Lebanon War (2006) Operation Cast Lead (2008–2009) Pillar of Defense (2012) Protective Edge (2014)
Commanders
Major general	Guy Tzur

The Israeli GOC Army headquarters (Hebrew: זרוע היבשה‎, 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" (מז"י, (מפקדת זרוע היבשה, Mifkedet Zro'a ha-Yabasha), which was the GOC Army Headquarters' previous name before being ren amed to the current "Ground Arm" (זרוע היבשה). After this renaming, the acronym MAZI officially refers nowadays to "Commander of the Ground Arm" (מפקד זרוע היבשה, Mefaked Zro'a Ha-Yabasha). However the old acronym MAZI still remains the popular name for the GOC Army Headquarters.

Units and structure

Structure GOC

MAZI includes the five ground-warfare corps of specific military functions:

• The maneuvering corps:
  • Infantry Corps (חיל הרגלים)
  • Armor Corps (חיל השריון)
• The сombat support corps:
  • Artillery Corps (חיל התותחנים)
  • Combat Engineering Corps (חיל ההנדסה הקרבית)
  • Field Intelligence Corps (חיל האיסוף הקרבי)

In addition, MAZI includes four "staff divisions":

• Planning Division (Budget and Organization Planning) (חטיבת התכנון)
• "Ground" Division (Training and Doctrine) (חטיבת יבשה)
• Personnel Division (חטיבת כוח-אדם)
• Technological Division (Materiel R&D and Acquisition) (חטיבת הטכנולוגיה)

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
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"
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

1. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1105826.html
2. http://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-to-discharge-100000-reservists-slash-officer-corps/

External links

• Army Headquarters' LIC2005: an international conference on "Warfare in Low Intensity Conflict"