The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday announced plans to establish five new reserve brigades, designated as “David Brigades,” following a comprehensive operational review and assessment of the country’s current security needs.
The brigades, announced by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, will be called: Negev, Shephelah (“Jonathan”), Valleys (“Jezreel”), Jerusalem (“Lion”) and Galilee-Golan. They will conduct defensive operations along Israel’s borders.
The new units will recruit reservists aged 38-58 on a voluntary basis, targeting veterans who have aged out of standard reserve service. The recruitment strategy emphasizes geographic proximity, with brigade members being stationed near their homes to enable rapid response to security incidents.
“The IDF needs to be larger and more comprehensive in facing tough situations and prolonged wars,” stated Lt. Gen. Halevi during the announcement. “These new reserve brigades will help ease the reserve duty burden.”
The Ground Training Center is developing specialized programs for the brigades, including urban warfare exercises, combat skill refresher courses and scenario-based training. Command-level personnel will receive additional, specialized instruction.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Moti Baruch, who is leading the brigade formation efforts, cited changing security conditions as the primary motivation for the expansion. The IDF has opened recruitment through its official website for combat soldiers, officers and support personnel interested in volunteering.
Data from the first three months of the current conflict with Hamas that was revealed in a special report by Israel National News on Sunday showed that residents of Religious Zionist communities, particularly in Judea and Samaria, served the highest average number of reserve duty days per resident. The data was taken from military records obtained through freedom of information requests.
