For first time in decades, IDF creates additional combat force, reactivates legendary 38th Armored Division as part of Oct 7 lessons

Drawing on lessons learned during the past two and a half years of war, the Israel Defense Forces will create a new combat division for the first time since 1956 by reactivating the old 38th Armored Division.

The need for an expanded ground force capable of maneuvering deep into enemy territory has emerged as one of the central lessons learned by Israeli forces during the ongoing war, in which the IDF has operated across seven fronts, four involving ground troops (Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and Judea & Samaria).

The new armored division will unite all of the Ground Forces’ training schools and combat training brigades, which until now were attached to different units based on wartime needs.

Under the new structure, soldiers serving as training officers in the various branches in peacetime will be called up to form a combined arms division, with tank instructors forming a tank brigade, artillery instructors manning the artillery units, and so on. In addition, new headquarters, communications and other auxiliary units will be created for the division.

The IDF explained it will “take all of the branch’s central training frameworks, unify them under a single headquarters, and form from them a division that will serve as the ‘home’ for the various combat training programs – while also functioning as a General Staff maneuvering reserve that can be activated when needed.”

“Since all of these brigades maneuvered and gained operational experience during the war, combining them is intended to maximize and streamline their employment when necessary,” the military noted.

This will be the first time the IDF is forming a completely new maneuvering division since the 1956 Sinai Campaign. Many of the units formed in the early years of the state were later scrapped, unified or adapted into other units.

The new division’s designation as the 38th Division honors the historic armored division that fought during the 1967 Six-Day War under legendary commander – and former prime minister – Ariel Sharon. It was later redesignated as the 146th Division, which still exists and actively fought on various fronts throughout the war.

“In wartime, maneuvering divisions operate with six to eight brigades under their command,” an IDF source told Ynet News, “But that structure has made it difficult to give each brigade the operational attention and resources it needs. The 38th Division will help alleviate that burden.”

The IDF said that “during the current war, it became increasingly clear how maneuvering divisions lead combat and directly affect battlefield outcomes. Based on this understanding – and alongside the expansion of missions and the need to coordinate efforts across multiple arenas – the ground forces decided to add a significant ‘reinforcement player’ to the field.”

This is also the context for the intensified efforts to integrate ultra-Orthodox soldiers into the IDF. On Wednesday, it declared the new Hasmonean Brigade for ultra-Orthodox troops is now operational, following a recent drill in the Golan Heights and about one year after its creation.

The IDF is also reactivating the 500th Armored Brigade, formerly commanded by current IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, which was disbanded around 20 years ago.

The 38th Division is planned to start full operations at the start of next year. The IDF said it already begun the practical phase of constructing the unit last July, and recently conducted an initial training exercise for the division headquarters.

“That is not all – later this year, the first divisional command exercise will be held as part of the path toward the defined objective: readiness for active maneuver operations by the end of the coming year,” the IDF said.