GOC Army Headquarters

The GOC Army Headquarters (Hebrew: מפקדת זרוע היבשה, Mifkedet Zro'a HaYabasha, abbreviated Mazi), is a multi-corps command headquarters of the Ground Forces of the Israel Defense Forces. The current size of the Israeli Ground Forces is estimated at 126,000 active soldiers and 400,000 soldiers in reserve.^[1]

General Officer Commanding Army Headquarters
MAZI emblem (Mifkedet Zro'a ha-Yabasha)
Founded	1998
Country	Israel
Allegiance	Israel Defense Forces
Branch	Israeli Ground Forces
Size	126,000 active[1] 400,000 reserve[1]
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	Tamir Yadai[2]
Insignia
Flag

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 renamed 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

The structure of the ground forces

The Headquarters of the Ground Forces commands the following five corps:

• Maneuvering Corps (Established in 2020) :
  • Infantry Corps (חיל הרגלים)
  • Armor Corps (חיל השריון)
  • Combat Engineering Corps (חיל ההנדסה הקרבית)
  • 99th "HaBazaq" Paratroopers Division (He)
• Combat support corps:
  • Artillery Corps (חיל התותחנים)
  • Combat Intelligence Corps (חיל האיסוף הקרבי)

In addition, the Headquarters 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 Force and the Navy. 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 and Space 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.

Commanders

No.	Picture	Name	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
1		Shomron, DanAluf Dan Shomron (1937–2008)	September 1983	January 1985	1 year, 4 months	–
2		Drori, AmirAluf Amir Drori (1937–2005)	January 1985	August 1986	1 year, 8 months	–
3		Sagi, UriAluf Uri Sagi (born 1943)	August 1986	March 1991	4 years, 6 months	–
4		Sakel, EmanuelAluf Emanuel Sakel (born 1940)	March 1991	August 1994	3 years, 6 months	–
5		Livne, ZeevAluf Zeev Livne [he] (1945–2013)	August 1994	June 1996	1 year, 9 months	[3]
6		Malka, AmosAluf Amos Malka [he] (born 1953)	June 1996	July 1998	2 years, 1 month	–
7		Soknik, MosheAluf Moshe Soknik [he] (born 1949)	July 1998	June 2001	1 year, 11 months	–
8		Ron-Tal, YiftahAluf Yiftah Ron-Tal (born 1956)	June 2001	November 2005	5 years, 5 months	–
9		Gantz, BennyAluf Benny Gantz (born 1959)	November 2005	20 December 2007	2 years, 1 month	–
10		Mizrahi, AviAluf Avi Mizrahi (born 1957)	20 December 2007	September 2009	1 year, 8 months	–
11		Turgeman, SamiAluf Sami Turgeman (born 1964)	September 2009	February 2013	3 years, 5 months	[4]
12		Tzur, GuyAluf Guy Tzur (born 1962)	February 2013	August 2016	3 years, 6 months	–
13		Barak, KobiAluf Kobi Barak [he] (born 1964)	August 2016	May 2019	2 years, 9 months	–
14		Strick, YoelAluf Yoel Strick (born 1966)	May 2019	October 2022	3 years, 5 months	–
15		Yadai, TamirAluf Tamir Yadai (born 1969)	October 2022	Incumbent	2 years, 10 months	–

See also

• Israeli Ground Forces equipment