Speech by the Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, from the establishment ceremony of Division 38:
Commander of the Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan, Commander of Division 38, Brig. Gen. Sharon Altit, esteemed commanders, distinguished guests,
“A nation that does not know its past, its present is meager and its future is shrouded in fog” – so too is the army of the people. A central part of the IDF’s operational strength lies in the sources from which it was born and from which its values and strengths were forged. Today, we connect a glorious past with a future of strengthening our power.
Division 38 was the first in the history of the IDF to participate in any war – the Sinai War. It was the first to operate armor, the first to command a reserve brigade. During that campaign in 1956, the division destroyed 4 enemy brigades. Division 38 executed the most notable and decisive flanking maneuver of the war – by penetrating Brigade 7 through the Deir el-Balah isthmus into the key area of the Abu Ageila junction, and simultaneously penetrating deep into Sinai to a depth of 250 kilometers.
One of the most famous battles in the history of the IDF under the division was the Battle of the Rafiah Dam, which became one of the prominent stories of heroism in the IDF. The day of the battle for the dam – October 31st – became “Armored Corps Day” – Company Commander A, Moshe Berel, received the Medal of Courage for his fighting, and Company A was awarded the title “The Company That Changed History in Armor” and received a unit citation. The company commander’s battle order before the attack was: “Move, move, do as I do, affirmative, end.”
In the battle, all tanks sustained hits, but none stopped fighting. Years later, the soldiers of the command described: “The amount of shells and fire directed at us was immense, so much so that you couldn’t think or plan. You just did exactly what you learned in training. You did it automatically. The extensive training saved our lives.”
Similarly, in the Six-Day War – Division 38, under the command of Ariel Sharon, fought on the central axis in the conquest of the Sinai Peninsula – in a battle where it breached the Egyptian front at Um Katef, considered one of the exemplary battles in world military history. From today onwards, Division 38 is not just history – it is the present and the future.
The establishment of Division 38 – the Training Division – is precisely such an act, an act whose significant mark will influence the operational readiness of the IDF and generations of fighters and commanders. October 7th will be etched forever as a national disaster and an unprecedented systemic failure. On that day, the IDF failed in its supreme mission – to protect the citizens of Israel.
However, the strength of a living army is measured by its ability to look reality in the eye, to debrief without fear, and to build new levels of security from the ruins. The establishment of the division is not just an organizational move; it is part of a series of lessons we are drawing as an operational and professional response to the multi-arena and ground campaign in which the IDF has been engaged for the past two years.
This is a historic step that strengthens the IDF’s fitness and its ability to utilize its forces efficiently and effectively operationally. The IDF after October 7th is an army that builds its strength from a deep understanding of the magnitude of the threat and the responsibility placed upon it. Today, we are closing down the General Staff Corps, which fulfilled its purpose during complex periods, and on its basis, we are opening the division that looks forward – to the future challenges that are already upon us.
The Corps operated for approximately fifty years, and its contribution will be recorded in the annals of IDF history. During the “Peace for Galilee” War, the Corps commanded our forces against the Syrian army and terrorist organizations in Lebanon, pushing the enemy back from the northern border – so that the residents of the area could return to their lives as usual. From then until today, the Corps served as a planning and operational rear, contributing to the enhancement of the IDF’s capabilities.
However, upon entering my role, I examined the number of commands and their performance. The IDF has several supra-divisional task-oriented commands – none of them were activated during the difficult war we are currently in. On the other hand, we have training units – which also operate as operational frameworks for war – Brigade 460, Bislam, Shavta, Combat Engineering, and Combat Intelligence. Until now, these units were deployed dispersedly, fought heroically, and led to victory – but at the general staff level, without realizing the principle of war of maximizing force.
This is what we are correcting. The IDF will still have several supra-divisional task-oriented commands – the Depth Command and the Northern Corps. The IDF will be strengthened by another vital operational division on the battlefield. This move will strengthen the ground combat array and expand the ground maneuver capability with another strong, offensive, and lethal division.
This is a historic move. We are strengthening the operational fists and reducing commands. In addition to training and exercises, the division will serve as a maneuvering framework with operational readiness. The war made it clear – we cannot reduce ground forces; there is no substitute for a maneuvering division operating in enemy territory and achieving decisive results. The division will be another reinforcing player in a reality of turning points, and will serve as an additional insurance policy for the IDF’s readiness for any kind of surprise. In doing so, it translates the intelligence and operational lesson into real force on the ground – a division that will ensure that in any multi-arena scenario, on any border, and in any settlement, there will be trained and equipped forces capable of protecting the citizens of Israel.
In the T.R. “Hosen” (multi-year plan), we are implementing additional decisions, including the establishment of Armored Brigade 500 and the establishment of a reserve infantry brigade. The T.R. focuses on the core of IDF activity – first and foremost on people, readiness for surprise warfare, and strengthening the foundations. During the “With All Your Might” War, we established Division 96, and we are in the process of establishing additional forces to strengthen the “ground security belt.”
Distinguished guests, to operate in a multi-arena campaign, we need to significantly increase the ranks of IDF fighters to create a strong army, sized appropriately for the threats, and decisive. The past two years have proven that the reserve system was the backbone of the war effort and the decisive factor in the various arenas.
We honor and appreciate the reservists, who have been enlisting for the homeland for a long time. It is our duty to expand the scope of regular forces – to allow reservists breathing room and a return to their regular lives. The IDF has operated with strength and wisdom in all arenas, and has proven to our enemies that against any attempt to challenge the sovereignty and security of the State of Israel – we will rise and strike the enemy with might.
The IDF’s operational capabilities have been deployed far from the country’s borders, thwarting threats in their nascent stages and removing existential dangers to the citizens of Israel. We are alert and prepared for anything – we will respond with determination and precision to any threat, at any time.
Alongside our achievements, we remember the price well. Our finest sons and daughters have fallen, and many of them from the units of the new Division 38. We will continue to stand by the bereaved families, to accompany the wounded in their rehabilitation journey, and we will not waver from our moral and ethical commitment to them.
Esteemed commanders of the Training Division, the closing of Corps 446 and the opening of Division 38 are a renewal of a covenant based first and foremost on building trust between us and the people. In your actions, true pioneering is embodied. You are the first to tread the path that connects history to the future, to establish a new fighting formation, and to revolutionize the way we build the IDF’s strength for generations to come.
With courage, professionalism, and determination – you are laying foundations that will affect the army’s fitness, its operational flexibility, and the fortification of the state’s security for many years.
Sharon, you are taking command of a division born from the fire of war and from deep insights into multi-arena defense. Your mission is to transform lessons into skill and a strategic asset on the ground. I trust your abilities and those of your commanders in the mission of shaping the character of the Israeli fighter for the coming years.
Nadav, alongside the vital need to strengthen basic training and junior command – whose importance in the current campaign was evident in its heroism – I am confident that the Ground Forces will act to quickly strengthen and establish the new division as an operational, fighting, and available force.
Commanders, we stand today at the beginning of a new chapter, but the road ahead is still long and challenging. Our sages taught us in Pirkei Avot: “It is not incumbent upon you to finish the work, nor are you at liberty to neglect it.” Jewish tradition sees work as a continuous sequence of building and renewal. It commands us to care for those who come after us and to build a strong foundation for a stable and secure future.
The war has made this commandment more urgent than ever, existential. We will not complete the entire work of security in our days, but we will not cease from it for a moment. This is our duty to future generations, this is our commitment to the fallen, and this is our operational imperative.
Division 38 embarks today, carrying the spirit of courage, heroism, and victory from the past and the lessons of the present, with the understanding that even if the work is vast – we are determined to complete it. “Move, move, we will defeat our enemies and will not stop until victory.”
Go forth and succeed.
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