Home Front Command | |
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פיקוד העורף | |
Active | 1992–present |
Country | Israel |
Size | ~65,000 reserve soldiers |
Part of | Israel Defense Forces |
Colors | Orange - recognized around the world as a color associated with search and rescue |
Commanders | |
Current commander | Aluf Rafi Milo |
Notable commanders |
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Insignia | |
Flag |
The Home Front Command (HFC; Hebrew: פיקוד העורף, Pikud HaOref, also referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym Pakar) is an Israel Defense Forces military district command, created in February 1992 in response to the lessons of the Gulf War, [1] which was the first war since the 1948 Arab–Israeli War in which centers of civilian population faced significant threat. The command is responsible for civil defense: preparing the civilian population for a conflict or disaster, assisting the population during the crisis, and contributing to post-crisis reconstruction.
The mission of the Home Front Command is to strengthen national resilience and save lives. The command does this by preparing the civilian space before a conflict, supporting the civilian space during a conflict while carrying out Search and rescue operations in the event of an attack on the home front, and assisting in the rapid restoration of the civilian space after a conflict has ended. The Home Front Command publishes regular instructions for civil defense, especially in times of emergency, and operates a telephone emergency center numbered 104. [2]
This unit should not be confused with Unit 669. The Home Front Command includes a domestic search and rescue unit, primarily operating in times of natural disasters, while Unit 669 is the Israeli Air Force's Tactical Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) unit that operates behind enemy lines.
As of the Home Front Command's website, it's fields of responsibility are: [3]
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (June 2022) |
Until the establishment of the Command, responsibility for the Home Front fell under the Civilian Defense's Chief Officer Corps Command and under Regional Defense. During that time, the three regional commands had their own home front commands. After the first Persian Gulf War, these organizations were unified and the Home Front Command was created. It is currently headed by Aluf Rafi Milo.
The role of the Homefront command as a civil defense service are embodied in the Israeli civil defense laws of 1951 as well as other government regulations and decisions. Civil defense is defined in law as follows: "The measures taken to defend against any attack, or the danger the attack poses to the civil population, or to minimize the outcome of such an attack to remove weaponry which is not for self-defense." [2]
The Command is divided into five districts (which are further divided into subdistricts): [1]
Together the districts field 26 rescue battalions, 13 NBC-defense battalions, 14 military hospitals, 8 light infantry battalions and 6 logistic units manned mostly by reservists. Additionally the active duty "Alon" Brigade fields the following units:
It also has the search-and-recue training base, Bahad 16.
On 26 November 2019, an earthquake struck the Durrës region of Albania, killing 51 people, injuring 3,000 others, and damaging 11,000 buildings. [4] Israel sent Home Front Command military engineer troops and a rescue and service team from the regional council of Mevo'ot HaHermon to Albania to search through the rubble for survivors and rescue them, assess whether buildings were structurally sound, and provide Albanians who had been evacuated from their homes with waterproof tents to shelter them. [5] [6] [7] [4] [8]
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote: "We stand with our Albanian friends during this difficult time, and will continue to assist them in any way we can." [5] In January 2020, Albanian President Ilir Meta met with IDF soldiers during an official visit in Israel, embraced them, and thanked them for their assistance in earthquake relief efforts and "further consolidating the friendly and historical relations between our two nations and our countries." [9] At Ramla military base, Meta awarded the Albanian Golden Medal of the Eagle to the National Rescue Unit of the IDF. [9]
On 24 June 2021, Israeli Consul-General Maor Elbaz-Starinsky conveyed an official offer from the Israeli government to send the Home Front Command search and rescue team to Florida to assist in rescue efforts associated with the Surfside condominium collapse. [10] Florida did not respond to the Israeli offer of aid until June 25, [11] when Home Front Command joined the search for survivors. [12] The members of the Home Front Command's National Rescue Unit who assisted with the rescue efforts ultimately recovered 81 of the 97 victims. [13]
After the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, on the 6 February 2023, the IDF declared the "Olive Branches" humanitarian aid delegation, a delegation of 150 active duty and reservist personnel of the Home Front command, as well as members of the Israel Fire and Rescue Services, IDF Medical Corps and more, led by Colonel (Aluf-Mishne) Golan Vach. [14] As of 11 February 2023, the IDF delegation has rescued 19 living civilians, including a 9 years old child. [15]