Combat Collection Corps given tan berets to match mission

IDF corps, formerly known as Field Intelligence, changes head gear to desert-tan color like US Army Rangers.

By YAAKOV KATZ
Gaza Border 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Gaza Border 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
They may not be as wellknown as the United States Army Rangers, but soldiers from the IDF’s Combat Collection Corps will soon be able to pretend that they are “leading the way” like the Rangers‚ whose motto goes with their new desert-tan berets.
The Combat Collection Corps, formerly known as Field Intelligence, consists of three battalions and a number of surveillance teams equipped with high-quality camouflage capabilities enabling them to collect intelligence ahead of arrest operations like those carried out in the West Bank, or to collect intelligence on Hizbullah operatives along the border with Lebanon.
The corps’ biggest challenge is currently along the border with the Gaza Strip, where since Operation Cast Lead last year it has upgraded its detection systems, integrating new, more advanced radar systems as well as additional remotely controlled weapons.
Until now, soldiers serving in the corps have worn green berets like Military Intelligence, even though Combat Collection was under the Ground Forces Command. Several months ago, corps commander Brig.-Gen. Eli Polak decided to change the beret so its soldiers would be unique. The decision was made to adopt a desert-tan color like the US Army Rangers.
The sand color was chosen since a majority of the corps’ daily operations are in southern Israel, along the border with the Gaza Strip. The corps is also involved in the construction of the fence along Israel’s southern border with the Gaza Strip and will man radar stations capable of detecting potential infiltrations.