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Israel Defense Forces: Sayfan Company

(January 2016)

The formation of the Sayfan (Gladiolus) Company in the IDF was announced on January 11, 2016. This company, as a part of the IDF's elite Engineering Corps, will be tasked with identifying, treating injuries from, and disposing of chemical weapons and other “unconventional materials,” within a war zone. The Sayfan Company was previously known as the 76th battalion, and at that point had only been tasked with identifying and cleansing areas affected by agents of chemical warfare.

New technologies and equipment will be used by the Sayfan Company, members of whom will have an extremely high security clearance. Chemistry and biology studies are required for IDF recruits wanting to join the Sayfan Company. Top IDF officials chalked the formation of this Company up to lessons learned from Operation Protective Edge, and the fact that ISIS may try to attack Israel using a chemical or biological weapon.


Source:Shoval, Lilach. “IDF creates new, cutting edge unit to combat unconventional weapons,” Israel Hayom, (January 11, 2016)