First Publication: Ministry of Defense Accelerates Construction of 6 New IDF Training Bases

A senior official in the Engineering and Construction Department of the Ministry of Defense revealed today (Sunday) a construction boom that includes six new brigade training bases for the IDF across the country. Three training bases for three armored brigades: the 7th, 188th, and 401st, including stages for professional training and advanced exercises. Three additional bases are for the Kfir, Nahal, and Givati brigades. The Ministry of Defense views this as an operational project due to the direct implications for the training and exercises of all IDF Ground Forces combat units in the face of future challenges and extreme scenarios.

"The entire training environment will change following the establishment of the new bases, and this will be reflected starting from the basic things for the soldier. From the type of bed and hot water in the living quarters to training classrooms integrated with new technology and simulators," the senior official explained and added, "Fast access for tanks and Namer APCs to training areas has been integrated to streamline the training process."

According to the official, the 7th Brigade base in the north, with an area of 20,000 square meters, is in advanced stages of execution and will receive its first cycle of recruits in August 2028. The 188th Brigade base in the Jordan Valley (at the site where soldiers of the Haredi Hashmonaim Brigade currently train, who will move elsewhere) is also in the execution stage and will be delivered in August 2027. The Kfir Brigade base in the Jordan Valley is in advanced stages of execution, and its new parts will be delivered to the IDF in 2028. The Nahal Brigade base in the Tel Arad area is in the planning stage, and in the coming months, construction will begin as part of a project lasting about five years, within the framework of a 'pinui-binui' (evacuation and construction) project. Alongside the Shebeta base of the Artillery Corps, the 401st Brigade base will be built, with work beginning in 2027. The establishment of the Givati Brigade base, which has suffered from project delays for over a decade and a half, is currently in the planning stages and is expected to be completed around 2031-2032.

According to the official from the Engineering Department of the Ministry of Defense, the planning of all bases includes a look to the future. For example, at the armored brigades' bases, covered tank maintenance centers will be built adjacent to the living area. Buses will arrive near the living quarters to save soldiers' time. It was also decided to establish new urban combat facilities for tanks. In the medical field, specialist clinics will be established at all bases, including a physiotherapy clinic. Further emphasis was placed on tank simulators that will allow for precise training and practice even during heavy heat loads in the field.

The official also explained about the company-level living quarters, "It is a two-story building including a kitchenette, club, toilets, and showers in the required volume, with shading, a nearby company area, and nearby fitness facilities." The dining hall complex, synagogue, and all other public buildings will be concentrated in one complex near the company complexes. "The recruits will not have to walk for hours to the dining hall. In the company building, they will have a washing machine, a lounge (a refrigerator for meals and food and drink products when dining halls are not available) open 24/7 located inside the living quarters. There is also investment in the bedrooms, which include sockets for various mobile devices, shading, and accessible showers in the building."

The official also emphasized that thought was invested in the location of the bases and the security components around them as lessons from October 7 and the Hamas breaches of bases, including infrastructure hardening, types of walls and fences, protected spaces, perimeter fencing, and conditions for operational continuity.