Desert Reconnaissance Battalion
| 585th Desert Reconnaissance Battalion | |
|---|---|
Battalion insignia | |
| Active | Late 1980s-present |
| Country | Israel |
| Branch | Ground Forces |
| Type | Armoured cavalry |
| Role | Armoured reconnaissance Artillery observer Bomb disposal Close-quarters battle Crowd control Counterinsurgency Desert warfare HUMINT Internal security Maneuver warfare Patrolling Raiding Reconnaissance Tracking Urban warfare |
| Size | Battalion |
| Part of | 7643rd Territorial Brigade "Gefen", 143rd "Fire Fox" Division |
The Desert Reconnaissance Battalion (DRB) (also known as Unit 585 or the Bedouin Battalion) is a armoured cavalry unit of the 7643rd Territorial Brigade "Gefen", 143rd "Fire Fox" Division that specialized in controlling and surveillance immigrants from crossing the border illegally, CQB/CQC in urban areas, patrolling with armed armored vehicles to maintain border security, raiding with maneuver warfare tactics and small unit tactics, support counterinsurgency, and tracking targets in border areas.
It is an ethnic minority unit consisting of volunteers from the Bedouin, Christian, Muslim ethnoreligious groups, while the majority of the IDF and the Israeli population are Jews. The DRB was founded in the late 1980s and since then has largely been deployed on the border with the Gaza Strip on security duties.