Established in 1974 under the command of Yaakov Hasdai,[1] the school comprises three operative battalions (17th, 906th, and 450th), ordinarily used for training. During wars or emergencies, as was the case during the Yom Kippur War, these serve as fully operational combat forces. Since 2006 these battalions form the 828th Brigade (formerly 772th Brigade), referred to as the Bislamach Brigade (formerly called Bislach Brigade).