The 188th "Barak" (Lightning) Armored Brigade is an Israeli armored brigade, subordinate to Israel's Northern Regional Command. The symbol of the Barak Armor Brigade is a shield with a red border bearing a sword against a blue and white background featuring the Haifa coastline background and a sword on it. The brigade has a long history and was part of the Yishuv's forces in Palestine before the foundation of the state of Israel. In the mid-1990s the brigade was the first to adopt the Merkava mark-III main battle tank, phasing out its older Centurion tanks.