Ephod A10 webbing.

The Ephod was introduced by the Israel Defense Forces in the mid-1970s, replacing older cotton webbing and ad-hoc vests used throughout the 1960s and early ‘70s. It was named after the apron worn by a high priest.

Designed by Rabintex Industries near Tel Aviv and first used operationally in the legendary 1976 Entebbe Raid, the Ephod’s development directly responded to hard-earned combat experience and a need for greater comfort and efficiency on the battlefield.

The vest was one of the first to make use of modern materials like nylon webbing and velcro. The vest soon became standard issue, seeing action in South Lebanon and beyond. 

Many different countries adopted it or copied it and made their own versions. US special operations forces units experimented with them in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s." and that lead to the LBT riverine series that was very popular with the Navy SEALs. London Bridge Trading 1195 series, which started around 1991 and inspired the SOFLCS and other LCS systems.

Israeli troops appreciated the Ephod’s comfort and design. It could be worn high over a flak vest, put on and taken off like a jacket — no more fiddling with belts. The magazine pouches could carry eight rifle mags, and the vest’s pocket layout offered an elbow rest for the firing position. Later versions had a slightly different layout and tended to have more pouches with the exception of the Armored crewman's version.

Special Forces variant.

Armored crewman's version

The system was so effective it became a reference point for later global designs, and its export history shows how widely it was respected.

Nation state users

•  Argentina: used by the Mountain Cazadores.
•  Ecuador: used by the Naval Infantry Corps.
•  El Salvador: used by the Salvadoran Army.
•  Estonia: used by the Estonian Land Forces.
•  France: used by the Special Operations Command units.
•  Guatemala: used by the Parachute Brigade and Kaibiles.
•  Israel: used by the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli security forces.
•  Italy: used by the Folgore Brigade Paratroopers.
•  Lebanon: used by the Lebanese Armed Forces.
•  Palestine: used by the Palestinian National Security Forces (PNSF).
•  Peru: used by the Peruvian Armed Forces and Peruvian Naval Infantry.
•  Syria: used by the Syrian Army Commandos.
•  Sri Lanka: used by the Sri Lanka Army.

Non-state users

•  Free Syrian Army: used Lebanese-produced copies.
•  Hezbollah: used captured vests from the Lebanese Forces, SLA, and IDF between 1983 and 2000, and locally made copies.
• Arab Democratic Party (Lebanon): used captured vests from the Lebanese Forces between 1983 and 1990, and locally made copies.
• Islamic Unification Movement in Lebanon (Tawheed): locally made copies.
•  Hamas (Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades): used captured vests from the IDF and PNSF, and locally made copies.
•  Palestine (PLO armed factions in Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank): used captured vests from the Lebanese Forces, SLA, IDF, and PNSF, and locally made copies.

Former users

•  Amal Movement: used captured vests from the Lebanese Forces, SLA, and IDF between 1983 and 2000, and locally made copies.
•  Cuba: locally produced clones used in the 1980s during Cuba's military intervention in Angola.
•  Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: used by the Serbian Special Police Units during the Kosovo War, being used afterwards by the Special Operations Unit of the former Yugoslavian State Security Service (RDB) for training purposes, and briefly by the Serbian Gendarmerie between 1998 and 2003.
• Marada Brigade: used captured vests from the Lebanese Forces between 1982 and 1990.
•  Nicaragua: used by the National Guard between 1977 and 1979.
•  Lebanese Forces: provided by Israel between 1978 and 1993.
•  People's Liberation Army (Lebanon): used captured vests from the Lebanese Forces between 1983 and 1993.
•  Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN): used captured vests from the Nicaraguan National Guard between 1978 and 1979.
•  Singapore: locally made SBO versions used by the Singapore Armed Forces between 1995 and 2007.
• South Lebanon Army (SLA): Provided by Israel between 1978 and 2000.
•  Syrian Social Nationalist Party in Lebanon used captured vests from the Lebanese Forces, SLA, and IDF between 1983 and 1990, and locally made copies.