“Israel will deploy units combining human fighters with autonomous tools”
“Israel will deploy units combining human fighters with autonomous tools”
The Ministry of Defense unveils its new AI and Autonomy Administration to develop cutting-edge autonomous tools, aiming to enhance operational efficiency, reduce casualties, and secure Israel's battlefield supremacy.
The Ministry of Defense has inaugurated a new administration dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) and autonomous tools, marking what it calls "a leap forward in the operational and technological capabilities of the IDF." This initiative brings together researchers from academia, experts from the IDF's technological units, start-up companies, and representatives from the defense industry.
The AI and Autonomy Administration will operate alongside existing divisions within DDR&D (Directorate of Defense Research and Development), such as Israel's Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), Space and Satellite Administration, and the UAV Administration.
During the inauguration, Eyal Zamir, Director General of the Ministry of Defense, emphasized the significance of this development. "The capabilities developed here will ensure the IDF's operational superiority, enabling future campaigns to be conducted under better conditions, with minimized harm to human life, and at significantly higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness. On the battlefield of tomorrow, we will deploy units combining human fighters with autonomous tools, all working together to achieve mission objectives," said Zamir.
He also highlighted that while the Ministry is advancing AI and autonomous tools for future battlefields, it will continue to invest in bolstering capabilities across all domains—land, air, sea, intelligence, and space—by equipping forces with breakthrough technologies.
Danny Gold, head of the Directorate of Defense Research and Development, outlined the mission of the new administration. "The primary goal is to establish Israel's supremacy in the fields of AI and autonomous systems," he explained. "This administration will build on decades of research and development within the IDF and the Ministry of Defense, bringing all key stakeholders—researchers, developers, and operational forces—under one roof to streamline innovation and application."
Three weeks ago, during the first-ever defense-tech conference in Tel Aviv, Zamir elaborated on the defense establishment's aspirations in the field of AI. "Artificial intelligence will enable the operation of mixed combat units—comprising both unmanned systems and autonomous units capable of making independent decisions. Within the next decade and a half—perhaps even sooner—AI-driven robots will lead combat operations on land, in the air, and at sea," he said.
