JERSUALEM — The Israel Defense Forces are creating a new branch, focused unmanned systems and artificial intelligence, according to Israeli military Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
“The battlefield is changing at a dizzying pace, and we are changing with it,” Zamir said Wednesday at a graduation ceremony of the IDF’s 153rd Naval Officers Course. “We understand that the future includes unmanned systems, robotics, drones, and the extensive use of artificial intelligence.”
To that end, he said, Israel has “finalized the establishment of a new branch of the IDF — a historic development: the Unmanned Systems and Artificial Intelligence Branch, which will be responsible for this rapidly developing field. The vision will soon become reality.” The IDF expects the new branch to be fully inaugurated by early December.
Zamir has been chief of staff since March 2025. Prior to the appointment, he was Director General at the Israeli Ministry of Defense, where he played a key role after the Oct. 7 attack in making sure Israel remained well supplied during the war, and investing in long-term procurement. The move to establish a new branch is aimed at harnessing together technologies in various domains of land, air and sea.
