JERUSALEM — The Israeli government has established a new office at the Ministry of Defense tasked with overseeing technology development in the fields of artificial intelligence and autonomy, according to a government announcement.
Named the AI and Autonomy Administration, the outfit will operate under the auspices of the Directorate of Defense Research & Development, a key player in the country’s military-technology ecosystem.
Officials said the goal is to transform the combat capabilities of all the military branches in order to maintain the Israel Defense Forces’ operational edge in the Middle East.
The office is expected to “bring together experts from IDF technological units, academia, defense industries, and startups to achieve unprecedented operational and technological breakthroughs,” the statement reads.
The organizational focus on AI and autonomy comes amid the ongoing “Iron Swords” war against Hamas and Hezbollah that Israel has been waging for over a year on several fronts in parallel, and which continues to claim the lives of soldiers.
According to the IDF, 891 soldiers have died in the war as of Jan. 2, 2025. About 5,570 soldiers have been injured.
Part of the Israeli campaign is based on roughly 360,000 reserve soldiers who have been drafted since Hamas fighters attacked on Oct. 7, 2023, making it the largest reserve mobilization in the history of the IDF. A third of them has served or is still serving more than 150 days.
That is also one of the reasons Israel is establishing the new office, as officials hope to reduce manpower and budget needed to prosecute the wars.
“The capabilities we develop will enhance our operational superiority while reducing casualties, increasing operational tempo, and optimizing resource utilization,” said the ministry’s director general, Eyal Zamir.
“Our future battlefield will see integrated teams of soldiers and autonomous systems working in concert,” he said. “We remain committed to investing in ground, air, naval, intelligence, and space capabilities, providing our forces with cutting-edge technologies that amplify their effectiveness.”
Tzally Greenberg is the Israel correspondent for Defense News. He has experience reporting on economic affairs as well as defense and cyber companies.
