The Israel Defense Forces are establishing a new military branch dedicated to unmanned systems and artificial intelligence, Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced.
“The battlefield is changing at a dizzying pace, and we are changing with it,” Zamir said Wednesday at the 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,” he added.
Zamir said Israel had “finalized the establishment of a new branch of the IDF — a historic development: the Unmanned Systems and Artificial Intelligence Branch.” The new branch will be responsible for coordinating the rapidly developing field, and the IDF expects it to be fully inaugurated by early December.
Zamir has served as chief of staff since March 2025. Before his appointment, he was director general of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, where he played a key role after the Oct. 7 attack in ensuring that Israel remained supplied throughout the war and in planning long-term military procurement.
The new branch is intended to bring together technologies from multiple domains, including land, air and sea.
“The capabilities provided by unmanned systems will operate alongside manned teams or carry out independent missions,” Zamir said. “They will increase operational activity on the battlefield and save lives. This is a once-in-a-generation transformation, and the IDF intends to be a global leader in it.”
Autonomous systems for land, air and maritime operations
Yaakov Katz, author of The Weapon Wizards: How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower and a fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, told Breaking Defense that the decision reflected “a growing understanding within the IDF that robotics, autonomous vehicles and AI-powered systems are changing modern warfare and can even determine the outcome of a battle.”
“As we see more swarms of drones and other autonomous munitions on the battlefield, the ability to process vast amounts of data at unprecedented speed is becoming increasingly critical,” Katz said.
He added that these technologies could provide militaries with new capabilities while helping save lives in ways that were not previously possible.
Because Zamir was speaking at a naval ceremony, he also highlighted the benefits for the Israeli Navy.
“The Israeli Navy will also benefit from these capabilities as it integrates advanced and autonomous systems above and below the surface of the sea,” he said.
The Hoshen plan and naval modernization
Zamir also discussed the IDF’s Hoshen multi-year plan, which is expected to begin in the coming years.
“We have placed an emphasis on the maritime arena — an important and essential focus for ensuring our military superiority at sea for years to come,” the chief of staff said.
He also noted that the Israeli Navy had recently taken delivery of the INS Drakon, the latest Israeli submarine to arrive from Germany.
Israel has been developing autonomous technologies for years
Israel has invested in advanced military technologies for many years. Former Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, whose term ended in January 2023, was a major advocate of digitization and technological modernization within the military.
The IDF said that during his tenure, it introduced several new capabilities, including the C-Dome naval air-defense system, the Sa’ar 6-class corvette and the Skylark 3 unmanned aerial vehicle.
At the time, the Israeli military was exploring new multidimensional methods of warfare, including the creation of new units. It was also investing in unmanned systems such as drones and ground robots.
The military promoted the “Momentum” plan as well, an initiative designed to increase lethality by taking advantage of technological advances.
However, following the Oct. 7 attack, Israel’s strong focus on high technology was criticized, as its ground forces appeared unprepared for a large-scale assault by militants who were mostly lightly armed.
New momentum for Israel’s defense industry
The decision in 2026 to focus on artificial intelligence and unmanned systems is part of a broader shift in Israel’s defense industry toward autonomous technologies.
Elbit Systems unveiled its “Fuse” system on Wednesday, combining several “AI-driven autonomous combat systems.”
The company says these systems enable “centralized, real-time coordination of large numbers of autonomous aerial and ground systems.”
Israel’s Ministry of Finance also released new data on the country’s technology sector. According to the ministry, Israel ranks third globally in AI commercialization, sixth in development and seventh in research, out of 83 countries.
The ministry also said that the high-tech sector continued to serve as the engine of Israel’s economy, with capital raised during the first half of 2026 increasing by 53.6% compared with the same period in 2025.
