IDF establishes Space Division as Israel eyes warfare beyond Earth
The new unit will bring together military projects involving orbital sensors and space-warfare technologies. The move formalizes the IDF’s growing focus on space, while leaving open how quickly its longer-term ambitions for military operations beyond Earth can be realized.
The IDF is creating a new Space Division under its Planning Directorate as it seeks to consolidate projects involving orbital surveillance and space warfare. Defense Minister Israel Katz has called for Israel to become a leading military space power, but the military has disclosed few details about the capabilities it intends to deploy or when they might become operational.
The Israeli military is moving to formalize space as a distinct area of military operations, establishing a dedicated division to coordinate technologies and expertise that it expects to become increasingly important in future conflicts.
Brig. Gen. “Shin” has been selected to lead the new Space Division within the IDF Planning Directorate. The unit is intended to bring together the development and operational use of space-based capabilities, professional training and long-term planning, according to the military.
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IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir (right) with Minister of Defense Israel Katz.
(Photo: Ariel Hermoni/MOD)
The IDF says the decision reflects its assessment that space is no longer simply a supporting infrastructure for military activity on Earth, but an increasingly important arena in its own right. The military said the division was established after identifying that “the space domain has become an active combat domain and will become an increasingly expanding military arena in the coming years, with national significance.”
The organizational change follows a year in which the military approved several space-related projects, including the operation of sensors from space to monitor Earth and the development of capabilities related to space warfare. The IDF has not disclosed the details of those projects, their operational status or the resources allocated to the new division.
The creation of a dedicated unit marks a step toward consolidating these efforts within the military’s structure. Rather than treating space-related activities as separate technological projects, the IDF intends to develop them as a distinct military profession, with dedicated expertise, training and operational responsibilities.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has outlined a broader ambition for Israel’s military presence in space, extending beyond intelligence gathering and surveillance toward capabilities that could eventually support defensive and offensive operations.
“I welcome the IDF's decision to establish a Space Division as part of the policy I am advancing: turning Israel into a military space power, 'blue-and-white Star Wars,'” Katz said Tuesday.
“The goal set for the IDF and the defense establishment is to make Israel one of the world's leading countries in military space capabilities,” he added.
Katz described a vision in which space-based systems could play a more direct role in military operations. “The ability to monitor, defend and strike any target from space across vast areas will cement Israel's position as a regional and global power, deter enemies near and far, and ensure our security for generations to come,” he said.
The new division will operate under the Planning Directorate as part of the military’s multiyear Hoshen program. Its leader, Brig. Gen. “Shin,” was selected during a senior appointments meeting chaired Monday by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. Two lieutenant colonels, identified as “N.” and “S.” in the initial announcement, were also designated to head departments within the unit and will be promoted to colonel. The appointments remain subject to approval by Katz.
The Space Division was one of several organizational changes approved during the same round of senior appointments, reflecting a broader effort to consolidate specialized capabilities and reshape parts of the military’s structure.
Brig. Gen. “Yud” was selected to command a new Robotics Division within the IDF’s Depth Corps. The division is intended to bring the military’s robotics activities together under a dedicated command structure and advance its technological capabilities.
