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Essays

Decentralizing the Israel Defense Forces

A major change is unfolding in Israel’s strategic environment. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) must evolve from a local, defense-focused force to a regional force that is territorial, multidomain, more independent, and more effective. The main focus of the IDF’s Intelligence and Air Force branches must shift toward Iran. Its task will be to defeat Iran’s local proxies, break Iran’s encirclement of Israel, and gain the strategic advantage.

Thursday, November 9, 2023 0 min read By:

Eran Ortal,

Tamir Yadai, Research Team: Middle East and the Islamic World Working Group,

Decentralizing The Israel Defense Forces

By: Eran Ortal

Abstract: A major change is unfolding in Israel’s strategic environment. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) must evolve from a local, defense-focused force to a regional force that is territorial, multidomain, more independent, and more effective. The main focus of the IDF’s Intelligence and Air Force branches must shift toward Iran. Its task will be to defeat Iran’s local proxies, break Iran’s encirclement of Israel, and gain the strategic advantage.

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Decentralizing the IDF by Hoover Institution

About the Authors

Brigadier General Eran Ortal, a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institution, has served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in various command and staff positions, most recently as the Dado Center commandant. His work focuses on the IDF’s modernization and strategic effectiveness. He is the author of The Battle before the War: The Inside Story of the IDF’s Transformation.

Major General Tamir Yadai is the commander of the IDF ground forces command. He worked his way up the ranks of the Golani infantry brigade and commanded it during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. He then went on to command two IDF divisions, the Homefront Territorial Command and the Central Combatant Command.