Jerusalem, 8 September, 2026 (TPS-IL) — At a graduation ceremony for the IDF’s Naval Officers Course on Tuesday evening, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced the establishment of a new military branch dedicated to unmanned systems and Artificial Intelligence.
Zamir called the move a “historic reorganization,” describing it as a generational transformation of the IDF. He ordered the new branch to be formally inaugurated on Hanukkah 2026.
The branch will develop and integrate advanced robotic and autonomous capabilities across all domains, including land, air and sea, above and below water. Unmanned systems will operate alongside manned combat teams or independently on their own missions.
Zamir said the initiative will boost battlefield effectiveness, address rapidly evolving threats and maximize the preservation of human life.
He stressed that warfare is changing at extraordinary speed and said the IDF aims to lead globally in robotics, unmanned systems and artificial intelligence.