The Ministry of Defense ( he, מִשְׂרַד הַבִּטָּחוֹן, Misrad HaBitahon, Ministry of Security, acronym: he, משהב"ט) of the government of
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
, is the governmental department responsible for defending the State of Israel from internal and external military threats. Its political head is the Defense Minister of Israel, and its offices are located in
HaKirya
HaKirya, or The Kirya ( he, הַקִּרְיָה, ''lit.'' The Campus), is an area in central Tel Aviv, consisting of an urban military base north of Kaplan Street, and a civilian area south of it.
HaKirya contains the Tel Aviv District's govern ...
,
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
.
The Ministry of Defense oversees most of the
Israeli security forces, including the
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the Israel, State of Israel. It consists of three servic ...
(IDF),
Israel Military Industries
, former_name = Israel Military Industries
, type = State-owned enterprise
, industry = Arms industry
, fate = Acquired by Elbit Systems
, successor = Elbit Systems Land
, founded =
, founder =
, defunct =
, hq_location_city = Rama ...
(IMI), and
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).
The MOD was established when the
British Mandate of Palestine ended, and the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurkha ...
departed
Palestine and the State of Israel was formed. This ended the rag-tag militia units during British rule and gave way to the formal defense of the Jewish state.
Minister of Defense
The Defense Minister of Israel ( he, שַׂר הַבִּטָּחוֹן, ''Sar HaBitahon'', ''lit.'' Minister of Security) heads the ministry. The post is considered to be the second most important position in the
Israeli cabinet
The Cabinet of Israel (officially: he, ממשלת ישראל ''Memshelet Yisrael'') exercises executive authority in the State of Israel. It consists of ministers who are chosen and led by the prime minister. The composition of the governmen ...
, and usually has a Deputy Minister. The Defense Minister is also a permanent member of the
Security Cabinet.
Benny Gantz
Benjamin Gantz ( he, בִּנְיָמִין "בֵּנִי" גַּנְץ, Transliterated: ; born 9 June 1959) is an Israeli politician and retired army general serving as the minister of Defense since 2020 and deputy prime minister of Israel si ...
of
Blue and White was sworn in on 17 May 2020 as Israel's new Minister of Defense.
Due to the great importance of the defense portfolio,
prime ministers have often held the position in addition to their prime ministerial duties; eight of the twenty Defense Ministers to date were also serving Prime Ministers. Six of them (
Moshe Dayan
Moshe Dayan ( he, משה דיין; 20 May 1915 – 16 October 1981) was an Israeli military leader and politician. As commander of the Jerusalem front in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (1953–1958) dur ...
,
Yitzhak Rabin,
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak ( he-a, אֵהוּד בָּרָק, Ehud_barak.ogg, link=yes, born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli general and politician who served as the tenth prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until Jan ...
,
Shaul Mofaz,
Moshe Ya'alon and
Benny Gantz
Benjamin Gantz ( he, בִּנְיָמִין "בֵּנִי" גַּנְץ, Transliterated: ; born 9 June 1959) is an Israeli politician and retired army general serving as the minister of Defense since 2020 and deputy prime minister of Israel si ...
) are also former
Chiefs of Staff
The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
of the Israel Defense Forces.
Amongst the duties of the post, Defense Ministers can request
administrative detention
Administrative detention is arrest and detention of individuals by the state without trial. A number of jurisdictions claim that it is done for security reasons. Many countries claim to use administrative detention as a means to combat terrorism ...
. Because of the intensive work and the tension between the political echelon to the military echelon, frequently disagreements and difference of opinion are created between the Defense Minister and the Chief of Staff.
List of ministers
Deputy ministers
Directors General
Structure
*
Home Front Defense Ministry, headed by the Deputy Defense Minister
*
Israeli National Emergency Authority, ''Rahel''
*
, ''Maf'at''
*
Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, ''Matpash''
*
Director of Security of the Defense Establishment
Director of Security of the Defense Establishment or just Ministry of Defense Security Authority, Malmab ( he, הממונה על הביטחון במערכת הביטחון, ''Ha-Memune al ha-bitahon be-Ma'arechet Ha-Bitahon'') is a department in th ...
, ''Malmab''
*Defense Establishment Comptroller Unit
*
Defense Political Branch, ''Abtam''
*
International Defense Cooperation Directorate, ''Sibat'' ( he, האגף לייצוא ביטחוני (סיבט))
*Computer and Management information systems, ''Malam'' – Data Processing Center
*
Logistics Operations and properties Branch
Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of ...
, ''Emun''
*Defense Social branch
*
Department of Defense Export Control, ''Api''
*Tank program Directorate
*
Procurement and Production Directorate
Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agency buys goods or servi ...
, ''Manhar''
*Emergency management, ''Melakh''
*Ombudsman for soldiers, ''Nakhal''
*Fund and Unit for Discharged Soldiers
*Department of Families and Remembrance
*Disabled Rehabilitation Division
Notes
External links
Israel Ministry of DefenseAll Ministers in the Ministry of DefenseKnesset website
{{authority control
Defense
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indus ...
Israeli Security Forces
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
Defense
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indus ...
*Ministry of Defense