Daniel "Danny" Gold (born in 1962) is the head of the Israeli Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D) and a

Tat Aluf ''Aluf'' ( he, אלוף, lit=champion or "First\leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew; ) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral ...

( Brigadier General) in 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 ...

. Additionally, he serves as the head of the National Technological Center for Combatting the COVID-19 pandemic at the

Israeli Ministry of Defense The Ministry of Defense ( he, מִשְׂרַד הַבִּטָּחוֹן, Misrad HaBitahon, Ministry of Security, acronym: he, משהב"ט) of the government of Israel, is the governmental department responsible for defending the State of Isra ...

Biography and career

Danny Gold was born and raised in Tel Aviv. His parents, Aviva and Avraham, were Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel from Hungary. He completed his studies in Electronic Engineering at the Technion and in 1983 began his service in the Israeli Air Force, where he held positions in electronics, munitions, and electronic warfare. He later served in the DDR&D in various roles, including head of the Electronic Warfare Systems Department and head of the Research and Development Unit. Among his notable contributions was the development of the Iron Dome missile defense system, which he worked on even before the project's approval. This work of his was originally critiqued by the states comptroller. For his work, he received the

Israel Defense Prize The Israel Defense Prize (Hebrew: פרס בטחון ישראל), also known as the Israel Defense Award is an award presented annually by the President of Israel to people and organizations who made significant contributions to the defense of the ...

in September 2012. In 2014, he completed his service in the IDF with the rank of Brigadier General and founded the company "Gold Technology and Entrepreneurship". In April 2016 he was appointed as the head of DDR&D. In March 2020 he established the National Technological Center for Combatting the COVID-19 pandemic in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense, the defense industry, the local tech industry, the IDF, and academic institutions, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, hospitals, the National Health Insurance, the Mossad, and other entities, to find solutions related to the virus in various fields. The teams that were formed implemented a wide range of technologies. In June 2014 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Ruppin Academic Center. Gold holds two doctoral degrees from Tel Aviv University, in electronic engineering and business administration (specializing in technology management). In 2015, he was chosen to light a torch at the Independence Day Torch Lighting Ceremony.

Personal life

Gold is married and a father of two.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gold, Daniel Living people 1962 births Israeli military personnel Israeli civil servants Military personnel from Tel Aviv