TEL AVIV (VINnews) – The Israel Defense Forces promoted incoming defense attaché Tal Politis to the rank of vice admiral Wednesday, the naval equivalent of major general.

Vice Adm. Politis, who most recently served as chief of staff of the Israel Navy, is set to assume the defense attaché role in the United States, a position that has been vacant for approximately six months.

A promotion ceremony was held at IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv and attended by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, Defense Minister Israel Katz, senior officers and Politis’s family.

Politis’s appointment as defense attaché comes at a time of heightened strategic cooperation between Israel and the United States. The role involves representing the IDF in Washington and managing military-to-military ties.