Defense minister calls initiative “Star Wars, made in Israel” as military appoints first space division chief, creates robotics command and revives armored brigade

The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday that it had appointed its first commander for a newly created Space Division, a move intended to strengthen Israel’s military capabilities and operations in space.

According to the military, the new division will operate under the Planning Directorate. Its responsibilities will include developing military capabilities, overseeing operations, coordinating expertise and training, and establishing space warfare as a specialized military field.

The IDF said the decision followed its assessment that “the space domain has become an active combat domain and will become an increasingly expanding military arena in the coming years, with national significance.”

Brig. Gen. “Shin,” whose identity was disclosed only through his Hebrew initial, was appointed to lead the division Monday evening. His selection was part of a broader series of senior military personnel appointments announced by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

During the past year, the military also approved several space-related initiatives, including projects involving the use of space-based sensors to observe activity on Earth and the development of capabilities for combat in space.

Until now, space-related military responsibilities had largely fallen under the Israeli Air Force, officially known as the Air and Space Branch. Its duties have included satellite launches and ballistic missile defense.

Following launch, Israel’s reconnaissance satellites are operated by Unit 9900, a visual intelligence unit within the Military Intelligence Directorate.

The military announcement did not specify which existing responsibilities would be reassigned to the newly established Space Division.

Katz outlines Israel’s ambitions in space security

Defense Minister Israel Katz welcomed the creation of the division Tuesday morning, describing it as part of his broader effort to strengthen Israel’s position in space-related defense technology. He called the vision “Israel into a security space power: Star Wars, made in Israel.”

“The goal set for the IDF and the defense establishment is to make Israel one of the world’s leading countries in the field of space security,” Katz said.

Katz argued that the ability to monitor, protect and strike targets from space could strengthen Israel’s strategic standing and improve its ability to deter threats from nearby and distant adversaries.

He said the “ability to monitor, defend and attack from space any target across vast areas will cement Israel’s status as a regional and global power, deter near and distant enemies, and ensure our security for generations to come.”

The defense minister also pointed to potential economic benefits, saying that investment in military space technology could support domestic research, entrepreneurship and manufacturing while strengthening Israel’s civilian technology sector.

“Developing military capabilities in space will also inspire and provide a major boost to Israel’s industry and economy in the fields of development, entrepreneurship and manufacturing in leading global sectors, and will make Israel a technological and space nation in the civilian sphere as well,” Katz added.

Major powers pursue military capabilities in orbit

Military competition in space dates back to the earliest years of the space race. Following the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik in 1957, the United States and the Soviet Union began investigating ways to protect their satellites and potentially disable those belonging to their rivals.

One early concern involved placing nuclear weapons in space. However, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, signed by the major space powers and other countries, prohibited the placement of weapons of mass destruction in orbit.

Military competition has continued through other means. Russia, the United States, China and India have explored capabilities that could be used against satellites, which play important roles in military communications, surveillance and navigation.

According to the Israeli military, Iran has also been developing technology that could threaten satellites.

During the war earlier this year, the IDF said it had attacked and destroyed a space facility in Tehran involved in Iranian military space programs. The military said the site was connected to projects including the Chamran-1 satellite and the development of “capabilities to strike satellites, posing a threat to the State of Israel’s satellites and to space assets of other countries around the world.”

New robotics division and revived armored brigade

Zamir’s latest round of appointments also included the selection of a commander for a newly established Robotics Division.

Brig. Gen. “Yud” was named to lead the unit, which will operate under the Depth Corps. The corps is a specialized military formation associated with operations beyond Israel’s borders and has undergone a recent reorganization to focus on missions in what the military calls the “second circle,” including areas involving Iranian-backed groups in Yemen and Iraq.

Last month, Zamir announced that plans had been completed for a new military branch focused on unmanned systems and artificial intelligence. Monday’s announcement suggested that the initiative could initially take shape as a division within an existing senior military organization rather than immediately becoming a separate branch.

The IDF also announced that Lt. Col. “Resh” would be promoted to colonel and placed in command of the 500th Armored Brigade. The tank formation, which was disbanded in 2003, is now being reactivated.

The military said last year that preparations would begin in 2026 to establish the brigade’s new tank battalions.

The wider personnel reshuffle announced Monday included the appointment of one new brigadier general and 36 new colonels. In addition, two brigadier generals and 24 colonels were assigned to different positions at their current ranks.

Five other senior officers were scheduled to undertake academic studies between military assignments.

The appointments still required approval from Defense Minister Katz. The announcement did not indicate that he intended to oppose the selections.