“The battlefield is changing at a dizzying pace, and we are changing with it,” Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Wednesday, announcing the creation of a dedicated Israeli military branch for unmanned systems and artificial intelligence.
The Unmanned Systems and Artificial Intelligence Branch: scope and timeline
Zamir told graduates of the IDF’s 153rd Naval Officers Course that the Israel Defense Forces have “finalized the establishment of a new branch of the IDF — a historic development: the Unmanned Systems and Artificial Intelligence Branch.” The branch, he said, will be “responsible for this rapidly developing field.” According to the announcement, the IDF expects the new branch to be fully inaugurated by early December.
Zamir described the branch as a way to “harness together technologies in various domains of land, air and sea,” and said its responsibilities will include integrating unmanned systems, robotics, drones and “the extensive use of artificial intelligence.” He framed the initiative as a transformational move intended to increase battlefield activity while reducing casualties, calling it “a once-in-a-generation transformation, and the IDF intends to be a global leader in it.”
Why the IDF is accelerating AI and unmanned integration
Zamir tied the decision to broader changes in warfare: “The battlefield is changing at a dizzying pace,” he said, and the IDF must change with it. The announcement places this organizational change in the context of a longer trajectory within the Israeli military toward greater digitization and autonomy. The article notes that Israel has been advancing new technologies on the battlefield for years and that the move in 2026 reflects a “wider push in Israeli defense technology toward the unmanned realm.”
The reporting also acknowledges critiques that followed the Oct. 7 attack, when some said Israel’s ground forces appeared unprepared for a large-scale attack by mostly lightly armed militants. Zamir’s statement and the new branch appear to respond to both the perceived need to integrate advanced technologies and to questions about preparedness raised after that attack.
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See what we buildNaval implications: INS Drakon and autonomy above and below the surface
Because the announcement was made at a naval ceremony, Zamir emphasized the implications for maritime operations: “The Israeli Navy will also benefit from its capabilities as it integrates advanced and autonomous systems above and below the surface of the sea.” He also referenced the IDF’s Hoshen multi-year plan, “which is supposed to begin in the coming years,” and noted that the navy recently took delivery of the INS Drakon, described as the latest Israeli submarine to arrive from Germany.
The naval focus reflects a stated priority in the IDF to place “an emphasis on the maritime arena — an important and essential focus for ensuring our military superiority at sea for years to come,” Zamir said.
Industry and finance: Elbit Systems’ “Fuse” and Israel’s AI rankings
The announcement coincides with activity in the private and public sectors. Elbit Systems unveiled a system it calls “Fuse,” which the company described as combining “AI-driven autonomous combat systems” and enabling “centralized real-time coordination of large numbers of autonomous aerial and ground systems.”
On the economic side, Israel’s Ministry of Finance released data showing the country’s position in AI: ranking 3rd globally in AI commercialization, 6th in development, and 7th in research out of 83 countries surveyed. The ministry also reported a 53.6 percent increase in capital raised in Israel’s high‑tech sector in the first half of 2026 compared with the first half of 2025.
How Elbit Systems, the Ministry of Finance, and the IDF are positioned
- Elbit Systems: The company has introduced “Fuse,” a suite that it says centralizes coordination of large numbers of autonomous aerial and ground systems. That product launch aligns with the IDF’s stated intention to coordinate unmanned platforms across domains.
- Israel’s Ministry of Finance: By publishing comparative rankings and capital‑raising data, the ministry framed the national tech sector as a resource for the IDF’s ambitions — showcasing commercial strength in AI commercialization, development and research at a time when the military is formalizing an AI-focused branch.
- The IDF: Leadership has moved from programmatic investments and individual systems to organizational change — creating a branch that is expected to operationalize unmanned systems and AI across land, air and sea, and to dovetail with planned multi‑year efforts such as the Hoshen plan.
The announcement closes a loop between decades of Israeli military modernization efforts and a formal organizational step to institutionalize unmanned and AI capabilities. The IDF has set a clear short-term marker — full inauguration by early December — and signaled longer-term commitments through references to procurement and the Hoshen plan. Whether the new branch will deliver the operational cohesion and the casualty reductions promised by Lt. Gen. Zamir will be measured by how quickly systems like Elbit’s “Fuse,” naval arrivals such as the INS Drakon, and the multi‑year procurement plans are translated into interoperable fielded capabilities.
