OSINFO - Open Sources Information

June 1st, 2005

IDF SPOKESPERSON ANNOUNCEMENT

The changing of chief of staff ceremony held today

At a ceremony held in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Major General Dan Halutz was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, and was appointed as the 18th Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.

The incoming Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Dan Halutz, has replaced Lieutenant General Moshe (Bogi) Ya'alon, who had served in this position since July 2002. Lt. Gen. Ya'alon will be retiring from the IDF after 37 years of service.

Senior figures present at the ceremony included the Prime Minister, Mr. Ariel Sharon, the Minister of Defense, Mr. Shaul Mofaz, the IDF General Staff Forum, and other guests.

 The Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Dan Halutz- Curriculum Vitae

The Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Dan Halutz, was born in 1948 in Tel Aviv. He grew up in Moshav Hagor and completed his high-school studies at the "Kogel" high-school in Holon.

Dan Halutz was drafted into the IDF in 1966, and volunteered for the IAF's pilot's course, which he completed in 1968 as a combat pilot. After completing a field training course on an "Oragon" plane and serving as a pilot on the "Mister 4" and "Vutour" planes he transferred, at the end of 1969, to the IAF's first "Phantom" Squadron ("The one"). He then participated in the War of Attrition, during which he completed approximately 40 operational sorties, after which he was posted as an instructor at the IAF flight school.

In 1973 Dan Halutz was discharged from the IDF. He continued to serve as a reserve pilot, which included service in the Yom Kippur War, during which he completed 43 operational sorties. After the war he returned to serve as executive officer of the "Phantom" Squadron.

In 1978 Halutz was released from active duty once more, and served as a reserve pilot for four years, during which he participated in operation "Peace in the Galilee". In 1982 he returned to service and began piloting F-16 aircrafts. In 1984 he received command over the "Phantom" Squadron, and two years later was appointed Head of the Operational Unit of the "Lavi" project.

Lieutenant General Halutz's command appointments in the IAF included Head of the Weapon Systems Department, Commander of the IAF Base "Hatzor", Head of the Air Division and Chief of the IAF Staff. He took part in the IAF's operational activities since the War of Attrition, and acquired rich operational experience, with hundreds of operational sorties which resulted in the downing of three enemy aircrafts.

In July of 1998 Dan Halutz was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed Assistant Head of the General Staff Branch, in the IDF's General Staff. In 1999 he assumed the position of Head of the Operations Branch in the General Staff.

In April 2000 he was appointed IAF Commander.

In July 2004 he was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

In June 2005 Lieutenant General Halutz was appointed Chief of the IDF's General Staff.

During his service in the IAF, Halutz has accumulated approximately 4000 flight hours.

Lieutenant General Dan Halutz has a bachelor's degree in economics from Tel Aviv University. He is married to Irit and has three children - two boys and a girl


Lieutenant General Moshe Ya'alon - Curriculum Vitae

The IDF's 17th Chief of the General Staff - 2002-2005

Moshe Ya'alon was born in Israel in 1950. He finished his high-school studies at the "Kiryat Chaim" high-school, and was a member of the "Hano'ar Haoved Vehalomed" youth group in Kiryat Chaim.

In 1968 he drafted into the IDF through a program associated with the Nachal airborne infantry, located at Kibbutz Grufit in the Arava desert.

During this time, he and his fellow soldiers in the program underwent training in Kibbutz Kefar Rupin. Ya'alon served in an elite unit of the "Nachal" infantry brigade in the Arava desert, and as a soldier, squad commander, and platoon sergeant in the airborne Nachal unit during the War of Attrition in the Suez Canal and during pursuits of terrorists in the Jordan Valley.

During the Yom Kippur War (1973), Ya'alon fought as a reserve soldier under the command of Danny Mat in the Paratroops Brigade, which was the first to cross the Suez Canal. He also took part in the battles of the city of Suez.

After the war ended, Ya'alon decided that he wished to remain an active member of the IDF, and decided to return to full-time service. He completed an Officer's Course and served in various command positions, from platoon leader to company commander in the airborne "Nachal" infantry unit.

He participated in the Litani Operation (1978) as Commander of the elite paratroopers unit, and in Operation "Peace in the Galilee" as a member of another elite unit.

In 1982 he was appointed battalion commander in the paratroops brigade. As executive officer of the paratroops brigade, he was injured during a pursuit of terrorists in Lebanon.

In 1987, upon returning to Israel from his advanced studies in the Command and General Staff College in the UK, in England, he was given the command of the elite unit he had served in and was promoted to the rank of colonel.

In 1990 he was appointed head of a regular paratroops brigade.

In 1992 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and was given the command of the Judea and Samaria Division.

On August 16th, 1993, he was appointed Commander of the Field Corps Training Base at Tze'elim, and as a commander of an armored division.

In 1995 he was promoted to the rank of major general and was appointed Head of the Intelligence Branch.

In 1998 he was appointed as commander of the Central Command.

In 2000 he was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Head of the General Staff Branch.

On July 9th, 2002, Moshe Ya'alon was appointed Chief of the General Staff. The years of his service in this position were years in which the State of Israel and the IDF were engaged in a long and difficult struggle against Palestinian terror.

The IDF, with Ye'elon as its chief of staff, has achieved unprecedented accomplishments in the war on terror- accomplishments which were achieved through creative operational thinking and initiative which allowed us the upper hand against terrorism. While leading the IDF in its war on terror, the Chief of the General Staff also initiated comprehensive changes within the IDF. These changes stemmed from the realization that the IDF has to cut its budget while at the same time adjusting itself to a shifting reality. The Chief of the General Staff decided to establish the Communications Branch, understanding that the tasks associated with military communications require an investment of resources and a clear focus, in order to improve the IDF's operational readiness and administrative effectiveness.

In addition to these organizational changes and to the adjustment of the IDF's structure to the shifting reality, Moshe Ya'alon navigated the development of an updated concept of operations for the IDF, and integrated it into IDF doctrine. This updated way of thinking matched the developing threats and has shaped the way the IDF will face future challenges.

In 2005 the fighting subsided and the country entered a period of relative calm, a direct effect of the IDF's consistent and uncompromising struggle against terror coupled with concerted efforts to avoid causing harm to innocent civilians by understanding the nature of this struggle and its participants.

The 17th Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Moshe Ye'elon, worked at imbuing IDF commanders at all levels with the IDF's high morals and principles, while taking great care to maintain purity of arms and safeguard human dignity.

Lieutenant General Ye'elon is married and has three children.