Aman (IDF)
Encyclopedia
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's central, overarching military intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
, of the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
. Aman was created in 1950, when the Intelligence Department was spun off from the IDF's General Staff
General Staff
A military staff, often referred to as General Staff, Army Staff, Navy Staff or Air Staff within the individual services, is a group of officers and enlisted personnel that provides a bi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer and subordinate military units...
(then, Agam: אג"ם); the Intelligence Department itself was composed largely of former members of the Haganah
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
Intelligence Service (HIS). Aman is an independent service, and not part of the ground forces
GOC Army Headquarters
The Israeli GOC Army headquarters , known unofficially as Mazi, is a multi-corps command headquarters created in 1998, which amalgamates the ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces...
, navy
Israeli Sea Corps
The Israeli Navy is the naval arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea theater. The current commander in chief of the Israeli Navy is Aluf Ram Rothberg.-History:...
or the Israeli Air Force
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
. It has a staff of 7,000 personnel (1996 estimate). It is currently headed by Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
Aviv Kochavi
Aviv Kochavi
Major General Aviv Kochavi is an Israel Defense Forces officer. He was the commander of the Gaza Division during the unilateral disengagement, and until recently was the head of the Operations division in the Operations Directorate...
.
Head of Aman
The head of Aman is the highest intelligence officer in the IDF and engages in intelligence decision and policy-making at the same level as the heads of the Shabak and the MossadMossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
: together, they form the three highest-ranking, co-equal heads of the Israeli Intelligence Community
Israeli Intelligence Community
The Israeli Intelligence Community is the designation given to the complex of organizations responsible for intelligence collection, dissemination, and research for the State of Israel...
, focusing on the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
, domestic
Domestic policy
Domestic policy, also known as public policy, presents decisions, laws, and programs made by the government which are directly related to all issues and activity within the country....
(including the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
), and foreign
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
intelligence fronts respectively.
On June 10, 2005, then-IDF's Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
Dan Halutz
Dan Halutz
' is an Israeli Air Force Lt. General and former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and commander of the Israeli Air Force. Halutz was appointed as Chief of Staff on June 1, 2005. On January 17, 2007 he announced his resignation. He has a degree in economics. He was born to a Mizrahi...
, in a move viewed as surprising, announced that Major General Aharon Zeevi-Farkash would be replaced by Major General Amos Yadlin
Amos Yadlin
Aluf Amos Yadlin is a former general in the Israeli Air Force and was the head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate, known as Aman. Before being promoted to head of Aman, Yadlin was the Israel Defense Forces military attaché to Washington, D.C.. Previously in his career he headed...
. Yadlin, who had been serving as the IDF's military attaché
Military attaché
A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission . This post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer who retains the commission while serving in an embassy...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, was a combat pilot, former head of the air force's
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
Air Intelligence Directorate
Air Intelligence Directorate
The Israeli Air Intelligence Group is a unit of the Israel Defense Forces Air Force. Like other IDF intelligence gathering bodies, it is professionally subordinate to the IDF's Intelligence Directorate....
, and Halutz's deputy. Yadlin was appointed as Aman Director on January 5, 2006, with Zeevi-Farkash having served an extended term. In November 2010 Yadlin was replaced by Major General Aviv Kochavi.
Collection units
- Unit 8200Unit 8200Unit 8200 is an Israeli Intelligence Corps unit responsible for collecting signal intelligence and code decryption. It also appears in military publications as the Central Collection Unit of the Intelligence Corps.-History:...
- Hatzav Unit
- Visual Intelligence Branch
- HUMINT Branch
Information security
- Information Security DepartmentInformation Security DepartmentThe Information Security Department is a department in the Israel Defense Forces' Directorate of Military Intelligence, responsible for preventing classified information from being compromised by unauthorized elements...
- Military CensorIsraeli Military CensorThe Israeli Military Censor is a unit in the IDF Directorate of Military Intelligence which watches over the publication of information regarding the military network, and generally, the security of Israel. The Military Censor, as part of its duty, has authority to suppress information it deems...
[Part of Aman, but an entirely independent unit, not subordinate to any military or political level, only to parliamentary and judicial oversight]
Professionally subordinate units
- Air Intelligence DirectorateAir Intelligence DirectorateThe Israeli Air Intelligence Group is a unit of the Israel Defense Forces Air Force. Like other IDF intelligence gathering bodies, it is professionally subordinate to the IDF's Intelligence Directorate....
: the intelligence unit of the Israeli Air ForceIsraeli Air ForceThe Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence... - Naval Intelligence DepartmentNaval Intelligence DepartmentThe Israeli Naval Intelligence Department is a staff unit in the Israeli navy headquarters. Like other IDF intelligence bodies, it is professionally subordinate to the Intelligence Directorate....
: the intelligence unit of the Israeli Sea CorpsIsraeli Sea CorpsThe Israeli Navy is the naval arm of the Israel Defense Forces, operating primarily in the Mediterranean Sea theater as well as the Gulf of Aqaba and the Red Sea theater. The current commander in chief of the Israeli Navy is Aluf Ram Rothberg.-History:... - Field Intelligence CorpsIsraeli Field Intelligence CorpsThe Israeli Field Intelligence Corps is the newest of the IDF GOC Army Headquarters' five corps, created in April 2000, and is tasked with collecting combat intelligence. It is responsible for intelligence units from the battalion level and up to the entire force. Accordingly, it is professionally...
: the intelligence unit of GOC Army HeadquartersGOC Army HeadquartersThe Israeli GOC Army headquarters , known unofficially as Mazi, is a multi-corps command headquarters created in 1998, which amalgamates the ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces... - The intelligence units of the Regional Commands: CentralIsraeli Central CommandThe Israeli Central Command , often abbreviated to Pakmaz , is a regional command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is responsible for the units and brigades located in the West Bank , Jerusalem, the Sharon, Gush Dan, and the Shephelah.The commander of the central command is the one who is...
, NorthernIsraeli Northern CommandThe Israeli Northern Command is the Israel Defense Forces regional command responsible for the northern front with Syria and Lebanon.-History:...
, SouthernIsraeli Southern CommandThe Israeli Southern Command , often abbreviated to Padam is a regional command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is responsible for the Negev, the Arava, and Eilat. It is currently headed by Aluf Tal Russo.-History:...
and Home FrontIsraeli Home Front CommandThe Israeli Home Front Command is an Israel Defense Forces regional command, created in February 1992 following the Gulf War, which was the first war since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War in which centres of civilian population faced significant threat....
Commands
Roles and jurisdiction
Israeli Intelligence Corps
The Israeli Intelligence Corps is an Israel Defense Forces corps which falls under the jurisdiction of IDF Directorate of Military Intelligence and is responsible for collecting, disseminating, and publishing intelligence information for the General Staff and the political branch...
(חיל המודיעין), abbreviated as Haman and headed by a Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
, has been detached from Aman since the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
, but remains under its jurisdiction.
In April 2000, the newest IDF corps was founded (the IDF's fifth land corps), the Field Intelligence Corps
Israeli Field Intelligence Corps
The Israeli Field Intelligence Corps is the newest of the IDF GOC Army Headquarters' five corps, created in April 2000, and is tasked with collecting combat intelligence. It is responsible for intelligence units from the battalion level and up to the entire force. Accordingly, it is professionally...
(חיל מודיעין השדה), abbreviated as Modash (מוד"ש). It was designed to fulfill some of Aman's former combat intelligence functions, and is also headed by a Brigadier General. Unlike Haman, however, Modash falls under the operational jurisdiction of the GOC Army Headquarters, abbreviated as Mazi (מז"י), and currently headed by Major General Yiftach Ron-Tal (as of June 10, 2005, outgoing: to be replaced by Major General Benny Gantz, outgoing head of GOC Northern Command). It still falls under Aman's professional jurisdiction however.
In 1976, according to the Lexicon of National Security, some of Aman's principal roles consisted of:
- Intelligence evaluation for security policy, military planning and 'fluid security policy,' and the dissemination of intelligence to IDF and governmental bodies.
- Field security at the level of the General Staff (today, Matkal: מטכ"ל), and the training and operation of field security in general (all levels).
- The operation of military censorship.
- Direction and operation of the 'Collection Agencies'.
- Drawing maps; providing the direction and supervision for the dissemination of maps.
- The development of 'special measures' for intelligence work.
- The development of intelligence doctrine in the realms of research, collection, and field security.
- Staff responsibility for military attachés overseas.
List of directors
- 1948–1949 – Isser Be'eriIsser Be'eriIsser Be'eri was the director of the Haganah Intelligence Service in Israel and was responsible for helping to reorganise Israeli intelligence services in 1948, as well as knowingly ordering the execution of an innocent man, Meir Tobianski...
- 1949–1950 – Colonel Chaim HerzogChaim HerzogChaim Herzog served as the sixth President of Israel , following a distinguished career in both the British Army and the Israel Defense Forces .-Early life:...
- 1950–1955 – Colonel Binyamin GibliBinyamin GibliBinyamin Gibli was the head of Israeli Military Intelligence from June 1950 to March 1955. Gibli was forced to resign in the wake of the Lavon Affair, a failed Israeli operation in Egypt in 1954.-Biography:...
- 1955–1959 – Major General Yehoshafat HarkabiYehoshafat HarkabiYehoshafat Harkabi was chief of Israeli military intelligence from 1955 until 1959.-Biography:Harkabi had a good command of Arabic, a deep knowledge of Arab civilization and history, and a solid understanding of Islam...
- 1959–1962 – Major General Chaim HerzogChaim HerzogChaim Herzog served as the sixth President of Israel , following a distinguished career in both the British Army and the Israel Defense Forces .-Early life:...
- 1962–1963 – Major General Meir AmitMeir AmitMeir Amit was an Israeli politician and general. He served as Director of the Mossad from 1963 to 1968 before entering politics and holding two ministerial positions.-Biography:...
- 1964–1972 – Major General Aharon YarivAharon YarivAharon "Aharale" Rabinovich Yariv was an Israeli politician and soldier.Born in Moscow in the Soviet Union. When he was 15 he immigrated to Israel and studied at the Pardes Hanna Agricultural High School. Yariv began his military service in the Haganah and later the British Army. He then joined...
- 1972–1974 – Major General Eli ZeiraEli ZeiraEli Zeira is a former Major General in the Israel Defense Forces. He was director of Aman, Israel's military intelligence, during the 1973 Yom Kippur War...
- 1974–1978 – Major General Shlomo GazitShlomo GazitShlomo Gazit is a retired Major General in the Israel Defense Forces and was in the past head of the intelligence service of the Israeli army, 1974–1978....
- 1979–1983 – Major General Yehoshua SaguyYehoshua SaguyMajor General Yehoshua Saguy is an Israeli former intelligence officer and politician. He served as director of the Military Intelligence Directorate between 1979 and 1983, and as a Knesset member for Likud from 1988 until 1992.-Biography:...
- 1983–1985 – Major General Ehud BarakEhud BarakEhud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
- 1986–1991 – Major General Amnon Lipkin-ShahakAmnon Lipkin-ShahakAmnon Lipkin-Shahak is a former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Member of the Knesset andMinister of Transportation and Tourism.-Military service:Lipkin-Shahak started his military service as a teenager in the military boarding-school in Haifa...
- 1991–1995 – Major General Uri SagiUri SagiUri Sagie was an Israeli general who held several prominent posts including command of the Golani Brigade, of Israel's Northern Command, and the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate....
- 1995–1998 – Major General Moshe Ya'alonMoshe Ya'alonMoshe "Bogie" Ya'alon is an Israeli politician and former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for Likud, as well as the country's Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs.-Early life:...
- 1998–2001 – Major General
- 2001–2006 – Major General Aharon Zeevi-Farkash
- 2006–2010 – Major General Amos YadlinAmos YadlinAluf Amos Yadlin is a former general in the Israeli Air Force and was the head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate, known as Aman. Before being promoted to head of Aman, Yadlin was the Israel Defense Forces military attaché to Washington, D.C.. Previously in his career he headed...
- 2010–date – Major General Aviv Kokhavi
External links
- GlobalSecurity.org on Aman (1996)
- "Israeli Intelligence in the 1967 War," By Doron Geller, JUICE, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Education Dept.
- "Israeli Intelligence and the Yom Kippur War of 1973," By Doron Geller, JUICE, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Education Dept.
- The "Yom Kippur War: the IDF version," by Amir Oren, for Haaretz
- "Intelligence service under scrutiny," by Dan Baron, for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency