The German military awarded its prestigious Cross of Honor on Monday to two senior officials from the Israel Defense Ministry, recognizing their contributions to bilateral defense cooperation and the Arrow 3 missile defense project for Germany.
At a ceremony held at a German Air Force base, Moshe Patel, director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), received the Cross of Honor in Gold, while a senior IMDO division head, identified as Col. R., received the Silver award. The decorations were presented by Arnt Kuebart, commander of the German Air Force’s ground-based units.
The awards highlight the Israelis’ leadership in advancing the Arrow 3 system’s deployment in Germany, which reached operational capability in December 2025. The project is part of a $6.7 billion agreement, Israel’s largest defense export deal to date.
The Arrow 3 air-defense system, which is designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere and possesses exceptional long-range interception capabilities, has made hundreds of successful interceptions since the outbreak of war between Israel, Hezbollah and Iran in October 2023.
Established in 1980, the Bundeswehr Cross of Honor is awarded for exceptional service and may be conferred in rare cases on foreign military personnel and civilians. German project lead Carsten Koepper emphasized that the ceremony reflects the strong partnership between German and Israeli defense teams.
The Arrow 3 system is jointly developed by Israel and the United States, with Israel Aerospace Industries serving as prime contractor alongside multiple defense partners.
