The Israel Defense Forces held an inauguration ceremony on Wednesday for a new technological unit named Alumot (“Beams” in Hebrew), tasked with developing platforms to provide soldiers on the battlefield with rapidly processed information.
The unit is composed of combat soldiers, technology personnel, information researchers and artificial intelligence experts, the IDF said in a statement. It will operate collaboratively with all branches and bodies within the IDF to adapt technological solutions to operational users.
The establishment of Alumot reflects the need to continue deepening the military’s information advantage in the combat arena and in the learning competition against the enemy, utilizing artificial intelligence technology, the army added.
It operates within the IDF’s C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate. The head of the directorate, Maj. Gen. Aviad Dagan, was quoted saying, “The combination of the fighter on the ground and the advanced technological capabilities possessed by the Israel Defense Forces is what enabled many of the achievements of the war.
“The battlefield is evolving before our eyes and requires us to constantly learn and renew ourselves. The Alumot Unit will work to develop and make accessible the information and artificial intelligence capabilities we possess to the fighters at the operational edge,” said Dagan.
The ceremony took place at the Gideonim base near Rishon Letzion and was attended by Dagan; the head of the Information and Artificial Intelligence Division, Brig. Gen. B.; Alumot’s commander Col. S.; the commanders’ forum; and unit personnel.
