An overview of the past year in the Israel Defense Forces

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Defense and Medical Cooperation

• For the first time, a Chinese chief of staff visited Israel: General Chen Bingde arrived in August for a brief working visit.
• Training exercises were held with several allies, including the United States, Italy, Romania and Greece.
• In the wake of the devastating tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan, an IDF medical delegation was sent to provide medical care to the residents of Minamisanriku. The Israeli-opened medical clinic provided local residents with full, comprehensive medical care.
• An aid delegation delivered much-need humanitarian aid (ranging from mattresses to antibiotics) to Colombia, after it experiencing one of its worst rains in more than 40 years. Heavy flooding and mudslides caused more than 200 deaths and left 3,000 people homeless. 

 

Minority Enlistment

• Major General Orna Barbivai shatters the glass ceiling for women in the IDF—becoming the first-ever female major general (the second-highest IDF rank). Maj. Gen. Barbivai currently serves as Manpower Directorate commander and directly reports to Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, IDF chief of staff.
• Two female combat pilots and one navigator successfully graduated from the Israel Air Force Flight Academy.
• Eighty-three percent of eligible Druze young men enlisted in the IDF—60 percent of them were drafted to combat units.
• Bedouin soldiers who voluntarily enlisted in the IDF increased from 345 in 2005 to 495 in 2011.
• Twenty two percent of IDF soldiers immigrated from Jewish communities around the world.

 

Technological Advancements

• The IDF incorporated the Trophy Active Defense System, which is capable of intercepting anti-tank missiles.
• Iron Dome—the IDF's cutting-edge missile defense system—successfully knocked out dozens of short- and long-range rockets launched by Gaza terrorists into major Israeli population centers.

 

IDF Goes Green

• The 'IDF Goes Green' project is a two billion NIS investment. 20 million NIS went toward the prevention of water contamination.
• The IDF Officers School was declared a green base and soldiers offered enrollment in environmental awareness courses.