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Coronavirus shambles IDF plans for a super digital army

Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi’s plan of turning the IDF into the world’s most digital army is currently being foiled by coronavirus-induced budget cuts.
A visitor takes part in a challenge with laser beams at the Israeli police exhibition stand at the Cybertech 2019 conference in Tel Aviv, Israel January 29, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC15E862C4A0

Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), had a dream: to turn the IDF into the world’s most digital army, taking advantage of Israel’s decisive technological intelligence edge to catapult the military one or two decades ahead. He planted the seeds for the plan during his term as head of Military Intelligence. Now he is fighting for its implementation.

Kochavi was promoted to Israel’s top military position on Jan. 15, 2019, and it was then that he started transforming his vision into a multiyear project. Those privy to the plan, dubbed “Tnufa” (Hebrew for “momentum”) were persuaded that if implemented, it would turn the IDF into a force surpassing the wildest imagination of science fiction creators.

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