IDF holds first annual conference on digital transformation

• Published date: 15 June 2021
• Author: ANNA AHRONHEIM
• Date: 15 June 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

"This was the first time that such a conference took place," said Col. Eli Birenbaum, head of the IDF Digital Transformation Division's Architecture Department. The conference "was designed to share our knowledge with armies from around the world" and to discuss the future of a digital army, he said.

Among the countries that participated in the conference, which was held digitally, were Canada, the UK, Brazil, Mexico, Finland, the Netherlands, Colombia, the Philippines, the US, Greece, Cyprus, Romania, Austria, Croatia, Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Italy and the Czech Republic.

"The number of countries that took part in the conference was surprising, and I think it shows that militaries around the world understand that the IDF is a leader in this," Birenbaum told The Jerusalem Post following the conference.

During the conference, Brig.-Gen. Ziv Avtalion, head of the IDF Digital Transformation Administration's C4I Branch, delivered a speech about the IDF's digital transformation and the impact it has had on the military.

The IDF's Digital Transformation Division was formed two years ago to take all the potential that is happening in the civilian world and bring it to the military. As part of the C4i and Cyber Defense Directorate, the division leads the military's digital innovation programs to connect all divisions in the IDF and provide them with modern and fast infrastructure, Birenbaum said.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kohavi, he said, "has always talked about multidimensional aspects of future fighting – the cyber spectrum, ground forces, air force and...