Maj. Gen. (ret.) Udi Adam has been appointed director general of the Defense Ministry, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon announced on Tuesday.
Adam will replace Maj. Gen. (ret.) Dan Harel, who asked to leave the ministry after serving as director general for three years.
Adam will take over the post next month. He and Harel will work together over the next few weeks to prepare for the changeover.
Adam’s appointment still requires the approval of both the committee for senior appointments and the cabinet.
Adam, 58, began his military career in the armored corps of the Israel Defense Forces.
He served as head of the army’s logistics and technology division before being appointed officer commanding Northern Command, a post he held during the second Lebanon War.
In a move widely interpreted as a vote of non-confidence in Adam, then-Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz placed his deputy Moshe Kaplinsky at Adam’s command post during the war. Although the move was unofficial, Adam was effectively replaced as commander of the war in the north.
After leaving the army in September 2006, Adam served in two managerial positions in the defense establishment as head of the nuclear research facility in Dimona for five years and as head of military industries from 2013.
“The Defense Ministry is facing very significant challenges in a variety of areas, including the building of our forces, the implementation of our multi-year ‘Gideon’ plan, working out the military aid agreement with the United States, the operation of military industries and their exports and the continued development of significant technologies and more,” Ya’alon said, after announcing Adam’s appointment.
“I’ve known Udi for many years, as a combatant and commander, followed by his roles in Dimona and the military industry. I have no doubt that he has the quality, capability and determination required to fulfill the task in an optimal fashion. Udi’s rich military and civilian experience will help him steer the Defense Ministry,” he said.
