Eyal Zamir
Eyal ZamirIMoD

The Director General of the Ministry of Defense and the incoming Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir spoke today (Sunday) at the Ministry of Defense Work Programs Conference.

"The senior management of the Ministry of Defense, alongside the members of the IDF General Staff, bear a tremendous responsibility for the existence of the State of Israel. You have a great responsibility and you have also fulfilled it during the war. As great as the challenge, so great is the pride in your work. The Ministry of Defense has met its prime objective - providing a continuous and multifaceted response during the war. Two major efforts we have defined: the effort of armaments and the effort of rehabilitations,'' said Zamir.

He added "Upon my entry into office, even before the outbreak of the war, we set ourselves a central mission - the expansion of the reliance on Israeli production. We are an island state and we have no other choice. We have strengthened the industry and the economy in an unprecedented manner. The war has proven that we must rely only on ourselves. We were all brought up on the phrase 'The State of Israel will defend itself by itself'. I now also tell you that the State of Israel will produce its own munitions, in the face of any threat and any scenario. Throughout the war we reopened lines of production that had been closed, expanded existing lines of production and established new lines of production. Reducing dependence on the world is good for security, for the economy and for the industry. It will also prove itself in the export of security technologies.''

"We are in a global arms race- a technological race. In our neighborhood, there is no mercy. Our neighbors, from Iran to Gaza, from Yemen to Beirut and Damascus, are mistaken about us. The people of Israel and the IDF are strong. At the moment of truth, we see a fighting nation."

"We must salute the IDF, its fighters and commanders. They saved the State of Israel. The Ministry of Defense gave the IDF the tools, the support and the safety net to meet the challenge. In the war, the IDF rose from the depths - the enemies on all fronts were defeated and their leaders are buried under the rubble, but the campaign is not over and the challenges are still ahead of us. We must remember the heavy price we paid in casualties and wounded. 2025 will be another year of war. The Ministry of Defense must continue to build the force and support the needs of the IDF and the national security missions.''

At the conference, the 2024 Ministry of Defense year-end summaries were delivered, revealing the scope of its activities: unprecedented procurement and reinforcement of 220 billion shekels, of which 150 billion shekels were spent on Israeli production. 670 flights and 130 shiploads of supplies were imported. 40,000 air munitions were procured, an ammunition plant and 4 production lines were established, and a fleet of armored vehicles was imported that drove over a million kilometers in the war.

The Ministry of Defense managed in 2024 the largest defense budget ever: NIS 190 billion. The Ministry of Defense conducted a multi-year procurement of munitions in 2024, buying armaments, platforms, logistics, and fuels in the amount of NIS 220 billion, more than four times a normal year, with over NIS 150 billion being channeled into the Israeli economy and earmarked for procurement made in Israel, strengthening and expanding the independence of production in the Israeli defense industries and reducing dependence on external factors.

In accordance with the directive of the Ministry of Defense, a new ammunition plant and a national plant for raw materials were established, four new production lines were set up in the defense industries, and four additional production lines were expanded. In addition, from the outset of the war, the production capacity of land munitions for IDF forces was doubled. The Ministry of Defense purchased and supplied more than 40,000 air munitions during the war.

During 2024, the largest resupply mission in Israel's history was recorded with some 670 flights and 130 ships. Over 50,000 tons of missiles, bombs, tactical vehicles, ambulances and combat equipment were shipped to Israel.

The armored fighting vehicles developed by the Armored Corps' Main Battle Tank and Armored Personnel Carrier Directorate (MBT&APC) took a significant part in the fighting and accumulated over a million kilometers of driving. The fighting was the trial by fire for three new armored fighting vehicles: the Barak tank, the Etan armored personnel carrier and the upgraded Namer APC.

For the first time in 25 years, a new Directorate was established in the Ministry of Defense, the AI and Autonomy Development Directorate.

The year 2024 also required unprecedented coping with the care and support provided to the disabled and bereaved families. Throughout the war, 5,942 families lost a member and received care from the Ministry of Defense. In addition, the Rehabilitation Administration has absorbed over 15,000 wounded.

During the year, the Ministry of Defense, together with the Ministry of Finance and the IDF, advanced packages of support for IDF reservists at a total of some NIS 15 billion. In addition, at the direction of the CEO, a new Directorate for Discharged Soldiers and Reservists was established and the 'Amit' program was launched to strengthen the mental resilience of the serving personnel, to which more than 150,000 people have already subscribed.