Director of Military Intelligence Major General Aviv Kochavi
Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit
Number of MI officers on the rise
Military Intelligence sees welcome 25% increase in number of officers; IDF says new ranks will assist in better monitoring of new strategic arenas
As the scope of threats Israel is facing grows, so does the span of Military Intelligence: The IDF has reported a significant increase in the number of youths slated for service in MI, with the corps' recent officers training growing by an impressive 25%.
Military Intelligence sources attributed the change to the recent strategic upheavals in the Middle East and the "birth" of new intelligence arenas, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Sinai.
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The latter in particular is one where Israel is interested in increasing its intelligence gathering operations, as the defense establishment believes – as evident by several recent terror attacks – that Sinai has become a breeding ground for terror activity.
Military sources said that the IDF is also interested in increasing intelligence gathering and research efforts vis-à-vis "undercurrents" – various internal processes which are taking place in Arab nations and which may lead to far-reaching strategic transforms in the region.
"We are seeing operational changes in the military, as well as in our own technical and technological capabilities," an MI source told Ynet.
"Beyond regular terror activity, we are also seen developments in the cyber arena; and we also need to meet the needs of various special operations," he said.
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