President Shimon Peres
and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon
awarded the Israel
Defense Prize on Tuesday at the Presidential Residence in Jerusalem.
Also present were IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and senior officials with the defense establishment.
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The award ceremony, held this year for the 56th time, awarded those whose work has contributed to State security, both in terms of technology and in terms of combat operations.
One of the 16 prizes was awarded to the joint team of the Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the IDF's Intelligence Directorate, the Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, and the Air Force, for developing a groundbreaking technological system.
According to the Defense Ministry, "the operational use of these instruments directly leads to great achievements in terms of IDF's battlefield challenges, thereby contributing to Israel's defense."
Another prize was awarded to a Prime Minister's Office team for developing a technological system "which required original and creative thought on the one hand, and daring and skill on the other," the Defense Ministry stated.
Peres congratulated the winners, saying: "We are proud of your achievements and count on your ability to produce deterrence capabilities that are on par with the security challenges of the future."
Recent winners of the Israel Defense Prize include developers of weapons and aircraft. Among last year's winners were the developers of the Iron Dome missile defense system.
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