Amir Eshel

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Amir Eshel
Gadi Eizenkot
Preceded byIdo Nehoshtan
Succeeded byAmikam Norkin
Personal details
Born1959 (age 64–65)
Operation Protective Edge

Amir Eshel (Hebrew: אמיר אשל; born 1959) is a former Israeli general who served as commander of the Israeli Air Force and served as Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense until January 2, 2022.[1]

Biography

Amir Eshel was born in

1948 Arab-Israeli War in the Givati Brigade.[2] His mother Edna was a Holocaust survivor from Russia
.

Eshel is married and a father of three. He holds a degree in economics from Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama, and a degree in political science from the University of Haifa’s National Security Studies Center.[3]

Air force career

Eshel was drafted into the IDF in 1977. After graduating from the

F-4 Phantom II, Eshel led the squadron during Operation Grapes of Wrath. Between 1997 and 1999 Eshel headed the IAF's Operations Department.[3]

In 1999 Eshel was assigned command of Ramon Airbase. On December 16, 1999, while ferrying an

AH-64 Apache from Ramon to northern Israel, Eshel carried out a routine weapons systems check on the supposedly unarmed helicopter, accidentally firing an AGM-114 Hellfire which narrowly missed a group of IAF reserve soldiers nearby. The incident, for which he fined himself, was written up in his record, but did not prevent further promotion.[5] In 1999 Eshel was assigned command of Tel Nof.[3]

Eshel led a formation of three IAF

F-15 Eagles on a fly-over of the Auschwitz concentration camp
in September 2003. As it flew above the camp, Eshel broadcast a message to an IDF ceremony taking place below:

We pilots of the Air Force, flying in the skies above the camp of horrors, arose from the ashes of the millions of victims and shoulder their silent cries, salute their courage and promise to be the shield of the Jewish people and its nation Israel.[6]

Eshel later explained that "We're talking about a personal dream of 15 years ... This is the most significant expression of the rebirth of this nation. As the IAF, we are the most concrete expression of the might of the Jewish people and there's no one better than us to express it".

Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum criticized the fly-over stating that it was not consulted with the Museum and that "It's a cemetery, a place of silence and concentration" and that "Flying the F-15s is a demonstration of military might which is an entirely inappropriate way to commemorate the victims[9]". The Israeli delegation had been in Poland on the occasion of the Polish Air Force's 85th anniversary and had participated in the Radom Air Show.[10][11]

In 2004 Eshel became head of the IAF's Air Group, commanding all operational assets and in January 2006 was appointed IAF Chief of Staff, a role he filled during the 2006 Lebanon War.[3] Eshel was subsequently credited with the improvements to air-ground integration implemented after the war.[12]

On March 27, 2008, he was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed head of the IDF's Planning Directorate. He replaced Ido Nehoshtan, which had just been appointed Commander in Chief of the IAF.[13] On February 5, 2012, Eshel was announced as Nehoshtan's successor as Commander in Chief of the Israeli Air Force, when the latter completed his tenure in May 2012.[14][15] The other candidates were the Military Secretary to the Prime Minister, Maj. Gen. Yochanan Locker, and IAF Chief of Staff, Brig. Gen. Nimrod Sheffer.[10][16][17]

Eshel completed his term as commander of the IAF on August 10, 2017. He was succeeded by Aluf Amikam Norkin.[18]

Public sector career

He was one of the leaders of

Times of Israel that "[t]he IDF isn’t really a people’s army. It’s a half-of-the-people’s army."[19]

On August 31, 2020, Eshel became Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense after being appointed to this position by the Minister of Defense Benny Gantz.

References

  1. ^ "סגן הרמטכ"ל לשעבר מונה למנכ"ל משרד הבטחון". סרוגים (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  2. ^ "אתר צה"ל - צבא ההגנה לישראל : הרמטכ"ל: "המילים 'רוח גבעתי' מסמלות יותר מכול את ר". www.idf.il. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Brig. Gen. Amir Eshel: the New Head of the Planning Branch". Israel Defense Forces. February 27, 2008. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  4. ^ Tal, Shay (June 26, 2008). לא סתם "אחת" (in Hebrew). Israeli Air Force Magazine. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  5. ^ Ossenheim, Omri (January 13, 2006). ידידותי למשתבש (in Hebrew). Nrg.com. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  6. ^ Katz, Yaakov. "Planning ahead". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  7. ^ Valdan, Asaf (April 2004). "Years Later and Nothing's Been Erased". Israeli Air Force Magazine. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  8. ^ "Analysis: Pilot over Auschwitz - maybe Iran too?".
  9. ^ "IAF pilots perform fly-over at Auschwitz death camp". Haaretz.
  10. ^ a b Harel, Amos (February 3, 2012). "Feet on the ground, head in the sky". Ha'aretz. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  11. ^ Shreeve, Mike (2003). "Pole Position". www.airsceneuk.org.uk. Archived from the original on November 26, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  12. ISBN 978-0-8330-5841-6
    . Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  13. ^ "Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel: Commander of the Planning Branch". Israel Defense Forces. March 27, 2008. Archived from the original on October 28, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  14. ^ Harel, Amos; Cohen, Gilli (February 5, 2012). "Amir Eshel appointed as next Israel Air Force chief". Ha'aretz. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  15. ^ "מפקד חיל-האוויר הבא: האלוף אשל". Israeli Air Force. February 4, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  16. ^ Limor, Yoav (January 26, 2012). "Amir Eshel likely to be appointed new IAF commander". Israel Hayom. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  17. ^ Harel, Amos (January 24, 2012). "Iran will not appoint next Israel Air Force chief". Ha'aretz. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  18. ^ Ahronheim, Anna (August 10, 2017). "IDF Appoints new Air Force Commander". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  19. ^ Gross, Judah Ari. "Group launches bid for true universal conscription – Haredim, Arabs and all". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
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