Technological and Logistics Directorate

An Israel Ministry of Defense request for proposals defines Atal as responsible for logistics, food, distribution, storage, medicine, technologies, maintenance, construction, transportation, and other fields whose principal purpose is supporting combat and the IDF's routine operations.[3] Relevant technology areas identified in that document include autonomous vehicles and last-mile delivery, inventory and smart-storage management, telemedicine, emergency medicine, and predictive maintenance.[3]

The IDF describes the directorate as the highest operational headquarters in the Ground Forces and the General Staff's logistics staff body.[1] Its stated priorities include combat readiness, routine logistical support, developing logistics concepts and personnel, and adapting logistical systems to routine and emergency requirements.[1] Functionally, it plans and coordinates IDF logistics and approves logistical plans; its responsibilities cover planning supply, medical, maintenance, transport, construction, and infrastructure support; monitoring logistical readiness; maintaining a logistical situation picture and assessment; allocating and supplying resources to services and commands; and storing, maintaining, and supplying equipment in routine conditions.[1]

In an emergency, the directorate staffs and operates the logistics complex in the IDF's administrative center and provides logistical support across the military according to established priorities.[1] A notable exception applies: the Air Force, Navy, and Intelligence Directorate maintain dedicated inventory outside Atal's direct purview.[1] Atal also manages land-force resources, can involve the civilian economy — including operating essential factories through the Ministry of Defense and mobilizing resources — and coordinates wartime equipment procurement, force concentrations, and movement of resources in the theater.[1]

Mako's guide to IDF structure describes Atal as part of the professional staff responsible for force building, with responsibility for technology, logistics, and combat-support corps.[4] Bodies listed under the directorate include the Logistics Brigade, logistics centers and departments, and the headquarters of the Chief Ordnance Officer, Chief Medical Officer, and Chief Logistics Officer.[4] The National Library of Israel notes that the IDF General Staff includes seven directorates responsible for areas such as planning, logistics, personnel, and intelligence.[5]

The IDF's historical account traces the transport organization's precursors to the Mule Drivers' Corps of the British Army, established by Joseph Trumpeldor in 1915, and to two Hebrew transport companies formed during World War II.[6] During the 1948 War of Independence, the Quartermaster Directorate organized centralized logistical purchasing; in July 1948, supply services played a major part in opening the Burma Road to besieged Jerusalem.[6] After the war, logistics services were divided among three corps: the Supply and Transportation Corps, Technical Corps, and Equipment and Ordnance Corps.[7][6]

Two years after the IDF's establishment, the Equipment and Ordnance Corps was disbanded: equipment responsibilities passed to the Supply Corps, while procurement, storage, supply, and equipment testing were assigned to the Technical Corps, which became known as the Ordnance Corps in 1953.[7] The IDF's logistical structure continued to evolve through subsequent conflicts. During the 1956 Sinai Campaign, the logistical corps conducted a large, secret procurement operation in France and requisitioned many civilian vehicles.[6] During the War of Attrition (1968–1970), it supplied Bar-Lev Line outposts under heavy fire and established supply bases in Sinai.[6] In the October 1973 Yom Kippur War, logistics personnel joined combat forces, heavy vehicles were mobilized to move forces between fronts, and a supply-center branch was established west of the Suez Canal.[6]

After the Yom Kippur War, the IDF established the Maintenance Corps on 1 November 1975 under Brigadier General Pinhas Lahav; three years later, the corps opened its training base at Tzrifin.[6] That same postwar period also produced important innovations in materiel storage: the IDF developed a "dry storage" method using dryers and plastic covers to protect equipment from climate and humidity, with periodic servicing and comparatively little upkeep.[7] The method proved its value during the 1982 Lebanon War, when thousands of tanks, armored personnel carriers, self-propelled guns, vehicles, and weapons systems were moved rapidly from emergency storage to the battlefield on the opening day of Operation Peace of the Galilee.[7]

During the 1982 Lebanon War itself, the IDF also made extensive use of airdropped supplies because the few available Lebanese roads were congested.[6] Regional supply centers were subsequently established during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002, and the Logistics Corps was renamed in 2003.[6] Later organizational changes placed the Logistics and Ordnance Corps under Ground Forces Command in 2006–2008 before they were returned to Atal.[6]

A 1998 Globes profile reported that one of Ami Sagis's first steps after taking command in 1995 was to replace the designation associated with the Quartermaster Directorate and turn it into the Technology and Logistics Directorate, abbreviated Atal.[8] Its remit at that time was described as supporting the IDF's day-to-day functioning, preparing the force for war, and maintaining emergency stocks.[8] Mako lists several earlier names for the directorate: the Ordnance Directorate (אגף האפסנאות), the Supply Directorate (אגף האספקה), and ALRAM, the Logistics, Medical Services and Centers Directorate (אגף הלוגיסטיקה, הרפואה והמרכזים).[2]

The directorate's current form owes much to the IDF's "IDF 2000" organizational change, led by Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz, which united the combat service-support corps within what became Atal.[9] An INSS analysis of the IDF's 2002 strategy document states that this reorganization was intended to adapt operational capabilities to changes in the strategic environment, resource constraints, and the need to develop technological, weapons, and human capabilities.[9] Under that change, the Medical Corps was placed under the command of the Technology and Logistics Directorate, identified as J-4 and described as the General Staff's combat-support body.[10]

In 2004, the directorate introduced a SAP enterprise resource planning system for approximately 1,200 users, with eight modules covering inventory, personnel, procurement, storage, production, and budgets.[11] The system replaced about ten previously used systems and initially went live at four Atal centers: equipment and combat, medical services, equipment, and fuel.[11]

In 2016, the IDF formally joined the Technological and Logistics Directorate with the Ground Forces in a restructuring project called Yahad — a word meaning "together" and an acronym for yabasha hadasha ("new ground").[12] The project, proposed by Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot in January, was intended both to reduce duplicated processes and bureaucracy and to improve the army's ability to build and supply its fighting force.[12] Brigadier General Ziv Avtalyon said 17 work groups reviewed existing processes; the integration was expected to be completed by September 2017, with further organizational changes continuing into 2018.[12] The merger was projected to cut about 1,000 positions and save NIS 1 billion over five years, including reductions among commissioned and non-commissioned officers and some civilian employees, with additional savings expected from maintenance and human-resources spending.[12] Avtalyon said that wartime roles would remain as before and linked the reorganization to lessons from the 2006 Second Lebanon War, during which the IDF identified problems with soldier training and supply lines, including troops lacking essential supplies such as food.[12]

Before the 2016 integration, the directorate had been described as providing military medical facilities, equipment and food supplies, base construction, and development and maintenance of IDF ordnance and weaponry.[12] The 2016 report described the combined unit as being called the Ground Forces; however, a 2026 Ynetnews report identified a distinct Technological and Logistics Directorate headed by Major General Rami Abudraham, indicating that the organizational arrangement continued to evolve rather than remaining at a single fixed endpoint.[12][13]

In 2020, the IDF established a Unified Supply Center that brought together Atal centers handling equipment, fuel, food, and spare parts, with an ammunition center planned for later inclusion.[14] That change was linked to relocating IDF bases from high-demand areas and a gradual plan to move from 14 bases to three regional logistics centers.[14] Atal chief Major General Itzik Turgeman stated that the unified operating model was intended to improve operational effectiveness and the availability and quality of logistics support to frontline units.[14]

During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Atal released detailed figures on the IDF's logistical activity.[15] Combat brigades received 4.8 million bullets, 43,000 artillery shells, and 39,000 tank shells; Atal sources estimated that about 60% of those supplies were used and the remainder returned to storage.[15] The directorate also provided 1,474 additional weapons, 3,214 pieces of specialized equipment including night-vision goggles, 23,000 pairs of safety goggles, 35,000 beds and mattresses, and 4,000 meters of barbed wire.[15]

Armored vehicles — including tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers, and excavators — consumed 11 million liters of diesel during the operation, while Israeli Air Force vehicles used 50 million liters of jet fuel; both figures were described as nearly twice the amount used during Operation Pillar of Defense.[15] The logistical cost of one day of fighting was put at NIS 15 million, while a separate total logistical cost of NIS 420 million was reported, excluding spare parts, ammunition, and reservist duty pay.[15] The IDF estimated that replenishing supply stocks would take weeks and cost NIS 2–4 billion, excluding Air Force restocking.[15] Atal called up about 9,000 reservists during Protective Edge, including hundreds of truck drivers and drilling operators, and used 1,073 buses and 1,147 taxis to transport soldiers.[15] Provisions for combat soldiers included 580,000 combat-ready meals, 600,000 fresh meals, 950,000 takeaway tray meals, 1.1 million breakfast sandwiches, and 770,000 bottles of mineral water.[15]

In April 2024, ahead of a potential large-scale mobilization in the north, directorate personnel maintained equipment stored in emergency warehouses so that reserve soldiers called up during emergencies could reach the front with combat equipment; commanders were prepared to equip the required soldiers and transport them within a few hours.[16]

During the fighting in Lebanon in 2024, Atal personnel worked with Division 98, the Commando Brigade, Air Force Squadron 103, and the Air Supply Unit to parachute supplies to forces operating near al-Khiam in southern Lebanon.[17] The cargo included ammunition, water, food, and medical equipment, and the drop took place amid concern about anti-aircraft threats.[17] An Atal branch officer noted that in the 2006 Lebanon war, dropped loads had often landed in the wrong places, including areas where the enemy was operating; he credited the later operation's coordination, planning, and accuracy with helping forces maintain their mission when ground convoys were impossible or dangerous.[17]

In December 2024, Atal, the Defense Ministry's Directorate of Production and Procurement, and regional commands prepared winter support for troops in the Syrian Golan and southern Lebanon.[18] The reported preparations included more than 2,000 residential containers purchased in recent months and more than 1,900 mobile structures and containers deployed, while some structures used in the Syrian Golan could be folded and removed within 24 hours.[18] Preparations also covered winter clothing, heating and medical facilities, and stocks of dry or canned food intended to last more than a week at positions that might lose their supply routes.[18]

A Multi-Dimensional Supply Division was established within the directorate during the year preceding a November 2024 report, using helicopter drops, drones, and automatic parachute systems to deliver supplies when ground routes were unavailable or threatened.[19] The division's commander noted that, for the first time in IDF history, logistical drones and self-navigating automatic parachute systems were used in operations.[19] About eight combined operations delivered roughly 95 tons of supplies — including food, weapons, ammunition, and socks — and one method for parachuting shells was developed within a month and a half.[19] In one instance, supplies reached the field in less than a day from the original request.[19]

In 2022, the directorate implemented the "Health for You" program through changes to the Medical Corps, aiming to reduce appointment wait times and improve medical care through digitization, additional clinics, and more staff.[20] The program included renovations to 117 clinics: 57 had been completed, 21 were under renovation, and 39 were expected to follow.[20] The IDF also planned telemedicine complexes on 22 bases across Israel and in the West Bank — known by its original, indigenous Jewish name of Judea and Samaria — with a dedicated shuttle service for troops needing to reach clinics.[20] A NIS 250 million budget was reported for immediate improvements to transportation, food, and medical care.[20]

IDF figures reported in November 2024 described the Logistics Corps as having carried out more than 2,000 land supply operations to troops in Gaza and Lebanon since the war began, along with six airdrops and a handful of sea deliveries, bringing thousands of tons of equipment, food, ammunition, fuel, and other supplies.[21] After nearly 14 months of fighting, armored vehicles were at 88% competency, and 90% of tanks and armored personnel carriers damaged by anti-tank missiles or large explosive devices had been repaired and returned to service.[21] Heavily damaged vehicles took about 20 days to repair on average, while 90% of minor vehicle problems were fixed in the battle zone.[21]

Statistics published on the IDF's 2025 Numbers page reflect the scale of the directorate's work during the page's unspecified measurement period: approximately 8.2 million spare-parts and equipment items were issued, and approximately 84% of assets were made operational under the Technology and Maintenance section.[22] Medical figures included approximately 1,000 mental-health officers operating nationwide, approximately 7,500 treatments carried out by mental-health personnel, approximately 3,050 ground-vehicle medical evacuations, approximately 300 aerial evacuations, and an approximately 7.1% fatality rate among the injured.[22]

A Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs author profile states that Maj. Gen. (res.) Aharon Ze'evi Farkash served as head of the IDF Technology and Logistics Division before serving as deputy head of the IDF Planning Division and director of Military Intelligence from 2001 to 2006.[23] A 2022 General Staff roster identified Major General Yitzhak Turgeman as head of the directorate at that point in time.[24] Turgeman was also identified as Atal chief in connection with the 2020 establishment of the Unified Supply Center.[14]

In September 2025, Major General Rami Aboudraham assumed command of the directorate, succeeding Major General Michel Yanko, who had served in the post for four years.[25] A 2026 Ynetnews report also identified Major General Rami Abudraham as the directorate's head.[13] At the September 2025 change-of-command ceremony, the IDF Chief of Staff described Aboudraham as a commander who began his career in the Artillery Corps and said the directorate's work supports IDF readiness, preparedness for war, and care for troops.[25]

Outgoing head Michel Yanko recalled at the ceremony that on 7 October he ordered all Atal systems activated while his son, a Golani Brigade soldier, was at the Nahal Oz outpost. Yanko stated: "On 7 October, we failed!" He also described logistics personnel as entering "daring logistical operations night after night" deep in the area and risking their lives, calling logistics "the backbone of the IDF and the wheels that push it forward." Aharon Haliva, who served in the paratroopers and in Lebanon, also held positions within the Technological and Logistics Directorate before later assuming other senior IDF roles.[26]

An INSS assessment of the IDF under Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi characterized the ground forces and logistics directorate as an "Achilles' heel" of force buildup, arguing that logistical force buildup was not central to Kochavi's innovation and empowerment plan.[27] The authors added that prioritization and the redistribution of resources within the military contributed to this issue, and that ground forces lacked sufficient operational capabilities to fulfill their mission.[27] This characterization represents an attributed analytical assessment rather than an uncontested institutional finding.

Reservist complaints about equipment shortages were reported by Ynet during the 2023 war, with the directorate described as sending dozens of supply and equipment teams to assembly areas to fill gaps and monitor shortages.[28] The IDF response cited in that report stated that distribution followed General Staff priorities and that reported gaps would be addressed.[28] The report presented reservists' complaints alongside the IDF's response but did not independently audit the overall scale or causes of the shortages.

Questions about the directorate's relationship to Ground Forces Command have also attracted analytical attention. The 2016 Yahad merger described the combined unit as being called the Ground Forces, yet reporting in 2026 identified a distinct Technological and Logistics Directorate with its own commanding general.[12][13] IDF accounts describe different stages of a process involving Atal and Ground Forces Command — including periods in 2006–2008 when the Logistics and Ordnance corps were placed under Ground Forces Command before being returned to Atal — reflecting an evolving organizational relationship whose precise chronology and final structure the available accounts do not fully resolve.[6][29]