Udi Adam

Adam enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces in 1976. He is the son of Major General Yekutiel “Kuti” Adam, a former deputy chief of staff who was killed in Lebanon in June 1982 during Operation Peace for Galilee.[5][1] Adam earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and political science from Bar-Ilan University and a master's degree in strategic studies from the École de Guerre in Paris.[1]

Adam was promoted to major general at age 43 when he was appointed head of the IDF Technology and Logistics Directorate, also known by its Hebrew acronym, Atal. He held that post for four consecutive years, the only position he held for that length of time.[6]

Before taking command of the Northern Command, Adam headed the IDF Logistics Directorate and oversaw the military implementation of Israel’s disengagement. Northern Command was his second appointment as a major general; he was appointed to lead it in October 2005.[7] The appointment reportedly surprised some in the military.[7]

Adam was the first son of an IDF general to become a member of the General Staff. His father had served as deputy chief of staff before being killed in Lebanon.[5]

In a later assessment of the policy preceding the 2006 war, Adam described northern-border containment as “relinquishing Israeli sovereignty on the northern border, and giving Hizbollah a free hand on the border.” The assessment placed his remark within a broader critique of Israel’s restraint following the 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon.[8]

As head of Northern Command, Adam led the land component of Israel’s campaign against Hezbollah in the 2006 war. The command’s area of responsibility extended from Israel’s northern border to the Litani River, and Adam was the de facto combatant commander for operations south of the river. Chief of Staff Dan Halutz exercised overall command, while Air Force commander Elyezer Shkedy led the air component; although the Northern Command and Air Force commanders were designated coequal campaign commanders, IDF General Headquarters remained involved in command and control.[9]

Northern Command tested a command concept called “Integration of Branches,” described at the time as Adam’s initiative. It placed the regional commander in charge of the operation zone: from headquarters in Safed, Adam directed ground forces in Lebanon, navy missile ships, and air force fighter jets. Halutz retained responsibility for policy and other matters.[5] The command’s headquarters had overall responsibility for ground operations in Lebanon.[2]

During the July mobilization, Adam characterized the call-up as “not an all-out, comprehensive mobilization.” The campaign included the call-up of three reserve divisions and warnings for civilians in southern Lebanon to move north of the Litani.[9] On July 17, Adam declared that the rate of rocket fire was already declining and expressed confidence that the rockets could be overcome. A strategic-studies report presented his statement alongside other early expressions of confidence in air power, arguing that they reflected a belief that the rocket attack could be overcome without a major ground operation; its footnote cites an IDF item dated July 18.[10]

Adam later argued that ground forces should have been prepared and called up earlier. He said, “The forces should have been better prepared – in this respect we were mistaken,” and suggested that earlier action might have shortened the war, while saying he could not know whether it would have reduced fatalities. He attributed delays partly to the preparations required for an extensive ground operation and to political leaders’ slow decision-making.[11]

At Bint Jbeil, after an order was issued for Golani forces to remain in the field and capture the town, Adam reportedly doubted the order and decided not to seize it, concerned about the expected casualties. Instead, he deepened Israeli forces’ hold there; a battle in the town two days later killed eight Israeli combatants.[3] As casualties rose, a military history attributed to Adam the statement: “Human life is of supreme value, but this is a demanding operation, and we are at war. I suggest we don’t count the dead until it’s all over.”[9]

A United Nations Human Rights Council report attributes to Adam the statement, “Once inside Lebanon, all targets are legitimate,” in its account of Israel’s response to the Hezbollah attack of July 12, 2006.[12] The report is the source for that attribution.

Adam’s wartime command became disputed after Halutz appointed Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky as his representative and coordinator at Northern Command. Contemporary accounts described the appointment as sidelining Adam, and one report said senior officers interpreted it as a sign of diminished confidence in him. Another account says Adam viewed Kaplinsky’s arrival to coordinate a broad ground operation as an effective removal from his command role.[13][2]

Reports also described serious disagreements between Adam and Halutz during the war. Adam reportedly waited until the fighting ended before asking to leave, saying he felt he lacked support and trust from Halutz and the General Staff. He told Halutz in September 2006 that he wanted to end his service and leave the IDF; another report described him as announcing his resignation in mid-September without giving an exact date or reason.[14][2]

A strategic-studies report says Gadi Eisenkot was asked to replace Adam as Northern Command chief following criticism of Adam’s wartime conduct. Eisenkot succeeded him after the war.[15] In the months afterward, public disapproval of the government’s handling of the campaign accompanied a series of early resignations among senior IDF figures involved, beginning with Adam and Gal Hirsch and followed by Halutz and the navy commander criticized after the attack on INS Hanit.[9]

After leaving the IDF, Adam served for about five years as director-general of the Nuclear Research Center in Dimona. He became chairman of Israel Military Industries (IMI, also known as Taas) in July 2013. Together with the company’s chief executive, Avi Felder, he worked to prepare IMI for privatization, including arrangements for the departure of about one-third of its employees and changes to its product portfolio.[1]

In April 2016, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon selected Adam to become director-general of the Ministry of Defense, succeeding Dan Harel.[1] Adam entered the post on May 26, 2016.[16] The announced challenges included force-building, implementation of the multi-year Gideon plan, the U.S. security-assistance agreement, defense industries and exports, and technological development.[1] In March 2019, Adam also participated as ministry director-general in an INSS seminar on defense industries and U.S. security aid, whose participants emphasized the strategic importance of maintaining independent weapons-production capabilities.[17]

During Adam’s ministry tenure, Israel’s defense exports reached a then-record $9 billion in the preceding year, based on ministry figures.[18] Adam remained in the position under several defense ministers.[18] The ministry was also involved in the process leading to IMI’s privatization, in a complex institutional position as the company’s owner, regulator, and a major customer. IMI’s sale to Elbit Systems was completed at the end of 2018 for NIS 1.9 billion.[4]

Adam continued to perform reserve duty while in the civilian role. In 2017, he served at least three times as a driver of a tank transporter, leaving his office in Tel Aviv to drive tanks on Israeli roads.[19] In May 2020, Defense Minister Benny Gantz announced that Amir Eshel would replace him.[20] Adam stayed on to train Eshel, and at his departure said he was satisfied with the processes he had overseen and their contribution to Israel and the IDF’s resilience.[18]

In July 2022, Adam became chairman of the Israeli defense company IMCO but resigned less than two weeks later. He cited irreconcilable differences with the controlling shareholders over how the board should be managed.[21]

In June 2023, Elbit Systems shareholders were scheduled to vote on Adam’s proposed appointment to the company’s board. Adam had previously chaired IMI and later served at the Ministry of Defense during the period in which Elbit acquired IMI; the cited account did not establish whether shareholders subsequently approved the appointment.[4]