The Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce in association with Gleneagle Securities and the United Israel Appeal NSW, was delighted to host a boardroom lunch on 6 February 2018 with Major-General Ido Nehushtan, Chairman of the Israel-Australia Chamber of Commerce and former Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Air Force. Major-General Nehushtan discussed Israel’s strategic environment as a catalyst for innovation.

Major-General Ido Nehushtan, the sixteenth Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Air Force, enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces in July 1975. He volunteered for pilot training, and graduated as a combat pilot with honours. Following the course, he served as a pilot in a Skyhawk Squadron, and in 1978 he was transferred to fly Phantom aircraft in the ‘Knights of the Orange Tail’ Squadron. In 1979, he was appointed as a Flight School instructor, and was a member of the school’s aerobatic staff.

In 1983, he was retrained to fly the F-16 ‘Netz’ and was placed in the ‘Negev’ Squadron, where he became second-in-command. In 1989, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, and was appointed as commander of the ‘Golden Eagle’ Squadron. In 1991 he commanded the ‘Scorpion’ Squadron.

In 1993, he was appointed as head of the Armament Branch of the Weaponry Department in IAF headquarters, and in 1994 he was promoted to the rank of colonel and appointed head of the IAF Planning and Organization Department. In 1997 he was appointed commander of the Hatzor Airbase. In 2000, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general, and appointed head of the Intelligence Group. In 2002 he was appointed head of the Air Group and in 2004 he was appointed head of Air Force Headquarters.

In August 2006 Major-General Nehushtan was promoted to the rank of major-general and served as head of Planning Directorate in IDF General Headquarters. In May 2008 he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Air Force.

Major-General Nehushtan graduated with honours from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he studied Mathematics and Computer Science, and earned an MBA from the Kellogg-Recanati International Executive MBA Program, a joint program of Tel Aviv University and Northwestern University, Chicago. He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s Advanced Management Program.