The race to lead Anduril’s Israeli operation is intensifying, with retired Maj. Gen. Amir Avulafia, formerly head of the IDF Planning Directorate, now added to the candidate list. Earlier in the week, Globes reported another leading contender, retired Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin, former Air Force commander and now a partner at Ace, and a third retired general whose identity has not yet been disclosed.
Avulafia, Norkin and the unnamed officer are expected to meet next week with Anduril founder Luckey Palmer and CEO Brian Schimpf in interviews that could determine who will run the American defense unicorn’s Israel business. Palmer and Schimpf are scheduled to visit Israel for 48 hours, during which they will also meet senior officials at the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development, the Defense Ministry itself, and executives from several major Israeli defense companies.
Anduril’s immediate plan in Israel is to sell to the local defense establishment and possibly sign a major deal with one of Israel’s large defense firms so its products can be integrated into systems already sold in the domestic market. More broadly, the company tends to expand abroad through partnerships with local defense companies, and it is unlikely to open an R&D center in Israel, since most of that work remains in the United States. A comparison is drawn to its strategic partnership with Rheinmetall in Germany for European expansion.
Avulafia’s candidacy points to a broader possible focus than the air force. His career included service in the Nahal Brigade, command of that brigade, leadership of special air forces units, regional brigades, divisions and reserve formations, and later as head of the Planning Directorate. After retiring in 2020, he was appointed by former chief of staff Herzi Halevi to head the inquiry into the First Tyre disaster, later led a special panel reviewing the Shin Bet’s conduct during the October 7 massacre, and also served as CEO of the real estate company Duna. Anduril, founded as a border-control systems company, now makes drones, interceptors, cruise missiles, UAVs and even fighter aircraft, and is preparing for a public offering after being valued at $61 billion.
