Former Mossad chief David Barnea is joining Ondas Defense Ltd. as its global president and chairman, according to the NASDAQ-traded company.
The defense technology company says that Barnea will focus on “the Middle East, Europe and Asia, where governments are accelerating investment in autonomous defense, counter-UAS, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, resilient communications, precision-strike and ground robotic systems.”
“The nature of warfare is changing rapidly, as demonstrated by the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine,” says Barnea in a statement. “Operational advantage increasingly depends on the ability to combine intelligence, artificial intelligence, resilient communications, autonomous platforms and precision capabilities into one coordinated operational environment.”
Barnea served as Mossad chief from 2021 to 2026, including during the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and onslaught, the subsequent wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, and the multiple Israeli bombing campaigns against Iran.
He was replaced by Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman in June.
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