In a bold step that could redefine how Israeli soldiers fight and survive on the modern battlefield, the Givati Brigade Association (GBA) has officially launched the Givati Drone Center, a first-of-its-kind operational and technological powerhouse built to sharpen battlefield readiness, accelerate innovation, and save the lives of soldiers through cutting-edge drone capability.
“This initiative is about giving our soldiers better eyes in the sky, faster operational response, and smarter battlefield tools,” said Itzhak Levit, Chairman of the Givati Brigade Association, announcing the launch. “Most importantly, it is about saving lives.”
Under Levit’s leadership, the Association turned directly to the people who understand the stakes best, consulting extensively with active-duty and reserve field commanders, including leaders of drone units, to identify the most urgent gaps facing combat forces today. The result is a center unlike anything that has come before it.
A First of Its Kind
The Givati Drone Center brings tactical training, rapid maintenance, technological development, and knowledge integration together under one roof, an ambitious combination that has never been attempted at this scale. As drones become mission-critical to reconnaissance, surveillance, logistics, and combat operations, the Center ensures soldiers and commanders have the tools, training, and support to hold a decisive edge in the field.
To bring this vision to life, GBA partnered with StemUp, a non-profit organization contributing training expertise and program design capability found nowhere else in the field.
“The Givati Drone Center is not just a school, and not just an academy, it’s a top gun, first of its kind, and it shows just how much the Association cares about the future of the country,” said Jessica Zandani, a Major Director of the Academy. “It doesn’t just teach about today; it reminds soldiers of yesterday and of the years before, so that we never make the same mistakes again. It gives the promise of ‘never again’ and means it.”
Zandani emphasized that the program goes far beyond the classroom. “It allows soldiers to learn not just engineering, maintenance, and flight with aeronautics, but the ability to learn not just from a classroom, but from actual experience in the field. It’s a fully comprehensive course that has never been done before.”
Inside the Center
The Givati Drone Center is built around five core pillars:
- Specialized Training Programs
- Dedicated Drone Maintenance Laboratory
- Logistics and 3D Printing for Drone Enhancement
- Advanced Simulator Training
- Central Knowledge and Data Repository
Together, these components form an integrated ecosystem where soldiers train, technology advances, and lifesaving knowledge is captured and passed on, all in one place.
Rooted in Legacy, Built for the Future
The Givati Drone Center marks the newest chapter in the long mission of the Givati Brigade Association, founded in 1985 by Givati veterans of Israel’s 1948 War of Independence under the leadership of Major General Itzhak Pundak z”l. The Association honors the memory of Givati soldiers who fell for the independence and security of the State of Israel, and carries forward the work of fortifying and safeguarding the nation they helped build.
GBA works to preserve and pass on the legacy of extraordinary valor shown by Givati’s soldiers and units, while caring for the monuments scattered across the Negev that stand as lasting testimony to the Brigade’s role in founding the State. The Association also maintains the Givati Brigade Museum, an essential stop for anyone seeking to understand a defining chapter in Israel’s history, supports needy soldiers and bereaved families, and runs educational programs for soldiers and students.
Now, under Chairman Itzhak Levit and with the drive of leaders like Jessica Zandani, that mission extends into a new era, one where technology and tradition combine to protect the soldiers of tomorrow.
