Roni Numa ( he, רוני נומה; also known as Ronny Numa,
born 1967) is an Israeli retired
Major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...
(
Aluf
''Aluf'' ( he, אלוף, lit=champion or "First\leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew; ) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral ...
) who headed the
Central Command of the
Israel Defense Force
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...
from 2015 to 2018.
Military service
Numa was drafted into the IDF in 1983. He volunteered as a paratrooper in the
Paratroopers Brigade, and in 1985 became an
infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...
officer after completing
Officer Candidate School
An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a commission as officers in the armed forces of a country. How OCS is run differs between countries and services. Ty ...
. Numa served as a
platoon leader
{{unreferenced, date=February 2013
A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth militaries and the US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer – a second or first ...
at the 890 paratroop battalion and fought in
South Lebanon
Southern Lebanon () is the area of Lebanon comprising the South Governorate and the Nabatiye Governorate. The two entities were divided from the same province in the early 1990s. The Rashaya and Western Beqaa Districts, the southernmost distric ...
. later on he commanded
Duvdevan Unit
Unit 217, frequently called Duvdevan ( he, דובדבן, lit=cherry), is a ''mistaʽaravim'' unit in the Commando Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces.
It is notable for its undercover operations in urban areas, during which its operators o ...
and
Shaldag Unit
Unit 5101, more commonly known as Shaldag ( he, שלדג, ''Kingfisher''), is an elite Israeli Air Force (IAF) special forces unit and one of the main Israeli special forces units. The unit is part of the Special Air Forces Wing (Wing 7) in the IA ...
.
Numa Commanded 202 "Tsefa" (Viper) paratroop battalion during
Operation Defensive Shield, and later on commanded the Benjamin Regional Brigade during the
Second Intifada. Afterwards he commanded the
Nahal Brigade. In the
2006 Lebanon War he served as an assistant to Gen.
Dan Halutz
Dan Halutz ( he, דן חלוץ, ; born August 7, 1948) is an Israeli Air Force lieutenant general and former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and commander of the Israeli Air Force. Halutz served as chief of staff in 2005–2007.
Biog ...
. Later on he commanded the
98th Paratroopers Division, In 2015 he was appointed as the commander of the IDF's
Central Command. His article called "To Win and Remain Human: Challenges of the Central Command during 2015-2016 Wave of Terror" was published in Dado Center Journal (The IDF Journal on Operational Art).
Airport COVID commissioner
In June 2021, Numa was appointed by Prime Minister
Naftali Bennett
Naftali Bennett ( he, נַפְתָּלִי בֶּנֶט, Transliterated: , ; born 25 March 1972) is an Israeli politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Israel from 13 June 2021 to 30 June 2022, and as the 3rd Alternate Prime Minist ...
to the new position of
Ben Gurion Airport's COVID commissioner.
On August 30, Numa threatened to resign due to his "decisions and recommendations not being adopted in practice" by the government.
"Airport COVID Commissioner: 'I have no reason to remain in the role'"
(Hebrew). '' Kikar HaShabbat'', August 30, 2021.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Numa, Roni
1966 births
Israeli generals
Living people
Israeli military personnel