Udi Ben-Mocha

Udi Ben-Mocha was born in 1968 in Tiberias

Udi Ben-Mocha was born in 1968 in Tiberias and grew up there. He graduated from the naval officers school in Acre in 1986.

He joined the IDF in 1986 and volunteered for Shayetet 13 but did not finish the training. After infantry officers course he served in the Golani Brigade's 13th Battalion, rising to deputy battalion commander, and later became deputy commander of the Egoz unit. He went on to command Battalion 17, the Shimshon Battalion, the Arava Brigade, the Sagi Brigade, the Judea Brigade and the Kfir Brigade.

In 2013 he was promoted to brigadier general and became chief of staff of Southern Command, serving during Operation Protective Edge. From 2016 to 2019 he commanded the IDF Command and Staff College.

During the Swords of Iron war he was called up to the reserves in the Southern Brigade. He holds a doctorate in international relations and is a research fellow at the Chaikin Chair in Geostrategy at the University of Haifa.