Amir Eshel, born on April 4, 1959, in Jaffa, Israel, is the son of Yehezekel (Hezi) Eshel (originally Batat), who was born in Iraq, immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1936, and fought in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War with the Givati Brigade, and Edna Eshel, a Holocaust survivor from Russia. He is married with three children. Eshel holds a degree in economics from Auburn University at Montgomery (graduated 1991) and a degree in political science from the University of Haifa National Security Studies Center. Drafted into the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 1977, he graduated from the Israeli Air Force (IAF) Flight Academy as a fighter pilot in 1979. His military career included flying A-4 Skyhawks from Etzion and Ramon Airbases, including during the 1982 Lebanon War; serving as a combat instructor at the IAF Flight Academy; flying F-16s from Ramat David Airbase; commanding the 201 Squadron at Tel Nof Airbase (1993-1995), where he flew F-4 Phantom II Kurnass 2000 in Operation Grapes of Wrath; heading the IAF Operations Department (1997-1999); commanding Ramon Airbase (1999) and Tel Nof Airbase (1999); heading the IAF Air Group (2004); serving as IAF Chief of Staff from January 2006, including during the 2006 Lebanon War; heading the IDF Planning Directorate after promotion to Major General on March 27, 2008; and commanding the Israeli Air Force from May 10, 2012, to August 10, 2017. He received the U.S. Legion of Merit and Germany’s Bundeswehr Gold Cross of Honor. Notable incidents include a 1999 accidental firing of an AGM-114 Hellfire missile from an AH-64 Apache during a routine check, which narrowly missed IAF reserve soldiers (he fined himself, but it did not impact his promotions), and leading a 2003 low-altitude flyover of Auschwitz with three F-15 Eagles, violating Polish agreements; he broadcast a message saluting victims and stated, 'We listened to the Polish for 800 years. Today, we don’t have to listen anymore,' drawing criticism from the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. Post-military, Eshel led the Pnima campaign advocating universal national service, stating, 'The IDF isn’t really a people’s army. It’s a half-of-the-people’s army'; joined the Bird Aerosystems Board of Directors on behalf of FIMI Opportunity Funds in February 2019; and is associated with the Jewish People Policy Institute as a staff member. He retired as a Major General from the IAF and served as former Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense.