In November 2019, Brig. General (Ret.) Ariel Karo was appointed
Executive Vice President for Marketing and Business Development at RAFAEL, responsible for the international market, and became a senior member of the Company's management team.
In March 2013, General Karo was appointed Director of ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance) Systems Directorate at RAFAEL, responsible for Programs, Marketing and Business Development of the Directorate in the areas of Intelligence, Cyber, Big Data solutions, and HLS.
General Karo joined RAFAEL after 30 years of service in the IDF. In his last position, he served as the Chief Intelligence Officer and IDI (Israel Defense Intelligence) Chief of Staff.
General Karo joined the IDF in 1983 and was assigned to numerous positions:
- Chief Intelligence Officer of the Judea and Samaria Division
- Head of the Research and Analysis Branch in the Intelligence Corps
- Chief Intelligence Officer of the Central Command, during the Second Intifada and Operation Defensive Shield
- Deputy Head of the Strategy Department in the IDF's Planning Division (J5)
- Head of the Campaign Design Department in the Operations Branch at the General HQ (J3)
- Chief Field Intelligence Officer during Operation Cast Lead
General Karo is a graduate of the IDF Interdisciplinary Staff & Command College. He holds a B.A. (with Honors) in Middle Eastern Studies and Political Science from Tel Aviv University. He also holds an M.A. (with Honors) in Political Science from Haifa University.