Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Tal Kelman
Senior Fellow
Biography
Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Tal Kelman is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD). He is an accomplished F-35I fighter pilot — with over 6,000 flight hours in various planes — and a commander who has served in the Israeli Air Force (IAF) and the IDF General Staff for nearly 40 years.
Kelman served as an F15 and F16 squadron commander (2003-2008) and then in key leadership roles within the Israeli military, including as commander of Hatzerim Air Force Base, head of the Air Division, IAF chief of staff (2015-2017), and head of the J5 Strategic Planning and Cooperation Directorate in the IDF General Staff (2020-2023).
Kelman served as a reserve F-35 pilot during the “Iron Swords” War and the “Rising Lion” campaign against Iran.
Kelman earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in business management from the Rishon Lezion Business School in Israel.