The IDF and Defense System archive was established in July 1948 during the War of Independence, following the decision made by Israel's first Prime-Minister and Minister of Defense, David Ben-Gurion, to gather the documentation produced by the new IDF units. The instruction given to the archive manager by the Prime-Minister and Minister of Defense on December 19th, 1948, was that the "Military archive, as it was referred to, "would not only gather material from the IDF and its predecessors (defense of Jewish settlements from the foundation of Petach Tikvah, Hashomer, the Jewish Legion, the Haganah on all its branches, etc.), but also about the self-defense of all the Diaspora, as well as the Jewish participation in the national and international battles for independence, and the Jewish role in developing the military mastery and technique".
Order No. 8/3, published by the General Staff published close to the opening of the archive, stated that among other things, "…any IDF material of no operational use, should be transferred to the archive by 31.8.48.." Since then, additional General Staff orders were established, which define the relation ship between the IDF and the IDF archive. Since its inception, the IDF and Defense System archive absorb any type of documentation; files, audio cassettes, video footage, photos, maps, sketches etc., produced by the various IDF units. The IDF archive also serves as chancery for the IDF for active and semi-active records still needed for the day to day usage by IDF units and the Defense System. Due to that, the IDF archive and Defense System located documentation and information not only for research purposes but also for work purposes of the Defense System. Archival material from the Defense System units arrives at the IDF and Defense System archive after being long-kept at the Defense Office chancery.
In the spirit of Ben-Gurion's instruction, the IDF and Defense System archive keeps material about organizations and institutions that fought for the defense of the pre-state Jewish Yishuv, among which are the pre-IDF organizations - the Haganah, the Palmach units, the Etzel and the Lechi. Most of the documentation depicting the transitional phase from military underground to IDF, during the War of Independence, is kept at the archive. However, the Haganah historical archive, an organic part of the IDF and Defense System archive, also includes highly important documentation about the Haganah, the War of Independence and the transition into the IDF. The IDF and Defense System archive has recently taken over the responsibility for the Lechi archive at 'Beit Yair' in Tel-Aviv. The Palmach archive, currently being established at the Palmach House, will be incorporated into the IDF and Defense System archive.
The IDF and Defense System archive is the largest database center in Israel for military and security topics. It features a wide range of topics that have been and are still relevant to the Israeli society on top of the military fields, and include education, training, medicine, economics and more. Thus, the IDF and Defense System archive serves as one of the key components in maintaining the collective memory and the cultural heritage of the Israeli society.

The IDF and Defense System archive is a unit in the Defense Office.
The commissioner of the IDF and Defense System archive is subordinated to the CEO of the Defense Office.
Archive address:
Mahane Dori (Tel HaSomer base)