Major General Benny Gantz was appointed IDF Chief of the General Staff and received the rank of Lieutenant General on February 14th 2011, at a national ceremony held in the Prime Minister’s office, after which an honor guard in the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv was held for Lt. Generals Gabi Ashkenazi and Benny Gantz. The appointed Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, will replace Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, who served as Chief of the General Staff during the last four years, and is retiring from the IDF after 40 years of service. Lt. Gen. Gantz is Israel’s 20th IDF Chief of the General Staff. The ceremonies were held in the presence of Israel’s Prime Minister, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister, Mr. Ehud Barak, ministers, members of the Cabinet, the General Staff and other honored guests. Also attending the ceremonies was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Military, Admiral Michael G. Mullen, who arrived in Israel especially to participate in the farewell events for Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi.