“A home for intelligence units and training processes,” this is how AMAN describes Kama, or in its full name – “The New Intelligence City.” By the roadside, near the Shukat junction, right between Be’er Sheva and Meitar, its building skeletons are already taking shape, giving the empty desert a new form, as if announcing “a city under construction.”
Indeed, upon completion of construction, the new city is expected to be even larger than Glilot. The move is set to begin this year and conclude within the next two years, with personnel from various AMAN units successfully settling in. The offices and workspaces for each unit have been built with consideration for their individual character and diverse professional needs. They have been planned down to the smallest details, from the size of desks and computers to the placement of windows and blinds, which will allow for maximum natural light.
Beyond the unique adaptation, for the first time in AMAN’s history, all units will operate in a single complex. The planning is intended to increase professional collaboration and bring together soldiers from different units in shared living, accommodation, and work areas. For example: establishing integrated work teams, joint discussions, and a shared dining hall.
And at the end of the workday, where will they return? In the well-appointed accommodations, 4-6 soldiers will share a room. Young career soldiers, on the other hand, will have the option to live in the “Young Soldiers’ Buildings,” as they are called here. This is a group of buildings in Be’er Sheva where they will live together in shared apartments and also enjoy shared surrounding spaces like a club or a gym.
This project has added national value. Beyond comfortable and enriching living conditions for young career soldiers, personnel will be integrated into various community activities and will be able to contribute their professional knowledge and actively participate in the neighborhood’s daily life. In general, the project is being carried out in full cooperation with the southern authorities, with an emphasis on community building, environmental development, cooperation with high-tech and technology industries, and with the Ministry of Education.
And what about senior career soldiers who have already settled in the central region? Fear not. AMAN has arranged for personal support for senior career soldiers to help them cope with the mental transition and settling into a new location, both mentally and by assisting in finding suitable employment for their spouses and educational frameworks for their children.
And back to the base complex: what happens if there’s a malfunction – a dripping air conditioner or a squeaky door? To facilitate repairs, a dedicated app for the city will be developed, where personnel can submit complaints, which will be handled promptly. Among other things, the base’s infrastructure will also include an auditorium and an amphitheater, where all personnel will gather for conferences and selected flagship events.
For those in the center, Be’er Sheva might sound a bit far. So what about transportation to the base? On Thursdays and Fridays, shuttles will depart for all parts of the country to transport soldiers to and from major cities across the country. On the other days of the week, shuttle lines will operate from various stations in Be’er Sheva. In the future, along with the development of the light rail project in Be’er Sheva, Kama will also boast its own station.
The phrase ‘green city’ also stood at the forefront of the planners’ minds, who are sparing no effort to ensure it will indeed be so. Approximately 9,000 mature trees are expected to be planted (which is a lot in the context of the arid desert surrounding the base on all sides), there will be a park with lawns, and two running tracks.
The green motif continues not only physically; solar electricity will be the most common and readily available solution. Vehicles are not included in the immediate plan for the complex, and their movement will be minimized as much as possible. A comprehensive waste management system ensures that even garbage trucks will not disturb the tranquility of this delicate desert oasis.
But ultimately, the most important message coming from AMAN is: “We are not just moving. This is a tremendous opportunity and a springboard for changes in AMAN and for focused operational work.”
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