Dan Halutz (About this sound listen ; Hebrew: דן חלוץ‎; born August 7, 1948) is an Israeli Air Force Lt. General and former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and commander of the Israeli Air Force. Halutz was appointed as Chief of Staff on June 1, 2005. On January 17, 2007, he announced his resignation. He has a degree in economics. He was born to a Mizrahi Jewish family with origins in Iran and Iraq. He is chairman of the Etgarim special-needs charity.