Born in 1947, Ze'ev Raz is a retired Israeli Air Force colonel, fighter pilot, and commander of the IAF flight academy. Raised on Kibbutz Geva, he earned his wings in 1967 and went on to serve as a lead Phantom pilot during the Yom Kippur War.

In 1977, Raz trained with the U.S. Navy's elite TOPGUN program, and later participated in joint operations with the U.S. Air Force as part of Israel’s first F-16 delegation in 1980. He played a pivotal role in establishing Israel’s first F-16 squadron and commanded it in one of the most daring and consequential missions of the 20th century: Operation Opera, the 1981 airstrike that destroyed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor. For his leadership, he was awarded the IDF Chief of Staff Citation.

From 1987 to 1989, Raz commanded the Israeli Air Force Flight Academy, shaping the next generation of combat pilots. After retiring from the military, he transitioned to the private sector, directing a telecommunications college in the 1990s and founding a tech startup in 2000.

Raz is the author of When the Sky Was Ours, a gripping memoir of courage, duty, and the relentless pursuit of national security in the face of global threats.