 TABLE OF CONTENTS:
What the US Can Learn from Israel’s Handling of Coronavirus Crisis: Jonathan Frenkel, Israel 21C, Mar. 24, 2020
Israel to Use ‘Anti-Terror’ Technology to Counter Coronavirus: AlJazeera, Mar. 16, 2020
Meet Israel’s ‘Fire Weaver’: Another Reason Their Military Dominates the Middle East: Seth J. Frantzman, National Interest, Mar. 2, 2020
Assessing Israel’s Tactical Laser Breakthrough: Jacob Nagel , Bradley Bowman , and Maj. Liane Zivitski, Defense News, Jan. 17, 2020
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What the US Can Learn from Israel’s Handling of Coronavirus Crisis
Jonathan Frenkel
Israel 21C, Mar. 24, 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed our daily lives. The virus has ushered in economic uncertainty, fear of losing loved ones, and the general anxiety of not knowing how long this crisis could last. Each country facing this threat has adopted different strategies on curtailing the spread of this disease. The global community is still trying to figure how best to “flatten the curve” and save lives. In today’s connected world, other countries can learn from each other’s best practices. It is worth noting and learning some of those practices from Israel, the Startup Nation.
It is not just about how Israel is combating the virus’s spread using technology but also about the Israeli attitude in facing adversity and coming out stronger. For Israelis, this pandemic is a war.
Since its inception, Israel has had to prepare for any possible scenario with a strong partnership between the Israel Defense Forces and the public sector. Americans, who are a resilient people, could learn from how the citizens of Israel have been able to thrive despite wars, terrorist attacks and the daily stresses of life.
Part of what makes the coronavirus so frightening is the seeming open-endedness of these lockdowns. Being resilient during a period you know will end eventually is one thing but being strong despite not knowing how long a difficult situation will persist is another.
Moving fast, despite pressure not to
The threat of a biological attack has worried Israeli leaders for decades, and that is reflected in how the government has taken on the coronavirus. When Israel first announced it had taken what were deemed drastic measures at the time, many in the political and business community in Israel and abroad thought these actions were unwarranted.
In the face of possible diplomatic blowback, Israel chose to move quickly and enact stringent measures. These included not allowing travelers from certain countries to enter Israel and quarantining Israelis arriving from those countries as the virus was spreading globally. At this point, in countries such as Italy and states like California, no measure seems too extreme in curbing the virus’s spread.
In general, when it comes to security Israel has been accused of overreacting at times. In this case, with a relatively lower number of infected patients and a low death rate, it appears the Startup Nation’s actions may have been warranted. … [To read the full article, click the following LINK – Ed.]
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Israel to Use ‘Anti-Terror’ Technology to Counter Coronavirus
AlJazeera, Mar. 16, 2020
Israel plans to use “anti-terrorism” tracking technology and a partial shutdown of its economy to minimise the risk of coronavirus transmission, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said. Cyber monitoring would be deployed to locate people who have been in contact with those carrying the virus, subject to cabinet approval, Netanyahu told a news conference in Jerusalem on Saturday.
“We will very soon begin using technology … digital means that we have been using in order to fight terrorism,” Netanyahu said.
He said he had requested Justice Ministry approval because such measures could infringe patients’ privacy.
In an escalation of precautionary measures, Netanyahu’s government announced that shopping centres, hotels, restaurants and theatres will shut down from Sunday, and said employees should not go to their workplaces unless it was necessary.
However vital services, pharmacies, supermarkets and banks would continue to operate. Health officials urged people to maintain social distancing.
‘There is no choice’
The Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service, confirmed that it was examining the use of its technological capabilities to fight the coronavirus, at the request of Netanyahu and the Health Ministry. Avner Pinchuk, a privacy expert with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, said such capabilities could include real-time tracking of infected persons’ mobile phones to spot quarantine breaches and backtracking through metadata to figure out where they had been and who they had contacted. “I am troubled by this announcement. I understand that we are in unique circumstances, but this seems potentially like overreach. Much will depend on how intrusive the new measures are,” said Pinchuk.
The Shin Bet, however, said in its statement that quarantine enforcement was not on the table.
Tech companies benefit from coronavirus
“There is no intention of using said technologies for enforcement or tracking in the context of isolation guidelines,” it said. Netanyahu said it was not an easy choice to make and described the virus as an “invisible enemy that must be located”.
He said Israel would follow similar methods used by Taiwan. “In all my years as prime minister I have avoided using these means among the civilian public but there is no choice,” Netanyahu said. The latest announcement follows a series of ever-stricter restrictions imposed by Israel to contain the virus.
The Israeli military said earlier on Saturday that it had ordered all troops to return to their bases by Sunday morning, and that combat soldiers should prepare for a lengthy stay with no leave for up to a month. … [To read the full article, click the following LINK – Ed.]
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Meet Israel’s ‘Fire Weaver’: Another Reason Their Military Dominates the Middle East
Seth J. Frantzman
National Interest, Mar. 2, 2020
Key Point: Israel has a new weapon.
The infantry soldier with an M-16 entering a congested urban area won’t have to call in for support and wait precious minutes for it to arrive in the future battlefield. Israeli technology that links fighters on the ground with their battalion commanders will give a full picture to all the boots on the ground, the UAV assets and shooters in the vicinity to find the best angle to take out adversaries who hide among civilians. It will also protect against friendly fire because all the soldiers are on the same network and can see each other through the new technology.
Called ‘Fire Weaver’ by its developers at Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, the Israeli Ministry of Defense is now betting big on its technology as Israel’s army seeks to digitize the modern warrior on the frontline. The ministry announced a contract for the system in early February 2020 that will see the IDF’s ground forces divisions equipped with it in the coming years. The system “enables closing rapid, precise, effective and secure sensor-to-shooter loops.” It works in GPS-denied environments and is based on open architecture so it can be flexibly integrated to other western hi-tech armies depending on how they want to use it.
For many years, soldiers on the modern battlefield have faced a variety of challenges, especially in urban areas, such as during the battle for Mosul against ISIS. A modern army has no shortage of different weapon systems, from tanks to artillery, drones and special forces. But harnessing them and having the commander know in real time where everyone is located is essential. It’s also essential to find the best weapon that will bring precision and reduce collateral damage, such as civilian casualties or damaging sensitive buildings. Gone is the era of carpet bombing and the casualty rates of the First World War. Such technology led to high death tolls in the last century, now it may reduce them. Israel’s land forces think this digitization revolution is a key to that.
The revolution in warfare has already brought us what is called C4i systems or command, control, communications, computers and intelligence technology. Armies have battle management systems that can help coordinate tactical teams through vehicles and different manned and unmanned vehicles. Fire Weaver is supposed to take the IDF to the next level in digitization as part of the IDF’s “Momentum” plan that will make the army faster, more precise and effective by harnessing technology and add-ons for soldiers and weapon systems. Rafael, one of Israel’s three large defense industry giants, along with Elbit Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries, says it’s a step forward. “For us to deliver a system that is fast, accurate and effective it is important it is Rafael’s way to leverage years of investment in relevant technology.”
This new technology brings electro-optical systems, fast calculations and artificial intelligence, which is already on Rafael weaponry, to the tactical land force level. Israel faces a challenging modern battlefield that requires such technology. Fighting in Gaza, or a future conflict in Lebanon, requires land forces to go into villages and urban areas to fight groups that hide among civilians. This is the essence of “asymmetric” war that pits extremist groups against hi-tech militaries. … [To read the full article, click the following LINK – Ed.]
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Assessing Israel’s Tactical Laser Breakthrough
Jacob Nagel, Bradley Bowman, and Maj. Liane Zivitski
Defense News, Jan. 17, 2020
Until recently, the military application of relatively high-energy lasers has been more science fiction than reality. That is starting to change.
Israel’s Ministry of Defense announced Jan. 8 a “breakthrough” in its development of laser technology to intercept aerial threats. This technological milestone promises to strengthen Israel’s lower-tier missile defense and provides another opportunity for U.S.-Israel research and development cooperation.
In 2006, the same Israeli committee that recommended the development of Iron Dome for short-range missile defense also recommended that Israel continue R&D to develop a solid-state laser for the same purpose.
Last week’s announcement demonstrates the prescience of that recommendation.
Israeli government scientists and industry partners have developed a solid-state laser source capable of producing a coherent beam, based on several smaller laser modules, strong enough to intercept lower-tier rockets and missiles.
The primary breakthrough relates to the laser beam’s power and accuracy. Israel’s MoD reports that it has been able to “target and stabilize the beam” from a distance.
Following the development, the MoD launched three laser programs in collaboration with Israeli industry partners. The first two programs focus on producing a ground-based laser working as a supplement to Iron Dome, and a maneuverable vehicle-mounted laser capability to protect mobile forces. The third program, which may take longer to develop, seeks to field an airborne version that could protect larger areas.
Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem at the Israeli Defense Ministry forecast that Israel will demonstrate the laser capabilities in the field this year. To be clear, Rotem appears to be referring to a demonstrator and not a fielded system. Regardless, this timeline may prove challenging. While the development represents a significant R&D milestone, it is important to understand the technology’s promise — as well as its limitations.
This technology has the potential to provide a more cost-effective missile defense capability. The development and production of the optics, mechanics and laser source for a single beam are admittedly expensive. The cost of a single laser shot, however, is negligible. Consequently, once fielded, this capability could help address the cost disparity, for example, between relatively inexpensive adversary rockets and much more expensive traditional kinetic interceptors.
Additionally, this laser technology could provide Israel a virtually inexhaustible interceptor stock, for certain missions, as long as military forces maintain access to electricity. Despite these significant advantages, contrary to some initial public reports, current technical realities present some limitations. …. [To read the full article, click the following LINK – Ed.]
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For Further Reference:
Israel’s Top Secret Military Intelligence Unit Breaks Cover to Tackle Coronavirus: Arab News, Mar. 22, 2020 — Israel’s top-secret military intelligence unit, charged with developing technologies to support combat operations, has now broken cover to reveal its latest developments to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
WATCH: IDF Confuses Syrian Missile System and Returns the Missiles to Sender: Jewish Press, Nov. 20, 2020 –– Something very strange seems to have happened during the Israeli Air Force’s large-scale attack on Syrian and Iranian targets in Syria overnight.
Israeli Biological Warfare Expert Connects China’s Wuhan Virus to Covert Biological Warfare Laboratory: Behold Israel, Jan. 25, 2020— An Israeli biological warfare expert by the name of Dany Shoham, who is now with the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar Ilan University in Israel, believes that the deadly Wuhan virus is likely connected to one of China’s covert biological warfare laboratories; in this case, the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
Israel’s New War Plan for Iran (And More): Stealth F-35I Fighters and Lots of Tech: Seth J. Frantzman, National Interest, Feb. 16, 2020 —Israel rolled out a new plan this month to take advantage of Israel’s technological edge, blending them with the best weapons systems like the F-35i and using it with extreme effectiveness against enemies. |
