The threat of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has recently figured in the headlines, following UAVs launched by Hezbollah in July 2022 aimed at the Israel natural gas platform in the Karish field, reports of a Hamas project to develop UAVs, a UAV attack against the American al-Tanf base in Syria, and reports that Russia has purchased Iranian UAVs. Such an arsenal in hostile hands constitutes a mounting threat to Israel. Assuming that UAVs, especially offensive ones, will join any high-trajectory fire against Israel, new thinking...
The Central Elections Committee in Israel and relevant security agencies are poised to combat cyber threats to the election campaign. In a recent report, the State Comptroller asserted that there were deficiencies in preparations for handling cyber threats in the context of the upcoming elections. Publication of the report was followed by public discussion of the threats to the election process and the response to them. The State Comptroller focuses on technological disruption of the election process, and the report ignores possible...
As with other emerging technologies, batteries for electric cars and the efforts to achieve control of the developing technology are another example of the blurred border between civil technologies and those that affect national security. China has shown interest in Israeli developments in this field, and therefore the Israeli government must define a national policy on the subject in order to avoid finding itself in an unwanted and undesirable clash with the United States.
This article examines high-power laser applications to protect against future threats on the battlefield. Lasers that produce energetic light beams at the speed of light have demonstrated capabilities to neutralize and destroy air targets, including shells, such as UAVs and gliders, which are now used by hostile countries and terrorist organizations to harm civilian and military infrastructure. This article reviews the strategic and tactical applications of high-power lasers, the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of...
The struggle between the United States and China for technological supremacy in the microchip market, combined with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, has disrupted the global microchip supply chain, resulting in a severe shortage that has continued for over two years. This crisis highlights both the worldwide dependence on microchips and the strategic advantages accrued by countries that succeed in taking advantage of the crisis for their own benefit.
Overall, Israel is a strong regional power that enjoys clear operational superiority over its enemies due to its strength in intelligence, airpower, and active defense. This was manifested clearly in 2021 in Operation Guardian of the Walls (attacks on Hamas’s underground and active defense), in the campaign between the wars (reducing the Iranian entrenchment in Syria), and in routine security measures in the West Bank. The Tnufa multi-year plan is also meant to improve the IDF’s operational capabilities for war scenarios,...
Israel’s military technological superiority was demonstrated in Operation Guardian of the Walls, highlighted by air defense systems, artificial intelligence applications, and precision strike capabilities. In addition, despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Israel has maintained its economic strength, particularly thanks to the success of technology companies that issued public offerings or were sold for major sums. However, Israel also has weaknesses in the technology realm. For example, it is evident that the aerial threat...
The past two years have witnessed cyberattacks attributed to Iran targeting companies and organizations in Israel that are ostensibly ransomware, but in fact are undertaken as influence operations. Notably, ransomware attacks have been very common in recent years, and have been defined by the White House as a central cyber threat. Still, the use of ransomware attacks for the purpose of influence operations rather than for an economic purpose is a singular phenomenon. This phenomenon is unique to the framework of the conflict between...
In February 2019, on the eve of the dissolution of the 20th Knesset and the first of the recurring elections that paralyzed the political system in Israel, MK (and today Minister of Public Security) Omer Bar Lev and I issued a report about the ground forces, the need to decide about their role in military campaigns, and on that basis, the ensuing plans for military buildup. In the years prior we headed the two relevant subcommittees of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee – I was the head of the Subcommittee on Defense Doctrine...
The strategic assessment for Israel for 2021 is shaped by significant uncertainty in three principal areas: the level of success in coping with COVID-19; the modus operandi and policies of the new administration in the United States; and the political developments in Israel. The current assessment is based on a broader conception of national security, which places greater weight than in the past on the domestic arena and on threats to internal stability, social cohesion, values, and fabric of life. This of course does not detract...
Along with the heavy rocket barrages launched against Israel during Operation Guardian of the Walls, there were a number of attempts by Hamas to attack Israel with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), mostly loaded with explosives. According to Hamas, their purpose is to attack IDF forces, Israeli towns and villages, and the gas installations at sea. These attempts were foiled by the IDF or suffered technical failures. In addition, Hamas attempted to operate unmanned submarines against marine targets. These efforts were also...
The IDF announced recently that it would hold a “war month” in the first half of 2022 lasting four weeks – the first General Staff exercise of its kind. The exercise, which will include regular army and reserve forces on an especially large scale, is designed to evaluate the army’s forces during the course of a long, consecutive, challenging, and life-like exercise in order to enhance readiness and fitness for war. The “war month” name is taken from the concluding stage in training IDF infantry troops....
