"Bravo One. This is Bravo Two. We have spotted suspicious activity. Sending data now. Over,” a platoon commander says. “Stand by to fire all remote weapon stations,” replies Bravo Two. “Roger that. Engaging now,” the radio crackles, seconds before remote-controlled cannons and heavy machine guns mounted atop armored vehicles open fire at a target, in this case a mock village hideout of suspected guerrillas. The company commander demands a review of the assault from his young officer. “Bravo 2 and I had our 30 millimeter unmanned turrets firing on the targets and I was firing on the move. All remote systems were stabilized and under closed hatches with no deck penetration, giving us increased survivability,” the lieutenant says. “If you ask me,” replies the captain. “In situations like this, peace-keeping operations and low-intensity conflict, the closed hatches solutions are absolutely indispensable.” The battle was onstage and the officers were actors. But the weapons systems were real and part of a rare glimpse into just how far the Israeli army has come in fielding advanced technology to combat troops. The mock-up of the digital army was part of a show put on by Elbit Systems, the largest defence firm in Israel, which is supplying the lion's share of the efforts to equip the military with the latest, state-of-the-art gadgets to prevail over their enemies. The display included mock-ups of Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers with their mini-portable screens and personal computers linking them to the army's nascent network centric system. Since the summer war with Hezbollah ended four years ago, Israel says the Iranian-backed militia has amassed 40,000 rockets, stashed in tunnels and other hideaways. The border is quiet now, but Israeli generals have warned they would use disproportionate force to wipe out Hezbollah strongholds in any future war. Recently, Israeli military intelligence released videos, which it claims reveals how Hezbollah was moving out of the fields and into the villages to hide its weapons and rockets among civilians. If that message wasn't clear enough, the army has now publicized some of the new advances its forces are using in this modern battlefield. In an asymmetric war between an advanced army like the Israeli Defence Forces and a guerrilla force like Hezbollah, the Israelis have learned that the best way to defeat them on the battlefield is to use their digital advantage. After considerable toying with the idea, the IDF five years ago launched the expensive “Hunter” program, which links land, air and sea forces. In the digital command and control centers, every soldier, down to the lowest grunt will be accounted for and more importantly, the enemy will find it harder to hide themselves. Now, small units of Israeli soldiers are equipped with tiny remote-controlled spy planes and stair-climbing robots, perfected for urban combat. “This robot enters the building before the solders and gives them instant information. You want to know if there is an enemy there, if there are booby traps,” says Stefan Hodis, director of robotics at Elbit Systems. The treaded, triangle shaped “Viper” relays images back to the eyepiece of the soldier controlling it. “We came up with this idea that everything is mounted on the soldier – a computer, a radio, an eyepiece – to show the picture that the robot takes without illuminating the soldier. Most of our missions are in the dark, so it's life-saving not to illuminate our soldiers,” Hodis says. “In this low-intensity conflict time, you take it easy. You are very careful on civilians and your own soldiers because you never know who your enemy is and you need the robot to help you out,” Hodis adds. Elbit Systems is the major contractor for the Israeli defence ministry's Digital Army Program (DAP). Begun in 2005, the ambitious plan aims to integrate advanced combat systems and connectivity throughout every level of command. The army's C4I branch has been working steadily to create a synergy which long-term strategists hope will allow the army to reduce its ground forces. The system enables better force coordination, accuracy, utilization and survivability from the individual soldier all the way to the battalion and other military forces. By linking up all the sensors and data collectors, helicopter pilots are able to view the same digital map that soldiers on the ground are viewing and that is displayed at headquarters. These show information such as where troops are located and remove a lot of the ambiguity and estimation of the past. “The operational doctrine of the IDF has changed. Warfare used to be one of masses. Once we kept divisions and divisions. Today we are downsizing, and this is being compensated by technology,” said one senior IDF officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But what the Israelis believe is their greatest asset could be their ultimate flaw. Cyber attacks and hacking can wreak havoc on this digital battlefield and the weaker non-state actors have the advantage. Like most modern armies, Israel is setting up Cyber Forces to defend their networks. They are being helped by local defense companies such as Elbit Systems. “Hackers from all over the world attack and attack,” says Idan Tendler, who presented a cyber shield developed by Elbit. “The purpose is to give you a real time indication that you are under strategic attack, that someone wants to threaten your most important infrastructure. We can give you that.” The IDF has also recently set up a Cyber Force which according to foreign reports will engage not only in defending from hackers, but also in offensive digital attacks. “Today you can bring down your enemy's computer network before it has even operated a single force. If I have taken over someone's command and control they can't operate. If I have blocked all of their frequencies, they won't be able to communicate,” said the senior IDF officer. The Israeli army hopes that these new home-grown gadgets and command and control innovations will give its forces the upper hand in a Middle East conflict that is as much about technology as it is about firepower.
