Electronic Weapons: The Need For Speed

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December 18, 2007: During the 2006 war in Lebanon, Israel learned again that speed and information are powerful weapons. Hizbollah had studied Israeli operations, and believed they knew enough of how that worked to pull off ambushes of helicopters and ground troops. Israel depended on helicopters to avoid ambushes on the ground and to outmaneuver enemy ground forces. Thus Hizbollah saw Israeli helicopters as prime targets. Israel found that the counter to these Hizbollah tactics was information and speed. Israeli aircraft, helicopters and ground forces were equipped with faster communications systems, and procedures that got target and threat information distributed more quickly. This made it possible for Hizbollah threats, or targets, to be spotted, and dealt with, quickly enough to be effective. The Israelis ran helicopter operations as quickly as possible, and were usually able to land (and drop off troops, or supplies, or pick up casualties) and take off so quickly that Hizbollah could not interfere.

Hizbollah had speeded up their operations, but the Israelis speeded theirs up even more. Because Israel controlled the air, they had an edge Hizbollah was never able to overcome. But if the Israelis had not sped up their operations, they would have been in trouble. Hizbollah did the correct thing in looking for predictable patterns in Israeli operations, and preparing to take advantage of that. The Israelis were able to adapt quickly to this, and crank things up a little more, to get out of harm's way.

The Israelis are taking this farther by installing more Internet type capabilities, to include rapid exchange of digital photos and videos. The idea being that, wherever the Israelis are, they are seeking out the enemy, and ready to bring in whatever firepower they have (aircraft, helicopters, artillery, tanks) to destroy the enemy quickly.

 

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