Israel Defense Forces’ military innovations explained in new book – Defense News
Israel has survived militarily because it was able to develop modern weapons. This innovation is the subject of The Art of Military Innovation: Lessons from the Israeli Army by Edward Luttwak and Eitan Shamir, a book that is extremely relevant to our current situation.
Many of the problems we face today are similar to those of the past. For example, it is now clear that local military R&D and production will be an important hedge against possible arms withholdings or boycotts by foreign suppliers. In the mid-1960s, the Jewish state faced a similar problem when its air force was based on Mirage fighter jets. Fearing a French arms boycott, which would become a reality in 1969, Israel created an entire industry to manufacture spare parts to keep the Mirages in the air.
Perhaps a better known example, and one that is particularly relevant today, is the Israeli Lavi jet fighter. Launched in 1980 by Moshe Arens, the program reached test flights of two prototypes, but was canceled by the Israeli government in August 1987 due to strong pressure from the United States. As a result of the current war with Hamas, Israel may soon have to reconsider its dependence on foreign supplies of key weapons systems.
Another theme of this book that surprised me quite a bit is the enormous range of Israel’s military innovations. The Israel Defense Forces’ innovations are not just limited to hardware or a combination of hardware and software, but also include procedures and organization.
“The Art of Military Innovation” begins with a discussion of the Israel Defense Forces’ unique organization as a “unified force,” in which all branches of the military—army, navy and air force—are under a single command.
This organization, which has existed from 1948 to the present day and is very atypical of modern armed forces, has had a huge and positive impact on military research and development in Israel. The authors claim: “Of all the innovations of the Israel Defense Forces, the single-service structure is perhaps the most important.” Luttwak and Shamir attribute dozens of innovations, both physical and in cyberspace, to the fact that there is only one command structure in the Israeli army.
In contrast, in traditional armed forces, each branch is completely autonomous and the outcome is almost too predictable. The authors point to the British Army’s refusal to develop a tank in World War I for fear of displacing the cavalry. In fact, the first tank was developed by the Royal Navy under Churchill, who did not want to accept the army’s position. Such a thing would not happen in the Israeli Defense Forces.
The book discusses over 100 examples of global innovations in all branches of the military.
The Merkava tank rightfully deserves a whole chapter in this book. The Merkava is not an improved version of any previous American, British or French tank; it is a completely new product designed and manufactured in Israel. Unlike other tanks, the main design criteria for the Merkava is crew protection. The engine is mounted at the front because this placement provides additional protection. In the Merkava, 75% of the armor is dedicated to protecting the crew, while in other tanks this is only 50-55%.
The hatch for boarding – or egress, if necessary – is at the back rather than the top, which can mean the difference between life and death for the crew of a damaged tank. Why this new Israeli design? What was the motivation? Protecting soldiers is the obvious, but not the only reason. A comprehensive analysis of ballistic reports from tank battles from 1948-1975 has shown that a tank is immobilized 100% of the time when enemy fire penetrates the soldier compartment, but only 2% of the time when the engine is penetrated. Therefore, the Merkava’s design is intended not only to protect the crew, but also to improve the combat capability of the tank and its crew.
I cannot claim that this book contains all the innovations of the Israel Defense Forces, as there are simply too many and new ones are being developed all the time. However, it contains many examples from all branches of the military and from both physical and cyber innovations – RPVs becoming UAVs, the Iron Dome, the Gabriel anti-ship missile, Stuxnet and many more.
There is also a chapter on the two most technically sophisticated army units: the often discussed Unit 8200 and the almost unknown Unit 81, which has won more Israel Defense Forces awards than any other army unit and whose concrete projects are never mentioned in the press.
Although there are many examples of innovation, you will not find statements of general principles. For example, there are repeated cases of pros and cons where an improved offensive leads to defensive innovations, which then lead to more offensive innovations. Or, as another example, there are cases of sudden necessity based on a new and shocking understanding of reality. These and other principles are illustrated but not stated. The principles must be inferred by the reader.
Innovation explained
A military background is definitely not required for the reader to enjoy this book and gain a new understanding of the industry. And while technological innovations are discussed, no technical background is required to follow the discussion. There are no calculations to speak of, not even detailed budgetary figures.
But there is actually something that is not often found in historical overviews of this kind. The examples in The art of military innovation are not just mentioned in passing, but discussed in detail. For example, if you want to understand exactly why the Israel Defense Forces’ Merkava tank is revolutionary, you’ll get just that, with a detailed list of the tank’s structural advantages and the unique way the tank was designed.
If you are as fascinated as I am by the innovations of the Israeli Defense Forces over the past 75 years and want to delve deep into the non-technical details, this book is for you.
The author is a patent attorney in Israel with a background in physics and communication technologies. He is the author off A Table Against My Enemies: Israel on the Lawfare Front. He served in the Israeli army, as did four of his children, including three sons who fought in the current war.
THE ART OF MILITARY INNOVATION:
LESSONS FROM THE ISRAELI DEFENSE FORCES
By Edward N. Luttwak and Eitan Shamir
Harvard University Press
281 pages; 33 US dollars
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