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New Israeli System Digitally Maps Battlefield, Changing How Wars Are Fought
(Newsweek) Tom O'Connor - The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have established a new high-tech system that provides real-time tracking of troop locations and where they may be exposed to enemy fire, offering a significant digital edge on the battlefield. Two senior Israeli officers discussed with Newsweek how the "Identify & Alert" (I&A) platform works and what it means for the future of warfare. "The system can define potential lines of exposure [of Israeli forces] from anti-tank missile fire in advance," said Lt.-Col. Idan Hariri. "We created a system that knows how to alert our situation room and the soldier in the field in a matter of seconds when soldiers enter an area that is under the threat of anti-tank missile fire. The system is automatic." Hariri said that during two days of fighting with Palestinian militants in August, the IDF "proved that the I&A system saves lives." The system has been integrated near Israel's border with Lebanon and also is being deployed near Syria. The system replaces the longstanding practice of checking in via radio communications. Now, units can communicate via an internal chat resembling WhatsApp.