Israeli Army Struts Desert Fighting Prowess

Thudding Israeli artillery shells and a dramatic F-16 jet and Apache helicopter-aided tank assault on a mock enemy desert encampment concluded a recent three-day conference on how digitally wired armies can process immense amounts of battlefield data, in real time, in order to win.

All photos: Dave Bender - All rights reserved

An Israeli Army MLRS rocket streaks across an open desert plain, as it homes in on an enemy stronghold in a mock assault display held at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Israel Air Force Apache Longbow attack helicopter takes a "nap-of-the-earth" shortcut, flying only meters above a wadi, in a mock assault on an enemy stronghold at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

An IDF soldier hitches a ride on an "Alfa" artillery transporter heading back to base after taking part a mock assault on an enemy stronghold at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Two Israel Air Force Apache Longbow attack helicopters open machine gun fire, in a mock assault on an enemy stronghold at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

An Israeli Army mobile howitzer artillery piece heads back to base, after an assault on a mock enemy stronghold in a display held at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

Israel Air Force Apache Longbow helicopter goes in for the kill, in a mock assault on an enemy stronghold at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

An Israeli soldier sits atop the open hatch of a mobile howitzer artillery piece headed back to base, after an assault on a mock enemy stronghold in a display held at the Shivta Field Artillery Base, in southern Israel, Thursday, May 24, 2012.
(All photos: WWW.DAVEBRIANBENDER.COM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

'The Israeli Way of War' via Michael Totten

Michael Totten is such an impressive reporter and writer, and he gets to lots of places in the Middle East and writes so well and convincingly about events in the region without rhetoric or (any obvious) political slant.

Personally, I envy his talent, gumption, and, well geez', how the hell does he write so fast, and get all the quotes bang on, anyway?

In this post, he writes about the possible buildup towards a coming Israeli clash with Hizbullah in Lebanon, and about what the Israeli Defense Forces is doing to prepare:

"I’ve never been to a Hezbollah training camp, although I did ask Hezbollah officials if I could see one before they blacklisted me for “writing against the party.” They refused. Still, I’m certain they don’t have dummies representing civilians who aren’t to be touched.

"The Israelis do, though. They place mannequins on the grounds dressed in the clothes of civilians and peacekeepers as well as enemy soldiers and terrorists.

“'The other side includes both hostiles and civilians,' Lapson said, 'and the hostiles will often embed themselves among the civilians. We go over a large number of what-if scenarios. We imbue an ethical and moral backbone in all our soldiers from the very beginning, and we have humanitarian officers with our infantry troops. We take extra precautions, even when it puts our own troops in danger.'

You could argue, I suppose, that the Israelis pulled a con job on me, that they planted these civilian-clothed mannequins as part of some Soviet-style propaganda campaign, but there’s no evidence that’s what happened. Totalitarian regimes sometimes use Potemkin stage pieces and actors to fool foreign journalists. Anthony Daniels (aka Theodore Dalrymple) had just such an experience when he visited North Korea. Israel, though, is the sort of place that only behaves this way in the feverish minds of conspiracy theorists."

Read the rest, and do tip his jar so he can keep up the most excellent work, in a very tough, and sometimes terrifying region:

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Day By Day at an Israeli Army Checkpoint

Colleague Joel Leyden writes:

"A grey, blustery sand storm rolls fiercely into Kalandia. The sky turns a dark brown over this Israeli checkpoint bordering Jerusalem and Rahmallah. The dust burns your eyes as you focus on a Palestinian family approaching the cement block which serves as your desk. They wear red and white scarves over their faces, protection from the freezing, relentless winds. They reach for their identity cards, but you know that it could be a gun or a knife. You are half Mr. Nice Guy and half combat soldier. You must be able to go from a warm smile to loading your M-16 in half a second. You are an IDF volunteer who the Palestinians and Israeli soldiers refer to as a Humanitarian Officer."

More posts about the IDF here.

Gilad Shalit: A Bronx Story

From Ynetnews:

Students at P.S. 22 in the Bronx, NY, take turns reading aloud a story written by IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, kidnapped by Hamas gunmen from an outpost facing the Gaza Strip. The event was part of an initiative by Israel's NY Consulate to mark the second anniversary of his captivity.

Click on the image above to read a personal letter from Aviva and Noam, the parents of captive IDF soldier, Gilad Shalit.

Click here to learn more about the events surrounding his abduction, and that of IDF soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser on the Israeli side of the Lebanese border.
Click here for downloadable versions of the story,
"When The Shark and the Fish First Met"