IDF Present: a Remotely-Manned Logistic Future
"Cutting-edge technological developments currently enable the IDF to provide logistic perseverance to the maneuvering combat unit so that it may complete its mission without requiring a long logistic wake," said Brig. Gen. Ziv Avtalyon at the 2nd International Ground Warfare & Logistics Conference
Dan Arkin
| 17/05/2017
Photography: Gilad Kavalerchik
"Cutting-edge technological developments currently enable the IDF to provide logistic perseverance to the maneuvering combat unit so that it may complete its mission without requiring a long logistic wake," said Brig. Gen. Ziv Avtalyon, Head of the IDF Ground Forces Technological Division this morning at the opening session of the Second International Ground Warfare & Logistics Conference held at the IDF Armored Corps Memorial in Latrun and produced by Israel Defense and the IDF Armored Corps Commemoration Society.
Brig. Gen. Avtalyon said that today, maneuvering forces may be resupplied with no need for long, life-threatening and costly supply corridors that must be secured. Technology currently makes it possible to provide the maneuvering element with independence with regard to the availability of fuel, ammunition, fuel and other supplies. Fuel infrastructures may be installed, solar energy may be utilized and 3D printers may be used to produce spare parts and assemblies – all with no logistic wake.
Other examples currently in use or under development: a physician attending to a wounded trooper on the battlefield may receive instructions from a specialist located in the rear area through a tablet computer; a robot used for medical evacuation; an entire logistic convoy that is unmanned and remotely controlled. Additionally, the employment of UAVs, multicopters and autonomous ground platforms is increasing.
Brig. Gen. Avtalyon noted favorably the merger between the IDF Ground Arm Command and the IDF Planning Directorate, completed last year, which has made a substantial contribution to the implementation of cutting-edge technologies throughout the IDF, on the battlefield and mainly by the logistic elements. The digital revolution enabled these technological developments and the assimilation thereof by the IDF.
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"On June 11, a nation-wide emergency exercise will be conducted throughout the country, based on a script simulating a strong earthquake. Practically everyone will participate in this exercise, from the Prime Minister to the last citizen. The exercise will examine, in particular, the cooperation between the military and the civilian sector." This statement was made this morning by Brig. Gen. (res.) Zeev Tzuk-Ram, Deputy Head of the National Security Council at the Prime Minister's Office.
Zuk-Ram said in his address that numerous organs in the civilian sector are associated with handling and directing operations during emergency situations – 257 local authorities, essential production plants, IDF/Home Front Command, Israel Police, Red Star of David (national ambulance service), the firefighters, RACHEL (National Emergency Authority) and the National Security Council (NSC). All of these organizations are obliged to take care of the civilian population of Israel when it faces various threats, from an earthquake to a massive missile attack.
What can be expected when dozens or hundreds of missiles hit the country? Activating an emergency economy means providing information and directions to the general population, delivering food to citizens taking refuge in shelters and evacuating the wounded and the sick to hospitals (mainly motion-impaired individuals). This undertaking also includes the task of maintaining a normal fabric of life during an emergency or a disaster situation, so that the economy continues to function and even remains productive. This task involves the employment of transportation services like buses for transporting and evacuating civilians, and even handling the burial of the dead, including identification, burial and support for the bereaved families. All of these tasks, said Zuk-Ram, have not been finalized and assigned yet, but everyone involved is currently hard at work toward that end.
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Brig. Gen. (res.) Shmuel Zucker, formerly head of MANHAR – IMOD's Procurement & Production Administration, elaborated on the relationship between the demanding element and the purchasing element, namely – the IDF, who decides that it needs a certain piece of equipment, and the purchasing element, in this case – IMOD. "The scope of Israeli procurement is immense," said Zucker. "About ten billion ILS in orders plus more than three billion US dollars in foreign aid. Numerous organs are involved in procurement, including IMOD, which is Israel's largest purchasing organization, IMOD's Defense Research and Development Directorate (DDR&D, also known as MAFAT), IMOD's construction element, IMOD's procurement delegations overseas and the administration in charge of the relocation of the IDF to the south. The abundance of elements involved in procurement requires close relations between the demanding element and the purchasing element, and in many cases these relations are not sufficiently close yet."
"Cutting-edge technological developments currently enable the IDF to provide logistic perseverance to the maneuvering combat unit so that it may complete its mission without requiring a long logistic wake," said Brig. Gen. Ziv Avtalyon at the 2nd International Ground Warfare & Logistics Conference
Photography: Gilad Kavalerchik
"Cutting-edge technological developments currently enable the IDF to provide logistic perseverance to the maneuvering combat unit so that it may complete its mission without requiring a long logistic wake," said Brig. Gen. Ziv Avtalyon, Head of the IDF Ground Forces Technological Division this morning at the opening session of the Second International Ground Warfare & Logistics Conference held at the IDF Armored Corps Memorial in Latrun and produced by Israel Defense and the IDF Armored Corps Commemoration Society.
Brig. Gen. Avtalyon said that today, maneuvering forces may be resupplied with no need for long, life-threatening and costly supply corridors that must be secured. Technology currently makes it possible to provide the maneuvering element with independence with regard to the availability of fuel, ammunition, fuel and other supplies. Fuel infrastructures may be installed, solar energy may be utilized and 3D printers may be used to produce spare parts and assemblies – all with no logistic wake.
Other examples currently in use or under development: a physician attending to a wounded trooper on the battlefield may receive instructions from a specialist located in the rear area through a tablet computer; a robot used for medical evacuation; an entire logistic convoy that is unmanned and remotely controlled. Additionally, the employment of UAVs, multicopters and autonomous ground platforms is increasing.
Brig. Gen. Avtalyon noted favorably the merger between the IDF Ground Arm Command and the IDF Planning Directorate, completed last year, which has made a substantial contribution to the implementation of cutting-edge technologies throughout the IDF, on the battlefield and mainly by the logistic elements. The digital revolution enabled these technological developments and the assimilation thereof by the IDF.
***
"On June 11, a nation-wide emergency exercise will be conducted throughout the country, based on a script simulating a strong earthquake. Practically everyone will participate in this exercise, from the Prime Minister to the last citizen. The exercise will examine, in particular, the cooperation between the military and the civilian sector." This statement was made this morning by Brig. Gen. (res.) Zeev Tzuk-Ram, Deputy Head of the National Security Council at the Prime Minister's Office.
Zuk-Ram said in his address that numerous organs in the civilian sector are associated with handling and directing operations during emergency situations – 257 local authorities, essential production plants, IDF/Home Front Command, Israel Police, Red Star of David (national ambulance service), the firefighters, RACHEL (National Emergency Authority) and the National Security Council (NSC). All of these organizations are obliged to take care of the civilian population of Israel when it faces various threats, from an earthquake to a massive missile attack.
What can be expected when dozens or hundreds of missiles hit the country? Activating an emergency economy means providing information and directions to the general population, delivering food to citizens taking refuge in shelters and evacuating the wounded and the sick to hospitals (mainly motion-impaired individuals). This undertaking also includes the task of maintaining a normal fabric of life during an emergency or a disaster situation, so that the economy continues to function and even remains productive. This task involves the employment of transportation services like buses for transporting and evacuating civilians, and even handling the burial of the dead, including identification, burial and support for the bereaved families. All of these tasks, said Zuk-Ram, have not been finalized and assigned yet, but everyone involved is currently hard at work toward that end.
***
Brig. Gen. (res.) Shmuel Zucker, formerly head of MANHAR – IMOD's Procurement & Production Administration, elaborated on the relationship between the demanding element and the purchasing element, namely – the IDF, who decides that it needs a certain piece of equipment, and the purchasing element, in this case – IMOD. "The scope of Israeli procurement is immense," said Zucker. "About ten billion ILS in orders plus more than three billion US dollars in foreign aid. Numerous organs are involved in procurement, including IMOD, which is Israel's largest purchasing organization, IMOD's Defense Research and Development Directorate (DDR&D, also known as MAFAT), IMOD's construction element, IMOD's procurement delegations overseas and the administration in charge of the relocation of the IDF to the south. The abundance of elements involved in procurement requires close relations between the demanding element and the purchasing element, and in many cases these relations are not sufficiently close yet."
