Ruling the skies from the ground - Aharon Lapidot

by Aharon Lapidot

Israel Hayom offers an exclusive glimpse into the full platform making up Israel's Air Defenses Command • Commanders of Iron Dome, Patriot, David's Sling and Arrow battalions say that while Israel can address any threats it faces, the dangers are real.

The Iron Dome defense system in action

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Photo credit: AP

Recent events involving sporadic mortar fire from the Gaza Strip and the breach of Israeli airspace by a drone over the northern border have turned the spotlight back on Israel's air defenses.

Once an obscure branch of the Israeli Air Force, and one with limited abilities at that, over the past few years the Air Defenses Command have taken center stage, becoming one of the most prominent elements of the Israeli military's might.

The reason the Air Defenses Command has become so prominent is simple: Over the past decade, more than 11,000 missiles, rockets and mortar shells have been fired directly on the Israeli homefront. This number may be staggering, but it is a fact. Some 4,000 rockets were fired at Israel during the 2006 Second Lebanon War; 4,500 were fired during Operation Protective Edge in 2014; about 1,500 were fired at Israel during 2012's Operation Pillar of Defense; around 1,000 were fired during 2008's Operation Cast Lead, and numerous other rockets have been fired at the southern city of Sderot over the past 10 years.

In many ways, the proverbial line in the sand was drawn in 2006, when, during the war with Lebanon, Hezbollah hammered the Israeli homefront. It was the first time Israelis almost nationwide were under threat, and it forced a rapid change in Israel's defense doctrine. Simple offensive measures no longer sufficed, and a critical need arose for active air defenses. This not only protects the public, but also gives political and military decision-makers the necessary breathing space to exercise prudence and responsibility.

The future, by the way, is rather bleak, as defense officials predict significant missile salvoes.

"The reality is that missiles and rockets are going to hit Israel, and they may be more lethal [than in the past]. We have to make sure we know how to intercept the biggest potential threat, because there's simply no way to intercept everything," a senior officer with the Air Defenses Command said. "But I can assure you, there's no other air force in the world with the same perception of air defenses as Israel."

Pieces in a crucial puzzle 

For the first time, Israel Hayom is giving readers a glimpse into the full platform known as the IAF's Air Defenses Command, through an exclusive interview with the commanders of the four battalions making up the ADC: Lt. Col Liran Cohen, commander of the Iron Dome Battalion, Lt. Col. Eitan Biran, commander of the Patriot Battalion; Lt. Col. Kobi Regev, commander of the David's Sling Battalion; and Lt. Col. Tamir Tsimber, commander of the Arrow Battalion. 

This outline makes up Israel's four-tiered defense "umbrella": Iron Dome is designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets and artillery shells; David's Sling counters medium- to long-range projectiles; the Patriot is a high-to-medium tactical air defense system capable of downing aircraft and ballistic missiles; and the Arrow platform comprises the Arrow 2 short- and medium-range ballistic missile interceptor, and the Arrow 3 long-range missile interceptor, which is now in the last leg of its development. 

Q: The impressive success by Iron Dome has created the public perception of a hermetic seal. Isn't that a recipe for complaisance? 

"I think every soldier, from the youngest unit member to me, act with a sense of national responsibility," Cohen said. "Iron Dome is a household name and to an extent it has become iconic. The responsibility is clear to all of us and it's evident in how we conduct ourselves. In the command center, everyone has a clear understanding of what failing to execute the mission means. We have our share of successes in operations, as seen in [Operations] Pillar of Defense and Protective Edge, but we know these defenses don't offer a hermetic seal. The Iron Dome doesn't guarantee 100% success." 

Q: How much leeway to the system do operators have to decide on an interception?

"The commander of the interception center has full operational discretion in accordance with the policies pertaining to the sphere he was assigned to protect. Once the target meets the criteria of interception, he intercepts it. At the decision point, the operator is always very clear on policy, and he follows it."

While an advanced algorithm decides which projectile path poses a threat to a populated area and warrants an interception, and which rocket is headed to an open area and can therefore be disregarded, at the end of the day, a person has to hit the system's launch button. According to defense officials, the decision to maintain a human element in the decision-making cycle and not have it fully automated was proved correct during the 2014 conflict, when out of hundreds of interceptions, only one was later determined to have been unnecessary.

The ADC says its systems can alert operators to any mortar shell, rocket or missile fired at Israel from any point around a 360-degree sphere. The statistics from Operation Protective Edge are proof, as only 1% of the 4,700 firings of rockets at Israel failed to trigger an air raid siren, meaning only five projectiles flew under the radar. 

This is a remarkable, almost incomprehensible ability, developed as part of the conclusions drawn from the Second Lebanon War. The IDF's Homefront Command is responsible for the air raid siren system, but it relies on the Air Defenses Command to trigger it. 

The Iranian scenario 

A senior ADC officer said Iran "is without question the snake's head. We knew that before the [July 2015] nuclear deal, and we know that now. Iran is directly involved in everything that happens here; it's what links Hamas and Hezbollah, through Syria and back to Iran. There is literally one axis running through [the Middle East]. We understand this reality, and it's part of the challenges we face."

Q: Labeling Iran the number one enemy is of particular importance to the Arrow unit. Has the nuclear deal given us 10 years to improve our capabilities? Has this immediate threat been mitigated?

"The nuclear deal has done nothing to change my unit's readiness, as its primary enemy remains Iran," Tsimber clarified. "If anything, I think the opposite is true, because you understand the responsibility you shoulder as -- let's face it -- the near-exclusive countermeasure we have opposite Iran. You have to produce a safety net for whatever scenario of the deal materializes. The response is and will remain optimal. That's why if anything, our performance level has only improved since the deal.

"True, Arrow was designed to counter long-range weapons, but we are also trying to exhaust its capabilities in other aspects," he explained. "For example, it has a very strong radars systems, and we're trying to maximize and utilize such capabilities in terms of resources and operational capabilities. The sum of all systems can give a better response to the threats in each of the theaters."

A unique system 

David's Sling is the newest addition to the air defenses. It is still being embedded in the ADC, and the final decision on when it will become operational is expected later this year. 

Q: This system was designed with a central control concept, meaning its batteries can be deployed anywhere, but the command center is stationary. Does that stem from the nature of its tasks?

"David's Sling is a nationwide defense platform, similar to Arrow. It has one interception center and a collection of sensors, radars and launcher bases deployed in a manner that protects the entire country," Regev said. "It was designed with a central perception, unlike the Patriot and Iron Dome systems, which are more specific and have to address local threats in their sphere of defense."

Q: How would you define your targets?

"David's Sling is meant to address a wide variety of threats. Currently we seek to make it a part of the ADC's new integrative approach, by which on the one hand, each defense system underscores its own relative advantage, and on the other hand, it's another link that supports and backs up the systems.

"David's Sling is the layer above Iron Dome, which is the lowest level [of air defenses], and Arrow, and it effectively brokers all three, each with its own capabilities," Regev explained. "The challenge is to try to meet the threat with the correct interception response, use the correct system to counter every threat." 

Q: Is this system unique to Israel? 

"It's unique in the technology comprising it. The system is developed by Rafael [Advanced Defense Systems] as the primary contractor, with several other partner-industries. Financing and oversight are a joint Israeli-American venture, unlike Iron Dome, for example, which is an exclusively Israeli development. There is nothing like David's Sling in the world as far as its technological contexts. In that regard, it's ground-breaking, and while it still has to prove itself, it's the first of its kind."

Combining forces 

For many, hearing the name "Patriot" evokes memories of the 1991 Gulf War, when it was first used as an impromptu missile defense system meant to counter the Scuds fired at Israel from Iraq. Today, as all anti-aircraft guns have been retired, the Patriot is the only anti-aircraft weapon left, in the classic sense at least. As such, however, it has undergone an interesting metamorphosis.

"While today attacks by fighter jets are less relevant, the threat has not disappeared," the senior ADC officer said. "Our region is undergoing many far-reaching changes, and there is a permanent change -- the various entities replacing countries are forming 'poor men's air forces' that are something to be taken very seriously. It poses a greater challenge: This type of air force is smaller, faster, with greater potential from the smallest to the biggest drones, quadcopters and gliders.

"This phenomenon is part of a trend that is changing the nature of the battle. Such organizations cannot eradicate nations. Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic State have neither the intention nor the pretension to do so. Don't be confused by some slogan in a parade saying, 'We will destroy Israel' -- that's not their strategy or their purpose. They actually have the exact opposite strategy -- to wear us down, keep us off balance, disrupt the equilibrium."

Q: Biran, you have a unique role within this group -- you're the only one tasked with dealing with aircraft -- not missiles. 

"Currently, yes. According to the integration concept, we're trying to advance each system as much as we can, with the aim of reaching a situation where everyone can both back each other up and learn to combine efforts," he explained. "We are very aware of this challenge. Back in the Gulf War, the Patriot -- even then it was designed to intercept aircraft of all types -- was the only player. It was an all-or-nothing situation, so using it was the reasonable thing to do.

"Today aircraft is the system's primary focus. We have to be ready 24/7, be it on the northern or southern fronts. It has to be said that as far as aircraft go, the enemy challenges us. Our targets are aircraft of any size and type, manned or unmanned. We understand that reality is changing before our very eyes, so we chose to focus on unmanned aircraft," he said.

The enemy, he continued, "is constantly trying to learn more on our capabilities. For example, the enemy knows very well what Iron Dome can do, so it's trying to find the next thing, the thing that would enable it to penetrate the fence, to circumvent the IAF's superiority, which is considerable and powerful in the Middle East. This is why their [the enemy's] attempt to use unmanned, small and agile aircraft, which can get everywhere and pose a focused threat, is not surprising. Right now, it seems our weapons system knows how to respond."

Q: Do air forces, in the classic sense, exist in our sphere at this time?

"On our immediate borders we see it a little less, although the wider you draw the circle, the more you reach countries that are slightly less in favor of our existence and have more traditional air forces. Here's an example from the last few weeks: An aircraft takes off from Gaza, breaches our airspace, and in this case, the IAF decides to intercept it using an advanced fighter jet -- and that's okay. I think our strength lies with having more options and resources than threats in the sky.

"I'm speaking of aircraft, but tomorrow it will be a rocket or anything else airborne. It seems to me that the closest thing we can have in terms of the effort for hermetic protection, which we can't have, is to produce a combination of systems and a wide span of options. At the end of the day, whoever makes the decision has to have as many options as possible to choose from." 

A good place to be

The Air Defenses Command has come a long way, changing its perception and doctrine and adapting both to the new set of threats.

Q: What do you think about the change in the ADC's place within active IAF defenses, with the command becoming large, versatile and multi-layered? It's a big change from the days of anti-aircraft defenses. 

"Within the IAF, I think we're in a great place," Biran said. "The military, the country and the IAF understand our relevance and the need to have ground-based systems that can counter [airborne] threats, first and foremost because not all threats can be intercepted in midair. When a rocket is flying in, it takes a ground system to intercept it. Under certain circumstances, if certain aircraft come in from certain directions, a jet couldn't possibly be the relevant instrument at the right place and time. 

"That's why the Air Force would like to have a wide array of countermeasures to address every threat. The most complex scenario could happen today, on a routine day, should one of our enemies decide to challenge us. Our job is to be able to meet this challenge. The line between 'routine' and 'state of emergency' is very thin, and that's what we must be prepared to address."

Regional dynamics, Tsimber said, mean that "the mission has changed significantly. Part of the ADC's job now is to provide the country and the public functional continuity. Operations Protective Edge and Iron Dome are an excellent example of that. But we also afford the military and other vital installations functional continuity. 

"This is a strategic-level mission -- protecting the homefront so the military can function and be able to win; to truly realize the [ADC] platform's potential. I think that presents a different set of expectations, because you're required to produce immediate results, and you're measured by them. I think that overall, this is a change for the better."

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=37153

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