August 12, 2020
Explained: The High-Tech War Games Israel Uses to Train Its Army for War
Jerusalem wants its combined arms forces to be fast and better on the battlefield.
by Seth J. Frantzman
Israel is facing multiple challenges in preparing for potential upcoming conflicts on its northern border with Hezbollah and as it faces off against Hamas in Gaza and an Iranian missile and terror threat. The combination of all these adversaries, which Israel has faced in numerous past wars, has led Jerusalem to put in place a multi-year plan called Momentum. Part of the plan are new special units, more combined arms and the use of new technology to “digitize†the battlefield. A more digital battlefield, with networks and sensors and artificial intelligence and better systems for targeting, means soldiers can also train digitally to simulate wars.
Officers from Israel’s 401st armored brigade recently completed a unique training at the IDF’s Julis base using a technology developed by defense giant Elbit Systems. The system, called Brigade and Battlegroup Mission Training Center, is designed to replicate the issues officers will face on the real battlefield. This virtual training system means that an armored unit doesn’t need to drive all its tanks and engineering equipment out to the field, wasting man-hours and churning up dirt, but rather the officers can be put in cubicles to simulate the battlefield on screens. “We created a new world of simulation and can bring the soldiers, not all of them but most commanders from the battalions, to simulate the soldiers and tanks and armored personnel carriers,†says a Major in the armored corps.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/explained-high-tech-war-games-israel-uses-train-its-army-war-166720
