Israel creating the "digital soldier"

Some fascinating glimpses on the future of the IDF. From Israel Defense:

Maj. Gen. (res.) Avi Mizrachi, former commander of the IDF Ground Arm and GOC Central Command and now executive VP of Elbit Systems, opened earlier today (Wednesday) the special session held by Israel Defense and Bynet Company regarding the digital revolution in the defense establishment. According to Mizrahi, Elbit Systems is an active partner with the defense establishment and IDF in the Tzayad (Digital Land Army) program, aimed to expand the digitization levels of the individual soldier in the IDF and to improve his integration with other military functions. Elbit Systems also shares this knowledge with other countries around the world. It is involved in two major projects (designated "The Future Soldier") in Australia and in the Benelux Union.

As for the IDF "future soldier", he already carries only three kilograms of military equipment on his back, compared to dozens of kilograms in the past. The radio gear carried by the soldier enables him to connect to his squad, platoon, company, and even higher echelons. The IDF's operational requirements, says Avi Mizrahi, are for the "digital soldier" to have high survivability, mobility, lethality (in the sense of the "first round on target" concept), and command and control (C2) capabilities. Elbit systems are developing solutions to meet these requirements, with an emphasis on urban warfare and the underground arena – namely tunnels.

Another important element of the "digital soldier" is the operation of precision-guided munition. In the future, soldiers will be equipped with a weapon system that would allow them to identify a target, and then simply to aim and shoot. They will receive relevant data, and will be equipped with night vision equipment.

Another key element is the ability to identify the soldier. Soldiers will be equipped with a system that would allow their commanders to identify them when they operate inside a building. The system will transmit data on the physiological condition of a soldier to his commanders, to let them know if he has been injured. Additional equipment will allow the soldier to identify fellow troopers so to prevent incidents of 'friendly fire'. All this is part of the great network that will encompass the entire fighting force: ground, air and naval.

Chen Azoulay, CEO of Bynet, opened the conference and said that his company is cooperating with the defense establishment in the development of digital solutions for control rooms, contact centers and smart cities. Some of these solutions have already been implemented in the defense establishment.

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