2014-08-08 By Ed Timperlake
The Honorable Mike Wynne 21st USAF Secretary expressed what is now known as The Wynne Doctrine—“If you are in a fair fight someone failed in planning.”
Many successful battlefield commanders in history practiced the Wynne Doctrine.
Israel certainly needs too because they can never afford to lose and knows it cold.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) must be vigilant and prepared at all times. In doing so the IDF has invented and perfected one of the most powerful deterrence and warfighting capabilities on the 21st Century battlefield, their Iron Dome.
The Iron Dome is currently defending all under its protection and is proven to be very effective in stopping deadly rockets, mortar and artillery shells.
The current combat proof of concept has important consequences for many countries.
Once such a sensor/shooter system is linked to longer range Air Defense Artillery (ADA) kinetic interceptors such as the IDF Arrow 2 and 3 or if America learns how it works. the US Army can network US THAAD/Patriot batteries in our own version.
In addition to today’s lifesaving combat applications Israeli scientists and engineers can take justified pride that through their direct actions they will be responsible for mitigating threats by nasty deadly countries blustering with their rockets.
As the Iron Dome capability proliferates, the world will actually be a safer place because countries thinking of making a conventional missile attack will have a significant warfighting dilemma as the effectiveness of their weapons getting through will be in question.
North Korea especially along the DMZ, Iran against Israel and China against Japan and Taiwan come to mind as real world examples.
The world will owe Israel a debt of gratitude.
Currently in today’s combat, the Iron Dome is setting a new world standard in defending all non-combatants.
The political and information war considerations of the Iron Dome’s success is yet to be recognized and fully expressed.
The citizens of Gaza are threatened by the actions of Hamas. By using the lives of Gaza citizens as a launch point whereby Hamas fires rockets to draw IDF direct fire, part of the Israel response is to use defensive weapons to deal with the threat.
The Iron Dome is effective in saving ALL lives, not just those in Israel, and provides an opportunity for Gaza citizens to think twice about the goals and intentions of their leaders.
It will dawn on all in Gaza that Hamas is trying intentionally to get them killed.
It is past time for the innocents in Gaza to blame Hamas in public and demand they stop. It is not a war in the conventional sense regardless of the statements that Hamas will resume fighting.
What they are really saying is we know we are ineffective but we will martyr our people regardless because we are winning an information war.
The Iron Dome is a generation and quantum leap ahead in defending against incoming rockets.
With the proven capability of the Iron Dome along with the IAF and ground troops uncovering deadly tunnels, Israel is inventing a new chapter in modern war.
In essence, the Israelis are shaping a way ahead in defensive offensive air ground warfighting capability.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHH6MRmw_Jo#t=19
But to be fully effective, the information war aspects need to be addressed as well.
De facto, Hamas by attacking Israel wishes to trigger a massive response and to see more Gaza citizens killed.
With the Iron Dome, Israel can respond effectively, lower the causalities on both sides, and deflect the Hamas goal of seeing more Gaza citizens killed as pawns in their information war.
When discussing innovative technology and warfighting one must also look at the combat rules of engagement (ROE) that stress minimization of harm to innocents.
Linking both technology and ROE is a critical component of 21st Century “Information War;” Israel is doing just that that but not getting appropriate credit.
Just like fighter pilots do not wake up calculating how many innocents can they kill, families in Gaza do not wake up to be sacrificed as information pawns in a calculated ploy by their leaders who now are intentionally trying to get them killed.
The now known success of Iron Dome makes that point.
Tragically unless something changes the piece below is a precursor to what Israel now faces, both in the US but more so in Europe, where her critics will howl for months to come
But that does not have to be the case.
It is past time that the innocent families in Gaza recognize that they are being cynically used and they will say enough and finally blame Hamas.
All who are being put in harm’s way by their leaders recognize that instead of blaming Israel should put the blame where it belongs: on Hamas as using them as pawns in a global information war.
Pundits in US and even the Israeli leadership pointing out the truth of the situation is important in Information War but a message finally coming from those in Gaza putting blame on Hamas is the most powerful voice of all.
It is not too late to find and listen to some brave souls in the Gaza “street” telling Hamas to stop launching rockets, stand down and just go away.
It is a hard issue to find anyone with the courage to speak out but honest insights from Gaza citizens, not blaming Israel, would be a powerful insight and save many lives.
Credit Photo:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/israels-iron-dome-works/story?id=24507147