Dr. Aaron Lerner- IMRA: This vital resource would be in large part decimated

if there was a sovereign Palestinian state

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Collecting Intelligence under High Friction

The IDF 636th Battalion is tasked with producing real-time intelligence in a

theater where hostile elements are operating among the civilian population.

"If you fail to close the loop immediately � the enemy will disappear in a

matter of seconds," says the battalion commander in a special interview to

Israel Defense

Ami Rojkes Dombe | 24/11/2017

http://www.israeldefense.co.il/en/node/31899



The Judea and Samaria district is one of the only areas where the IDF

maintains a constant state of friction with the civilian population, among

which the terrorist organizations operate. The 636th Battalion that operates

throughout the jurisdiction of IDF Central Command, including Judea, Samaria

and the Jordanian border, is charged with the task of collecting

intelligence in this sector. The battalion HQ is located at Camp Ofer,

adjacent to the Palestinian village of Rafat, close to the city of Ramallah.



The drive to Camp Ofer from Israel's central region, along Route 443,

demonstrates the complex circumstances under which the Battalion operates. A

massive concertina wire fence, along with dozens of masts fitted with

surveillance cameras, are deployed along both sides of the road leading to

Jerusalem. They provide a sterile corridor for Israelis wishing to reach the

Capital or such Israeli settlements as Pisgat-Zeev. The exits leading from

this road to the Palestinian villages located close to it are signposted

with red signs forbidding entrance to Israelis. This theatrical set

incorporates some breathtaking scenery, but it hides a complex operational

situation.



Camp Ofer is a fairly large base. The battalion HQ is located at the center

of it and other units. "You cannot succeed in the Judea and Samaria district

without interoperability," explains Lt. Col. Ayalon, commander of the IDF

636th Battalion. "IDF, Police, Border Guard, ISA, Civil Administration,

Firefighting Service and settlement activities. Even cooperation with the

Palestinians. Nothing works here on its own."



The Objective: Real-Time Intelligence



The window in Ayalon's office overlooks the houses of the village of Rafat.

They are separated from the IDF base by a triple fence system and a security

patrol road. "I do not have to collect stand-off intelligence on the enemy.

I can be inside the enemy," explains Ayalon. "The 636th Battalion is a

unique intelligence collection battalion within the IDF that operates in the

Judea and Samaria district. We can operate inside the enemy's habitat. Some

of the Battalion's founders, and even some current members, are alumni of

the Duvdevan Unit. The professional standards here are so high that we can

insert a detachment covertly, deploy it a few dozens of meters from the

house where our target is located, and get it out independently. Where else

in the IDF would you find such capabilities? In and out without escorts or

backup? That is almost nonexistent throughout the IDF."



The Battalion is engaged in two primary specialized activities: the activity

of the surveillance operators and the activity of the warfighter companies.

The Battalion has a total of 12 companies and with a total OrBat of more

than 2,000 troopers, including reservists, it is the IDF's largest

battalion. The surveillance operators work with a variety of optical and

SigInt resources. The entire surveillance layout aspires for real-time

intelligence. "When you are dealing with a stone-throwing situation, a

Molotov cocktail or a fire attack, if you fail to close the loop

immediately � the enemy will disappear. It is a matter of seconds. That is

the reason why our surveillance operators work in cooperation with snipers

and with our own warfighters," explains Lt. Col. Ayalon.



"Our surveillance specialists know what to look for, what to report to the

rear. Technology makes it possible to draw a virtual line in certain

locations and receive alerts if that line is crossed. Over the last year we

have been testing many new developments with the industries. Out of about 20

operations centers in the IDF Central Command we chose four, and they serve

as our laboratories.



"The places where we accomplished quantum leaps are highly specific but they

are the most advanced in the IDF in terms of intelligence collection

capabilities. It is by no means a simple task establishing intelligence

links inside Palestinian territory. We installed an extensive network of

surveillance resources along Route 443, including dozens of surveillance

cameras, as part of a new project. It is a confidential project aimed at

presenting the intelligence, the collection concept and intelligence-based

warfare according to an innovative approach.



"We have a laboratory that deals exclusively with the 'seam' area, namely

the area between the Judea and Samaria district and the Israeli rear area.

We took spaces and created learning laboratories. These are specifically

circumscribed area cells in which resources are installed to learn what

works. Out of all of the resources being tested, we will take some resources

and deploy them in all of the operations centers within IDF Central Command.

It is important to stress that we are not dealing with cyberwarfare, but

with optical and SigInt intelligence collection resources."



Under the Target's Nose



The Battalion receives its EEI (Essential Elements of Information) for its

intelligence collection activities from the division commander or the

general commanding IDF Central Command. Additionally, the Battalion also

provides services to special units that operate in the Judea and Samaria

district and provides solutions for needs presented by the regional command

brigades. It is a regional command battalion and some of its elements are

also deployed, as stated above, in the Jordan Valley, opposite Jordan. A

company is deployed to cover the cordon surrounding the city of Jerusalem.

This company cooperates exclusively with the Border Guard. The Battalion

Commander, Lt. Col. Ayalon, is responsible for the Battalion's force

build-up but the actual employment is the responsibility of each brigade.



"In addition to the surveillance activity we have the activity of our

warfighters � these troopers are in charge of the specialized intelligence

collection operations, where any resources imaginable are employed," says

Lt. Col. Ayalon. "We know how to deploy an ambush detail for long hours. We

also cooperate with the Rokhev-Shamayim (Skylark) UAV unit. The planning of

our activity is done at Battalion HQ every week, and we execute on the

following week. With intelligence collection, there are objectives regarding

which you may have to collect intelligence for three or four months. You do

not always see the results immediately.



"Another capability in which we invest a lot is camouflage. In order to

deploy a detachment near a target's house in a manner that will ensure it

remains undetected, you need stalking and camouflage capabilities. Our

Battalion was the first IDF unit that introduced drones (multicopters) into

operational use. About two years ago, a sergeant from one of the teams

raised the idea of acquiring a drone. We went along with his idea and that

was how we developed our operational doctrine. The Battalion operates

according to a 'flat' management concept. You place the problem on the table

and everyone shares the development of the solution, regardless of rank.



"That was also the case with the surveillance aerostats by Shilat Optronics.

We wanted overhead surveillance video for built-up areas. Initially, we

envisioned an aerostat you can carry on your back, but we're not there yet.

The tactical aerostats we have today are installed on a vehicle and enable

rapid operational deployment. Combined with the ability to have the vehicle

driven in the dark without lights � that is a tremendous operational

advantage. The field of photo-surveillance is another area in which the

Battalion specializes, mainly for incrimination purposes, but for other

purposes as well, like photographing a vehicle license plate from a range of

a few kilometers using cameras and telescopes.



"To serve with us, a new recruit joins the Combat Intelligence Collection

Corps (Rifleman Grade 05) and has to be security vetted. Having been vetted,

he will embark on an eighteen-month training program, and upon graduation,

he will be assigned to one of our combat battalions. The tasks assigned to

the Battalion are highly diversified, from monitoring and tracking illegal

arms dealers through incrimination of individuals participating in riots to

the capturing of illegal firearm manufacturing workshops.



"Our monitoring activity begins with the spotting of the target. We assign a

team with an aerostat or a Rokhev-Shamayim UAV and covert ambush details to

that target. Along the time axis, we spot the target a few more times and

uncover the target's entire infrastructure. The aerostats we use can

recognize a face from a distance of 4 kilometers. Each license plate enters

a database and undergoes intelligence analysis as to what car it is, who the

car owner is � everything is concentrated into a single database.



"The technological capabilities create a legal challenge, and there is a

difference between criminal activity and security-related activity.

Individuals involved in criminal activity are usually more sophisticated and

thoroughly familiar with the law. If I arrest him in possession of a firearm

assembly, I will not be able to take him to court. So he will make one

journey with the gun barrel and another journey with an empty magazine, and

still, I will not be able to indict him for illegal trading in firearms. In

some cases, our intelligence covers both fields of activity, and we have to

decide which one to prioritize. In most cases, we place the emphasis on the

security activity."



Technology as Leverage



One of the challenges the Intelligence Collection Battalion faces involves

energy sources. If you want to establish operational persistent area

surveillance (terrain dominance), you must engage in a continuous

intelligence collection process using overt and covert resources � some of

which are stationary and concealed. To maintain the confidentiality of these

resources, the IDF is interested in energy sources that would last for a

long time. Every time the battery of such a device is replaced, there is a

risk that the device might be compromised. The same logic applies to covert

deep-penetration operations. If you want to insert a detachment, the

independent energy sources this detachment carries should last dozens of

hours of continuous operation.



"This is a very real challenge," says Lt. Col. Ayalon. "The industry that

succeeds in cracking this energy restriction will change the world of

intelligence collection. Today, the energy sources available are not there

yet. Another challenge is communication. In the Judea and Samaria district,

the area cell in question is well known and benefits from full cellular

coverage. But what will happen if you want to duplicate these capabilities

and provide them to the maneuvering elements as well? It is by no means a

simple undertaking to stretch intelligence collection capabilities like ours

to the maneuvering elements.



"Another field where we frequently cooperate with the industries is

analytics � the ability to analyze and fuse data in order to draw

conclusions. We do a lot of experimenting. The basic things work. Like, for

example, concentrating LPR (License Plate Recognition) data in a single

database. It works. They have it in parking facilities in every city

throughout the country. The challenge is the analysis and the fusion. Look

at the civilian field. At a certain airport, they have a camera that

monitors you and can determine whether your data are kept in a criminal

database. If you were not identified in the national database of the state,

the system would still be able to indicate whether you had passed through

that specific airport in the past, as your photograph is kept in the local

database."



The progress made by the intelligence collection resources and the ability

to promptly close the loop on the target have a profound effect. At the

Battalion they explain that they noticed a decrease in the participation of

the general (Palestinian) public in riots in the Judea and Samaria district.

"Our ability to reach the individual at the end is better than ever before,"

explains Lt. Col. Ayalon. "The challenge, after I have photographed you, is

knowing who you are and where you live.



"Along with the realization of the other side that we can reach anybody

along the time axis, the decrease in participation is also associated with

the social media. As a Palestinian, you can be a participant in the effort

against Israel from the couch in your home through Facebook, without

actually going out and throwing stones. You will still feel you are a part

of the effort, without the risk. That has changed reality. So who is still

going out? The minority that really cares or anyone who's being paid for

that activity. Eventually, 20-30 individuals will report to the actual riots

and everyone else around them is pushing them. With regard to the individual

terrorists, they are normally individuals rejected or alienated by

Palestinian society. They may be women accused of violating the standard of

woman's dignity or that may have gotten into trouble of some kind or

another. In such situations, staging a terrorist attack is their last

resort."



There is no doubt that the intelligence collection capabilities of the 636th

Battalion are unique throughout the IDF, mainly owing to the high friction

with the civilian population and the enemy. The ability to operate inside

the enemy's own habitat hones the capabilities of the Battalion's

warfighters and presents very realistic challenges to the defense

industries. The combination of technology with the operational capabilities

under one roof produces results that are reflected in the decrease in riots

in the sectors where the Battalion operates. A substantial part of the

ability to make the most of the advantages of this combination stems from

the Battalion's autonomy in the implementation of operational solutions.

"Interoperability with all of the other elements on the one hand, and

autonomy in force build-up and the employment of the intelligence collection

capabilities on the other hand, set the Battalion at a unique position

vis-�-vis the enemy in the Judea and Samaria district," concludes Lt. Col.

Ayalon.