IDF Ready for Any Northern Deployment

Fast and accurate

Ofer Zidon, Israel Defense

Ready for Any Northern Deployment What will the next war on the northern
front look like? It will look nothing like the past two wars in Lebanon, but
in all probability, it will include a ground maneuver carried out by tanks.
The IDF command estimates that a ground maneuver will be inevitable in any
conflict scenario in the north, unlike Operation Pillar of Defense in the
Gaza Strip (November 2012), in which the IDF only employed precision,
stand-off fire.

The IDF is preparing for a confrontation on the northern front that will, in
all probability, include enemy fire into Israeli territory. It may also
include the potential intrusion of terrorists across the border into Israel,
as part of a possible future confrontation between the IDF and Global Jihad
operatives, who have already taken up positions along the Syrian border on
the Golan Heights.

A sample of the nature of the future confrontation could be seen near the
end of the winter of 2013, during a training exercise of the 52nd tank
battalion, which was a part of a large-scale exercise by the IDF Armored
Corps 401st brigade, under command of Col. Sa’ar Tzur. The exercise was
conducted in the fire practice zones on the Golan Heights, and we joined it.

The objective of the training exercise was to practice the capture of areas
in which rockets and missiles aimed at Israel are deployed. The 401st
armored brigade, under Col. Tzur, employs the latest Main Battle Tank of the
IDF – the Merkava Mark-IV. Additionally, the brigade’s tanks are fitted with
Rafael’s Trophy (Aspro-A) suit, which protects them against antitank
threats. A segment of the profile practiced by the 52nd battalion, under
command of Lt. Col. Udi, simulated combat encounters with agile, mobile
infantry detachments equipped with antitank weaponry.

This scenario does not represent classic armor-versus-armor warfare, but in
the commanders’ view, “The new Merkava tank is well equipped and adapted to
the new type of warfare.” The Merkava tank is fast and has excellent
trafficability characteristics. Its Trophy system provides effective
protection against antitank threats. The tank’s fire control system is
efficient and accurate, enabling assignment of targets among the tanks and
locking on to a target and maintaining the lock-on even while advancing
rapidly over difficult terrain. Other systems enable the crewmen to analyze
the terrain and select the best route of advance, preferably one not visible
to the enemy.

This aggregation of capabilities enables the brigade to execute its task, as
specified by the brigade commander: to advance swiftly into the depth of the
enemy territory, without stopping or delaying. In the brigade commander’s
estimate, this rapid advance will minimize damage to the tanks and
casualties among the crews and make it possible to take the enemy by
surprise and promptly dominate the territory.

Other elements of the combat scenario included the employment of an Elbit
Systems Skylark UAV – a small, low signature UAV operated by IDF Artillery
Corps personnel, which provided the forces with real-time intelligence,
including the enemy’s positions, while circling the combat zone quietly. The
armored elements received additional support from an artillery battery which
delivered preparatory fire to the various objectives.

The exercise began with a night march through open terrain, during which the
forces had to negotiate obstacles in steep, deeply cleft terrain and across
creeks. During the night march, the battalion was accompanied by a Combat
Engineering Corps detachment that helped prepare passageways for the tanks
over and across the various obstacles. The high point of the exercise was a
daytime assault and capturing of a hostile village. This mission involved
urban warfare, practically house-to-house, so as to clear the village of
enemy forces. For this purpose, an infantry company from the Nahal brigade
was included as an integral part of the battalion task force. The
infantrymen advanced on M-113 APCs behind the tanks, and after the
breakthrough into the built-up area they dismounted from their APCs and
advanced on foot, fighting their way through the village.

The heavy tanks advanced along the outskirts of the village and along the
main routes through it, while providing cover to the infantrymen.
Additionally, the tanks – protected by heavy armor – were used to evacuate
the wounded during the fighting. Over the course of the exercise, Sa’ar, the
brigade commander, issued various unplanned, spur-of-the-moment commands to
Udi, the battalion commander, in order to examine the battalion’s ability to
adapt itself to changing battlefield circumstances. In this context, the
brigade commander ordered that some of the tanks be regarded as having been
hit during the fighting, which promptly led to an effort to evacuate the
wounded crewmen out of the damaged tanks and transfer them to the battalion
aid station, while at the same time having the damaged tanks extricated and
towed off the combat zone by serviceable tanks. This complex task is now
executed by means of an effective solution: the tanks are equipped with a
device fitted to the front of the tank, which enables the towing tank to
quickly connect to the damaged tank and tow it away.

The exercise was closely monitored by the commander of the IDF northern army
corps, Maj. Gen. Noam Tibon, and the IDF Chief Armored Corps Officer, Brig.
Gen. Ofer Tzafrir. They arrived to get an impression of the brigade’s
capabilities and conduct the debriefing, with regards to the technical
aspect of the operation of the tanks and the systems fitted to them, as well
as with regard to the planning of the combat scenario and the actual
implementation.