IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz awarded technological units for excellence on Monday evening at military headquarters in Tel Aviv, for breakthroughs that have significantly contributed to national security.One of the men who received an award is a young officer from the IDF’s Electronic Warfare Section, a part of the IDF’s C4i (Teleprocessing) Corps.The officer’s commander, whose name is withheld, told The Jerusalem Post before the ceremony on Monday that the work carried out by the prize recipient has kept Israel ahead of its enemies in the cat-and-mouse world of electronic warfare.“Electronic warfare involves attacking anything you can imagine. Twenty years ago, it was a niche in the military.Today, both us and our enemies use countless advanced platforms produced by civilian and military sectors,” he said.“Today, you can buy on ebay communications equipment that you once needed an industry to manufacture,” the commander added.Israel’s adversaries have changed radically and now include a range of states and non-state organizations which evolve quickly, he added.“Today, organizations change every two years, and I need technological people who can utilize what I have without throwing away equipment I bought a year ago. Rather, they need to adapt it for now, and in a year, and in two years’ time,” he continued.In recent years, Israel’s enemies have narrowed the technological gap with it, the source said. “The guy who is getting the chief of staff’s award is a young, brilliant engineer, at the heart of developments intended to provide us with an operational solution.He understands my operational needs, knows what systems he’s working with, and he knows that new equipment can’t be bought. He takes existing systems and understands our demands,” the commander said.“He is really a classic example of a young officer who has a big temptation to join a company outside – no company would turn him down.This is a new kind of Zionism,” the commander stated.“An engineer who can earn 17 times more in a cellphone or hi-tech company, get better conditions and work less hours – you look at him and see that Zionism is causing him to put on the uniform in the morning. He has lightning in his eyes and wants to contribute to the security of the state.“He’s in a job where he can’t blink for a minute. The minute you do, the enemy overtakes you.”Another prize recipient, Maj. O (full name withheld), of the Defense Ministry’s Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure, developed the radar system in use by the Iron Dome anti-rocket protection system.Maj. O entered the project at an early phase, and made a number of breakthroughs to create one of the most advanced radar systems in the world.“We made continuous improvements to the system, while operating in an environment of changing threats,” he told the Post. “We’re always seeking to make improvements...and the system is flexible to allow for these changes.”Maj. O, who in the past developed the radar system for the IDF’s Trophy protection system against anti-tank missiles, said receiving the reward is a source “of a lot of pride.”“There’s a lot of happiness among my family and friends.It’s a big honor,” he said.
