The IDF on Monday made a rare disclosure, noting that its highly secret 5114th Battalion electromagnetic spectrum unit downed dozens of Iranian drones over the last week or so.
So secret is the unit that even in those rare cases where the IDF has admitted its existence and discussed its activities, it has usually refrained from giving the kind of specifics in terms of adversaries and dates of use that it gave on Monday.
Lt.-Col. “B” on Monday said that the downing of dozens of Iranian drones was a critical, additional layer of defense for Israel against aerial threats.
It has been widely reported, and The Jerusalem Post has confirmed, that Israel has certain limitations regarding the interceptors used for shooting down enemy drones and missiles, such that using other methods, like 5114th Battalion, can help Israel conserve interceptors from a strategic perspective.
Another unique aspect of the unit is that it is jointly operated by the IDF Communications Command, along with the Intelligence and Cyber Commands, which often get more public attention.
In June 2023, the Post was given a rare inside look into the 5114th Battalion, which noted an unnamed enemy who had tried to fire on Israeli forces but could not because they were jammed by Israeli electromagnetic spectrum efforts.
In that instance, the enemy was about to aim and fire a precise form of weaponry at IDF forces in the field when suddenly the IDF could hear the enemy forces asking themselves, “Why aren’t we shooting? Why aren’t we shooting?”
The Post learned that in that still mostly classified instance in which the IDF’s electromagnetic spectrum warfare center was used to disable the enemy force’s ability to function, neither the enemy forces nor the IDF forces who were saved had a clue what had transpired.
To act without glory
This is part of the frustration of being part of this elite classified force; its motto is to act without receiving any glory.
Yet, with the unit taking a higher profile role in a summer 2023 two-week-long, multi-front drill, “Crushing Punch,” Capt. “Y” from the unit granted a rare interview to the Post.
The unit carries out a variety of activities, but new kinds of direct jamming or confounding enemies’ communications are certainly key aspects.
While both the offensive and defensive capacities of the unit are growing, the offensive capacities are growing at an even faster rate, Y told the Post in June 2023.
According to Y, “The purpose of the unit is to enable total control over the electromagnetic spectrum, which allows much freer action by the IDF’s various forces in the field.”
“Conceptually, the IDF has recognized that technological advances impact everything. It happens even in the civilian sector where a tractor also works on GPS using a computerized device,” he said.
For example, he said that a soldier could be traveling, and suddenly, their radio may pick up the wrong channel, and this could interfere with their ability to receive orders and updates from their commander. This unit helps protect communications and quickly resolve any disruptions.
During “Crushing Punch,” Y said the unit “delivered significant results for the IDF’s broader goals, taking control of the electromagnetic spectrum at both strategic and tactical levels.”
According to Y, feedback from soldiers who participated in that 2023 drill was “that they feel a conceptual paradigm shift has occurred,” providing them with new decisive tools in warfare.
“If in the past, discussion about the electromagnetic warfare desk was mostly confined to within the unit, now a broad range of top commanders initiate discussions and planning sessions related to the issues on their own,” said the captain.
Y said the military recognizes that its “enemies are always advancing [in electronic warfare as well], but the IDF knows how to handle such threats. We are ready for any scenario. The challenges loom large, but we have the personnel who can make order out of everything.”