Dr. Aaron Lerner- IMRA: This vital resource would be in large part decimated
if there was a sovereign Palestinian state
====
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-à-vis the enemy in the Judea and Samaria district," concludes Lt. Col.
Ayalon.