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How Israeli Military Technology Continues to Improve the U.S. Military

(Institute for National Security Studies-Tel Aviv University) Maj. (ret.) John Spencer and Col. (ret.) Liam Collins - After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the U.S. Department of Defense commissioned 37 separate evaluations of the conflict. American military personnel walked the battlefields alongside Israeli commanders who had fought there, analyzing the strategies and technologies that enabled Israel to prevail against overwhelming odds. The lessons drawn from Israel's battlefield successes would profoundly shape U.S. military doctrine. New operational approaches emphasizing speed, firepower, and joint-force coordination would redefine modern warfare. Since those studies, the U.S. military's enduring engagement with Israeli defense innovations continues to influence U.S. combat strategies and systems. From tank protection systems to artificial intelligence-powered warfare solutions, Israeli defense firms and research institutions have consistently delivered cutting-edge innovations that have found their way into the American military. The U.S. military has adopted many of Israel's systems and integrated them into combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and various counterterrorism operations worldwide. The Emergency Bandage - a simple yet highly effective hemorrhage control dressing developed by an Israeli military medic - has saved countless American lives. First introduced in the 1990s, the bandage features a built-in pressure applicator that allows soldiers to treat severe wounds with one hand. It is now standard issue in the individual first aid kits of American soldiers, special operations forces, and first responders. The Israeli military's adaptation of the D9 bulldozer into a heavily armored combat bulldozer offered a battlefield-tested model that directly influenced American operations in Iraq. In 2003, the U.S. military procured 14 Israeli-armored D9s for use in combat zones. The Trophy Active Protection System (APS) has dramatically increased the survivability of armored platforms in combat, providing a layered defense against incoming anti-tank guided missiles and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), automatically detecting, tracking, and intercepting threats before they reach the vehicle. The U.S. Army integrated the Trophy APS onto M1 Abrams main battle tanks beginning in 2018. During the Iraq War, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) produced a majority of U.S. casualties. Having faced IED threats for years, Israel's counter-IED capability far exceeded that of the U.S. Israel shared these technologies, providing the U.S. with vehicle-mounted microwave devices. These devices helped jump-start U.S. counter-IED efforts. Israel has pioneered cutting-edge counter-tunneling technologies, integrating ground-penetrating radar, seismic sensors, AI-driven detection systems, and rapid tunnel-neutralization techniques. Anti-tunnel cooperation has directly influenced U.S. border security strategies along the U.S.-Mexico border, where drug cartels and human smugglers have constructed increasingly sophisticated underground passages. John Spencer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point. Liam Collins was the founding director of the Modern War Institute.
2025-04-29 00:00:00
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