Dear Members and Friends,
Ms. Yael Diamond joined MDAA as a Military Fellow in June 2023. She served as an Air Defense Artillery Officer in the United States Army and spent a year deployed to Israel. She holds a degree in International Studies with an emphasis on the Middle East from the University of Florida and is a current graduate student at Georgetown. Her perspective of the events transpiring is compelling, personal, and relevant and we put forward her thoughts below for your awareness.
Respectfully
Riki
When Deterrence Fails
Deterrence has stood as the bedrock principle of global security for well over a century. The Cold War persisted for decades, primarily driven by the threat of mutually assured destruction. The Korean Peninsula has remained divided for half a century, with North Korea showing restraint in its actions towards the South, and China continues to refrain from military action against Taiwan. The linchpin in this equation is the continuous upkeep and advancement of military capabilities. The underlying concept is that by making potential adversaries acutely aware of the dire consequences of their actions, such actions can be averted. However, in cases where ideology, rather than a sovereign government prevails, devastating attacks like the events of 9/11 and more recently, 10/7 result.
On the evening of October 7th, 2023, as Jewish families worldwide joyously celebrated Simchat Torah, the holiday marking the completion of the Five Books of Moses, Hamas terrorists launched their attack.
It was by no mistake to compare the two dates 9/11 and 10/7. The independent State of Israel lost more citizens on this day than it has since the Roman siege in 70 CE. If one were to consider the populations of the United States and Israel and compare the death tolls of these days, there would be the equivalent of over 45,000 American fatalities. The Hamas terrorist showed total disregard for human life not only slaughtering Jewish civilians, but Thai farm workers, Bedouin neighbors, and German partygoers alike. If their mission was indeed purely to avenge the actions of the Israeli government, it appears all they have accomplished is the establishment of the comparison between themselves and ISIS on the world stage.
The initial onslaught of more than 2,000 rockets which rained down upon cities and villages in Southern Israel now appears to have been staged as a distraction. On Friday evening Israel’s Iron Dome system functioned as intended, intercepting and neutralizing the incoming projectiles. Simultaneous to the barrage, Hamas sent drones to disable Israeli military cellular communication stations and surveillance outposts along the border. NY Times Only an hour after the first rocket was fired a group calling themselves Anonymous Sudan hacked into an emergency alert app and activated false alarms of rocket attacks. A second group calling themselves Cyber Av3ngers claimed to compromise the network of the Israel Electric Corporation, Israel Independent System Operator, a power plant, and the popular English language publication The Jerusalem Post. The outlined looks to qualify this conflict as the first instance of a concurrent attack by air, land, sea, and cyberspace. The Washington Post
Over the course of the past few years in an effort to scale down troop usage, Israel installed remotely monitored cameras along the border. Consequently, when these cameras were taken out and cellular signals rendered useless, Soldiers located in the control rooms did not appear to receive any alarms of the breach. Nor could they see the bulldozers, paragliders, or some 1,500 combatants assaulting through the fences and inevitably reaching at least four Israeli military bases. Despite the carnage, Israel’s air defenses including the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow, and Patriot were operationally functional. Of the over 1,300 confirmed Israeli deaths few have been directly attributed to rockets or missile strikes.
In a recent development, Israel’s directed energy weapon known as Iron Beam, originally scheduled for operational implementation in 2025 appears to have been observed in action over the past few hours. This innovative system was designed with cost-effectiveness in mind, with each Tamir Iron Dome interceptor costing approximately $50,000. If the Iron Beam performs as tested, its interception cost would be a mere $3.50 per target. MDAA Cost Breakdown On the Northern front Iranian backed Hezbollah fired artillery and launched guided anti-tank missiles from Lebanon killing three Israeli Soldiers before the militants were neutralized.
Maj Gen (Ret.) Charles Corcoran believes the Chinese and the Russians are closely watching the US response. It is evident that deterrence in this instance has failed, and in the coming weeks, the Western world will have to reestablish what deterrence looks like. Evidence would suggest Hamas took advantage of political instability and turmoil on the Israeli home front as a catalyst to launch the invasion. John Rood agreed in an MDAA virtual stating “In a time of political instability the US needs to consider this for her own security. If there is a case for the US to stand united, this is it”. The response of the United States was swift, Secretary Austin and President Biden mobilized the Ford carrier strike group including seven AEGIS capable ships to the Mediterranean. Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery made it clear on Thursday during the MDAA virtual “There is no ICBM shortfall”.
As the war rages on, let the difference be abundantly clear. Israel uses rockets to defend her people and Hamas uses people to defend her rockets. Israel builds shelters for civilians and Hamas builds tunnels to attack civilians. Notice the choice to say Hamas and not Palestinians. This is because I do not believe the Palestinian people are to blame. I believe they themselves are victims of the Hamas regime. Hamas came to power in 2006 following the Israel withdrawal from the region and there have been no subsequent elections. The Palestinian people have been used as pawns by this brutal regime for far too long and I truly believe most yearn to raise their families peacefully.
When the EU (European Union) and US send aid to the region to build infrastructure, hospitals, and schools the Palestinian people have the right to expect that those who govern will build those facilities. Instead, as we know hospitals and schools are only built as shells of buildings only to be used as launching pads for projectiles, and donated water pipes are dug out of the ground to be used as rockets. All while the Hamas orchestrators reside in their luxury compounds in Qatar. Israel continuously shows unparalleled restraint unlike any nation, warning of attacks before they begin. Israeli Defense Forces continue to send evacuation notifications to civilians of safe passage corridors and in the last few hours has restored water to Southern Gaza again in an attempt to move noncombatants to the South.
Iran is now flushed with cash and will continue to support both Hezbollah and Hamas. The Iron Dome prevented conflict like this for approximately a dozen years. This raises the question, are new air defenses like that of the Iron Beam the solution or merely a respite? To quote former Prime Minister Golda Meir “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel”.
Currently, the American death toll remains at thirty and an undetermined number remain hostage. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt is still refusing to accept Palestinian refugees from Gaza entry through the Rafa crossing. NY Times
As Americans, we must reevaluate our deterrence strategy. The ongoing conflict underscores the necessity of contemporary air and missile defense systems in full integration with conventional forces and diplomatic channels. There comes a point where ideological extremists can no longer be deterred, and proactive measures must be taken. We can simultaneously offer support to both Israelis and Palestinians in their joint quest for peace. This support does not equate to an endorsement of terrorism but is a call for unity against those responsible for violence and exploitation. This discrepancy is crucial in achieving a future marked by peace and coexistence rather than violence and subjugation. The United States and the International National community must continue in their steadfast support of Israel.
Am Yisrael Chai
