Experts: Response to Israel’s Security Challenges in Next Decade lies in Technology 

This post is also available in: עברית (Hebrew)

All new developments to be showcased at InnoTech 2020 

At the onset of the third decade of the 2000s, the State of Israel is confronted by changing security threats, reflecting a shift to the technological battlefield. Experts: The enemy is constantly looking for new ways to attack Israel, “If we take for example the Gaza Stsrip, we see the changing challenge: They started with high trajectory fire – Israel retaliated with Iron dome, they moved to tunnels – Israel thwarted this effort by technological means, and now they are returning to the aerial arena. First with balloons and improvised aerial means, and later with more advanced drones. This week, it was published that Hamas activists got hold of an IDF drone which was hit over the Gaza Strip, fixed it, armed it and sent it to explode over an IDF tank.”

The sources explain that the IDF does not rush into large-scale operations that demand high price, preferring ad hoc solutions to the challenges in the field, “the IDF is using creativity and solutions available at the commercial market in order to supply a sophisticated, advanced technological response to the military threats. This is evident in fields such as video analytics, drone technologies, and more.” In the end of the day, say the sources, the military’s mission is to enable the political establishment make decisions while the various arenas are calm.

In the current circumstances of political moves coming into being with the Deal of the Century, such capabilities are invaluable.

The defense establishment and the IDF are constantly looking for new technologies in the civilian realm, and this year, a breakthrough has been achieved in this field, when IMoD DDR&D established, for the first time, the INNOFENSE innovation center and accelerator, in collaboration with iHLS. There too, the need to supply an agile and effective response to the constantly emerging challenges is well understood, as well as the need to harness the most innovative developments in the civilian sector to military needs. Out of 80 applications to the accelerator, only 5 startups were accepted by the DDR&D to the exclusive program.

Meital Keren Ben Dov, COO, founder and partner at iHLS, which specializes in business networking between the defense industries and technology and innovation companies, said that although the interaction between the defense establishment and civilian technologies is not new, the defense system’s decision to create a synergy between the defense market, previously self-contained, and the thriving civilian market in Israel – has opened the ecosystem towards a new reality.

iHLS which has been organizing annual conferences and exhibitions on security and HLS technologies has identified this trend, and this year the company is organizing the largest event on innovative technologies in security, HLS and dual-use applications. 

The iHLS InnoTech Expo Tel Aviv, which will include a giant exhibition and several conferences, as well as a startup competition, will be attended by world delegations, senior officials from government and defense, the police, security and intelligence organizations, senior representatives from Israeli and global defense industries, technology companies and hundreds of startups.

Get updated in the latest technologies in:

• HLS
• Cyber
• Public safety
• Emergency response and preparedness
• Critical infrastructure 
• Border and perimeter security
• Law enforcement
• Mass transportation security
• CBRN
• Intelligence and counter-terror

and more

At the event you will be able to showcase your advanced technologies in the field, meet the startups operating in this technological arena, take a firsthand look at the innovative technologies currently being developed, meet your own business arena: industry leaders, decision-makers, experts, entrepreneurs, customers, and partners.

For all the details – InnoTech

Sponsorship, booth, registration