Israeli men and women are required to fulfill their duty of service in the national defense. Men are required to serve for three years and women for two years. After completing their third year of high school, the young people complete their military service first and then travel abroad to developing countries for about a year and a half. After this, they are ready to knock on the university’s door to study. Simply put, they have to go through many hardships and experience first and then explore what they want to study afterward. Israel’s education system, which places a high value on national defense, resulted in the creation of one of the most advanced defense weapons ever made: the infamous Iron Dome.

Iron Dome is an air defense system used by Israel to intercept and destroy short-range rockets, artillery shells and mortars fired from distances of up to 45 miles, to protect civilian areas in the path of such projectiles.

In addition to the regular units, some of the best elite units are made up of high school seniors who have been chosen separately through rigorous tests. Among them, the most envied unit of all is the Talpiot unit, which towers over all others. Only 50 of the most gifted science students are recruited, and they serve six more years of military service after completing their university courses in three years. 

If you read my translation of the book, "The Secret of Israel Talpiot," then will recall that their world unfolds similarly to the story of KAIST in Korea. Unit 8200 is also famous for recruiting talented students in mathematics. The two elite units are waiting with anxiety for invitations like high school seniors, who look forward to getting accepted to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton universities. In fact, the two units are also the cradle of the startups of Israel.

Israel has always had a difficult existence since it was founded in the Palestinian Territories by UN resolution in 1948. Since that time, it has not had a moment of peaceful rest due to it constantly being embroiled in conflicts and wars, big and small.
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It is not difficult to see how a country that was destroyed 2,000 years ago until the United Nations approved its formation and declared its sovereignty resulting in the forcible displacement of the indigenous peoples, would face challenges. In fact, on May 14, 1948, when Israel became independent, was also the day that the first Middle East War broke out.

Israel is surrounded by enemies, except for the 150km of the western Mediterranean Sea. It is an island country of similar size to Korea's Chungcheong Province by land area. 

Thus, the constant besiege of thousands of missiles, particularly the short range shells and missiles, flying across their borders every year made them not be able to sleep comfortably a single night over the past 70 years.

However, an innovation by a team of elite Talpiot cadets would soon help to put an end to this fear. Talpiot cadets complete a bachelor's degree at Hebrew University for three years, and their summer vacation assignment for the third year is for each team to imagine a new weapon system. 'Iron Dome' was one of the ideas that came up on the new weapon system project led by Colonel Gandlin, a female guidance instructor from the Talpiot unit whom I was fortunate to meet.

Medium- and long-range missiles are easy to respond to as they are flying for tens of minutes or an hour or more after launch, but in the case of short-range missiles, it is almost impossible to detect and shoot them down in a matter of tens of seconds.

Gandlin’s Talpiot team proposed an algorithm that could address the problem of targeting the short-range missiles. The experts on the evaluation team analyzed the summer vacation proposal carefully, but opinions were mixed. Eventually, their evaluation stated that their idea was good, but it was judged impracticable. They received an A grade for the project but were told it was impossible to adopt the project.

Colonel Gandlin refused to give up and began with a national fundraising campaign with the other cadets. Fortunately, large companies responded and raised 30 percent of the development costs which led to calls for the project to be completed.

Eventually, the evaluation team overturned its original decision and supported the project to be implemented as a national project. Later, the U.S. government also contributed an additional 200 million dollars towards its development. It is difficult to contemplate what would have happened if Colonel Gandlin was simply satisfied with her grades and did not bother launching her follow-up appeal to have the project implemented!

The Iron Dome is tightly woven on the Israeli border through more than 70 Batteries. The triplex of sensing, tracking, and intercepting are able to shoot down missiles with 98% probability through organic collaboration in real-time. Currently, the ultra-fast computation function and GPS function have evolved to the point where the direction of interceptions and expected drop points of debris are predicted simultaneously, and the degree to which the launchpad can be designated to minimize civilian damage out of about 70 launchers is being evolved

As a representative example that clearly demonstrates the Jewish 'Chutzpah Spirit', I often cite this story in my lecture. Chutzpah is the shameless and indomitable spirit of challenging and challenging until it becomes possible, and Israel has its invincible Iron Dome defense system because of it. 
 

Yoon Jonglok, chair prof.(jonglok.yoon@gmail.com) 다른기사 보기