Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Off To Tel Aviv - High Flyers

Day 4
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Feb. 12, 2008
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I'm calling this entry 'High Flyers'.  We began the day heading for the Hot Zone.  Departing early, we checked out of the King David Hotel and boarded the bus for the long ride southwest. We are heading toward the Gaza Strip.  The Gaza Strip is the source of many attacks on the Israeli people.  Our final destination was to an airstrip within five miles north of this hostile zone.  In the map below we are just south of Ashkelon (Ashqelon).
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This area is well within the range of the Kassam rockets often 
fired by the Hamas in this direction.
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Kassam Rockets
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This area and others to the north are no strangers to regular rocket barrages.  Below are the ranges that these rockets reach.
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Feet on the Ground  
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That's where we usually gather intelligence.  But in Israel there is another method in the toolbox.  The military now has the ability to track the movements of people where getting feet on the ground proves difficult.  After all it's not like the enemy is going to invite you in to see what they are up to.
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The newest tool is called a UAV or unmanned aerial vehicle.  These systems are used for low intensity reconnaissance missions.  The system is basically a miniature plane.  The very same we all dreamed of having when we were little kids.  This catapult launched plane can be assembled and deployed in less than 10 minutes.  It flies at an operational altitude of 2,000 ft. (15,000 ft. ceiling) at speeds between 25-65 knots.  This allows for rapid arrival to the target with a slow and constant surveillance.  With a published range of 15km it can stay aloft for 3 hours.
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I didn't take me long to find several non-military applications for this product.  Imagine for a minute that you own an off-shore or remote asset that is unmanned.  Can you think how this product might help? If you want more info about my ideas for this product post your comment and I will fill you in when I return.
This innovative company doesn't stop there.  They also manufacture a tethered balloon that uses the same payload.  By payload I mean the imaging device.  The imaging device is a high tech, high resolution PTZ camera that fixates on a specific object of interest while in the air. This means you get a complete view no matter where the payload is positioned.  The balloon system also has applications beyond the battle field.  Its seems ideal for use at large crowd venues such as stadiums or events where high altitude surveillance would be ideal to generate the appropriate response.
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Think you can shoot it down?  Think again, the balloon maintains pressure that is close to equal to the surrounding atmosphere.  This means that if you do manage to shoot it, it will stay afloat.  I say manage because under those particular test conditions the system was almost impossible to hit.
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Both these systems are currently being successfully deployed by the Israeli military and provide invaluable intelligence and constant reliability.  So again, if you are interested they have agreed to come over here to arrange for a live demo.  Serious inquiries only!!!
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Following this impressive demonstration we headed off to lunch.  Not too soon for me.  I have had nothing to eat or drink since I woke up this morning and by now I am starving.  After the all clear from our trusty armed security detail we made our way into a local restaurant for the traditional fare, meat kabobs and chopped salad.  Bread and oil for starters as always.  But no diet coke, ...the hunt for this elusive item rears it's head again.  I will not be denied!

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Ashkelon - The Beauty Behind the Fear
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After lunch we again boarded our bus for the short ride to Ashkelon to meet with the head of security for the city.  Ashkelon is a beautiful city on the Mediterranean.  It allure is only hampered by the nearly constant rocket attacks I mentioned earlier.  This ancient and historic city of 120,000 people is 7km from the Gaza Strip and is over 5,000 years old.  Don't let it's age fool you, in 2005 it was home to the worlds largest and most efficient water desalination plant. This is the very same plant that produces the fresh water used by the residents in Gaza.  The charge to Gaza for this fine water, $0.00.  That's right, Israel provides for free; all the fuel, water and power to Gaza.  What do they get in return, rocket attacks.  There seems to be a major disconnect here.
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Our security leader hails from Boston, complete with Boston accent.  He has been living in Israel for over 30 years and hold one of the city's most important posts.  With a growing community of mostly Russian immigrants he expects his city to grow rapidly and he is building new living quarters as quickly as he can.  All new construction must include the construction of a shelter to protect from the rocket attacks.  Since 2006 there have been 11 rocket launches on this city with 379 strikes.  For the most part the physical damage has been minimal but they still strike terror in the people.  This is because once a launch is confirmed by sirens located throughout the city, residents have 20 seconds to find shelter.  The city uses a "red alert" air raid siren system.  The dilemma is that since they are directly north of Gaza they have no idea if the rockets are aimed at them or another city north of them.  Better duck out of the way just to be safe.
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They are currently constructing a state-of-the-art command center and he has developed new working model to map and pinpoint specific installation and population densities.  That way when the city gets hit in a certain area he knows exactly how to respond and with what resources. He uses a 3 tiered 'response phases' program; 1-Immediate (police, medical and emergency), 2-First response (shelter, early repairs and treatment, and 3-Complete Response (rebuild, permanent repairs, and return to normal).  
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The bottom line is this place has their stuff together because in his words; "my biggest fear isn't the rocket attacks but what happens to the town when Israel decides on a full response to the attacks.  We have been told to prepare to live in shelters for a week to a month."  I wish them good luck.  I would love to come back here for a long vacation.  Now, where on earth can I find a diet coke.  Ahh!! over there down the street, well it's diet coke with lemon, that's close enough. I am declaring victory before the bus drives away leaving me behind.

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New Living Quarters and Dinner with a Dignitary
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Leaving Ashkelon we made our way north to our final destination, Tel Aviv.  The journey took the better part of an hour and I caught up on some much needed sleep.  Upon arrival and check in to the Sheraton Tel Aviv, there was no time to waste.  Tonight were having dinner at the house of Luis Moreno, Deputy Chief of Mission to the American Embassy.  Dressed in coat and tie we again boarded our bus for a trip to his exclusive neighborhood.  There were many people in attendance and this get to know you dinner/mixer was a welcomed relief.  I was able to forge some valuable future relationships for us all and generally came away thinking that the people of Israel are kind, thoughtful and hopeful.  You see Mr. Moreno really does not think of his border neighbors as evil and he welcomes a time when they can recognize each as independent states all living together.
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Time will tell, but for now it's time for me to hit the sack.  Another big day tomorrow.

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