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Ground Warfare Platforms Must be Reinvented for Future Complex and Lethal Conflicts

Israel Ministry of Defense

1/12/2025

These remarks were delivered by Brig. Gen. Oren Giber, Head of the Merkava and Armored Vehicles Directorate (MANTAK) at the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD), at the International DefenseTech Summit led by the IMOD's Directorate of Defense Research & Development (DDR&D), in collaboration with the Yuval Ne'eman workshop for Science, Technology & Security at Tel Aviv University at Tel Aviv University.

Brig. Gen. Giber further stated:"We are reinventing the central role of ground warfare platforms as forces prepare for future conflicts, which are expected to be complex and lethal. We are working to introduce robotic systems into tanks that enable information sharing between platforms, allowing for complete operational coverage. We will continue to develop and operate to achieve these capabilities.

"One way to accomplish this is to transition to off-the-shelf products, combining military with commercial-military solutions, unmanned systems alongside manned platforms, in an advanced combat architecture that delivers enormous operational output to the tactical edge. This is what we are striving to achieve within our ground warfare division.

"We are discussing systems weighing tens of tons, and operating them in complex urban terrain presents significant challenges. Our teams have found themselves operating in challenging conditions, with terrorist tunnels beneath them. Deploying an active defense system with full effectiveness in an urban environment is particularly complex.

"During active combat, the 'Trophy' defense system - which had been in development for years - proved itself and successfully protected our forces and fighters. We learned that we must develop flexible systems capable of rapid adaptation. This is precisely what we mean when we talk about reinventing our armored vehicles. Our challenge is to ensure that in the future we can equip our forces with advanced systems, in large quantities and with improved quality, but at lower cost."

Drawing lessons from Israel's ongoing military operations and real-world scenarios, the International DefenseTech Summit showcases cutting-edge advances in emerging technologies that are shaping the future of global security.

Key participants include: Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Baram, IMOD Director General; Brig. Gen. (Res.) Dr. Daniel Gold, Head of the DDR&D; Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Prof. Isaac Ben-Israel, Conference Chairman and Director of the Blavatnik ICRC at Tel Aviv University; Brig. Gen. Benny Aminov, Head of the DDR&D's Military R&D unit; Avi Berger, Head of the DDR&D's Space Program Office; Maj. Gen. (Res.) Nitzan Alon, Managing Partner at Elements Venture Capital; Michael Dodd, U.S. Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies and Acting Deputy Director of the Defense Innovation Unit; Dame Fiona Murray, Associate Dean of Innovation at MIT School of Management; Shaun Maguire, Partner at Sequoia Capital; Dr. Christian Steinborn, Head of Business Development Start-Up Activities at Rheinmetall AG; Francois Chopard, CEO & Founder of Starburst; and many other senior officials from Israel and worldwide.