Jerusalem [Israel], December 10 (ANI/TPS): The Head of The Space Office at the Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD) Directorate of Defense, Research & Development (DDR&D), Avi Berger, spoke at the first International Defense-Tech Summit this morning (Tuesday), led by the IMOD's DDR&D, in collaboration with the Blavatnik Cyber Research Center at Tel Aviv University. The summit brings together senior officials from the DDR&D, IDF, defense industries, academia, entrepreneurship, startups, and venture capital funds.
Mr Berger addressed the critical role of space capabilities in modern warfare.
"The current war is an intensive and aggressive war across seven arenas simultaneously, with some located about 2,000 km from Israel," he said. "Iran spans 1.6 million square kilometers, which makes the space dimension critical for supporting the IDF's operational activity. From the war's lessons so far, it's clear that we must do everything in our power to effectively utilize the space dimension, as space allows us always to know what's happening in other arenas at all times. A satellite passes from Iran to Israel within minutes and transfers information to our C4I arrays near real time. The new challenges we face now must be addressed. We need to aim for satellite constellations that will enable continuous information and collection above the entire Middle East with full access for the IDF and the entire defense establishment. Our responsibility at the Space Office is to develop our space capabilities so that the IDF has full, available, and continuous access to all seven arenas."
Against the backdrop of the current war, the IMOD reports a significant increase in industry cooperation with 86 Israeli startups and small companies, amounting to approximately $168 million between October 2023 and September 2024 - five times more than the same period last year (according to DDR&D data). These companies join about 200 other startups working with DDR&D to develop various innovative technologies and capabilities. The deepening cooperation between DDR&D and Israeli startups increases local manufacturing independence and strengthens the Israeli economy. (ANI/TPS)
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