I recently been contracted to go to Israel and perform vulnerability assessments on ten different installations. People questioned why send an American to a country filled with security experts? wouldn’t it be more cost effective and logistically simple to have one of the locals perform the job? And these people may be right. What they do not understand is that we bring to the table is a unique aspect of security operations few others have. We are the perfect blend of Israeli and American fusion. Gaining academic knowledge in America but feeding off practical experience in Israel, we are able to draw on the best of both worlds. Over the past sixteen years we have been able to implement lessons forged in fire from Israel right here in America, and alternately, leverage technology and processes developed in the USA back in Israel. Flow of information goes both ways.
But how different are the two? After all, a shooter is a shooter, whether it is rooted in terrorism or workplace violence, is there truly a difference? Is the way to mitigate a risk at a school in Israel fearing their students would be kidnapped by Palestinians that different than a school in America worried about an Active Shooter incident executed by a disgruntled and mentally unstable student? The answer is: that even though the risks is similar, i.e. mass casualties due to wounds associated with small arms caliber rounds, the means to address it sure are fundamentally different. The reasons for the disparity in response options stem from dozens of years of having to execute a mission a certain way.
Israel is a military country. What I mean by that is that most people living there served in the military. Many went career. The leadership is mostly retired generals, and all major corporations are ran by former military officers. The way of thinking therefore is very much a product of a military framework. Furthermore, the Israeli Defense Forces are limited in resources, making the dependency on ingenuity and creativity much higher. There is less dependance on technology (although that is somewhat changing), but more on how to maximize the available resources to achieve a goal. Every soldier in Israel learns from day one to "do more with less"...and win. If a school in America will depend mostly on CCTV systems, alarms, intercom systems, and other technologies, a school in Israel will prefer depending on behavioral analysis and development of training programs for armed staff. Lower cost, higher return on investment.
Lastly, at least for the scope of this article, is the focus on Defense versus Deterrence. The two are integral part of any security mechanism. The goal is always to deter a potential attack, and if one takes place than to effectively initiate a defense process. However, one can see how the emphasis between deterrence and defense shift between the two nations. Americans are big on surveillance, and in the event that something grave happens there is a dependance on police response. Deterrence in the US is based on flaunting various technological items, such as cameras, as if saying “we are secure. Go somewhere else”. Israel’s security is based on a posture of “don’t mess with us”. You may not see as many cameras, or as many gates, and you may even play down the effectiveness of the guard at the door, but there is an unspoken understanding that if you were to try something then the results would be very grave for you, and the scenario would typically be solved by the people on-site.
Is one better than the other? Absolutely no. The two have merits. The two have value. And in a perfect world we could implement both. But Israelis don’t have the fiscal resources that Americans have and thus depend on the human element, while Americans are too worried about political correctness that any sort of “profiling” is viewed as negative, thus depending on technology instead.
So when I perform a security assessment in either country I benefit from my experience and knowledge from both countries. I am able to recommend to organizations in Israel security elements from America and vice verse. In either country I am viewed as the one that “thinks outside the box”, when essentially I am just thinking in a different box.
As always, stay safe and watch your six.
BK Blankchtein
Masada Tactical Protective Services.
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