Israel’s unique ability to learn, adapt and rapidly turn battlefield experience into new procedures is a characteristic increasingly studied by other armies preparing for their own wars.
By Hezy Laing
Israel’s small size and constant exposure to war have forced the IDF to turn battlefield experience into tactical innovation unusually quickly.
From urban combat to tunnels, armored engineering and battlefield medicine, methods developed or refined by Israeli forces have increasingly attracted foreign militaries.
Some have been directly adopted, while others have been incorporated into training and doctrine.
Armored Bulldozers on the Front Lines
One of the primary examples is the armored D9 bulldozer. The IDF transformed the giant Caterpillar machine into a heavily protected combat vehicle capable of clearing barricades, opening routes and demolishing fortified positions while shielding its crew. After studying Israel’s 2002 Battle of Jenin, the United States acquired Israeli-armored D9s; by 2003, the U.S. military had procured 14 of them for combat-zone use. American troops also trained with Israeli forces on urban breaching techniques, including moving between buildings through walls rather than exposing soldiers in streets. The advantage over traditional bulldozers and conventional urban movement is that heavily armored engineering vehicles can clear obstacles and create access while exposing far fewer soldiers to enemy fire.
Tanks and Infantry as Single Force
Rather than sending infantry, tanks, engineers and drones forward as separate elements, the IDF increasingly integrates them at very low levels. Recent analysis of Gaza found infantry operating within roughly 100 meters of tanks, while engineers and drones provide immediate support. British analysts studying the Gaza campaign concluded that combined-arms elements may need to operate together down to the platoon level. The older approach could leave soldiers waiting for support from another unit or command level; tightly integrated forces can bring armor, infantry, engineering and reconnaissance together almost immediately, shortening the time between identifying a threat and responding to it.
Drones in Every Soldier’s Toolbox
Israeli forces have increasingly given infantry immediate aerial reconnaissance, allowing soldiers to see rooftops, streets and targets without waiting for higher-level intelligence or air support. Western armies studying Gaza are now examining similar organic drone capabilities for small combat formations. Previously, frontline troops often depended on information coming from larger drones, aircraft or higher headquarters, creating delays; a small drone controlled at unit level gives soldiers their own immediate view of the battlefield and allows them to react much faster.
Not Leaving Subterranean Warfare for Last
In previous wars, an army might first capture an area above ground and only afterward turn its attention to enemy tunnels beneath it. But this enabled underground fighters to suddenly pop up from hidden entrances and surprise troops. In Gaza, the IDF has increasingly taken the opposite approach: while fighting above ground, it is simultaneously searching for, mapping and attacking the tunnels underneath. Drones, intelligence, engineers, dogs, cameras and unmanned vehicles help locate tunnel entrances and investigate what lies below before soldiers are sent inside. This means the underground battlefield is dealt with as the ground offensive advances, rather than becoming a dangerous second phase after the area has been captured.
Saving Lives Under Fire
Israel’s battlefield medical system has become another source of foreign learning. Following October 7, 2023, U.S. Army medical specialists conducted a detailed study of IDF adaptations, describing Israel’s experience as a transformation “in contact” and examining lessons applicable to future American combat operations. The older model often treated evacuation as a separate stage after a soldier was wounded; modern Israeli battlefield medicine emphasizes rapid treatment and evacuation while combat is still underway, increasing the chances that critically wounded soldiers survive.
The common thread is Israel’s ability to learn, adapt and rapidly turn battlefield experience into new procedures—a characteristic increasingly studied by armies preparing for their own wars.
