HEAVILY ARMED MILITARY ROBOTS WILL GUARD THE BORDER TO GAZA.
IDF
After Its Gaza War, Israel Is Sending Armed Robots to Watch Hamas
Supposedly Jaguars will assume routine patrol duties for the Gaza division, reducing by one battalion the forces deployed to guard the barrier.
by Sebastien Roblin
Here's What You Need to Remember: The IDF has broader ambitions to eventually integrate the Jaguar into its conventional warfighting capabilities, using it as an expendable scout at the vanguard of mobile ground formations. However, the system’s role in a border patrol and possibly anti-riot capacity will likely continue to receive scrutiny as public security services across the world explore deploying unmanned systems with offensive capabilities.
A photo posted last Saturday appears to confirm that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has operationally deployed Jaguar robotic vehicles armed with machine guns to patrol the Gaza border wall. The unmanned system also has a built-in public address system which could be used to warn border infiltrators to cease and desist.
It’s unclear how recently this began, as the image, posted by the National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of a small Marxist-Leninist Palestinian group, is undated. The IDF first announced it would deploy the mobile robotic sentries earlier in April, prior to a war with Hamas in May.
The Gaza border barrier, which began construction in 1994 and has been progressively reinforced since, encompasses the small coastal territory governed by the extremist group Hamas.
The wall has decreased the frequency of terrorist attacks on nearby Israeli communities, prompting Hamas’s current focus on using rockets to attack Israel. However, the barrier (which is matched by a barrier on the Egyptian border) also has cut off Gazans from employment, emergency medical care, and other services. Palestinians routinely organize protests near the wall which at times have been met with lethal force. Hamas militants also frequently shoot at the IDF forces guarding the barrier with anti-tank missiles, sniper rifles and mortars.
Supposedly Jaguars will assume routine patrol duties for the Gaza division, reducing by one battalion the forces deployed to guard the barrier. The diminutive six-wheeled unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) built by Israeli Aerospace Industries weighs only 1.5 tons and uses numerous high-resolution cameras both for surveillance and to avoid getting stuck while driving on rough terrain. This sort of self-driving capacity is seen as a technical breakthrough given how much harder it is to implement self-driving vehicles in off-road contexts. The Jaguar’s sensor also allows it to operate in fog and dust, and the vehicle can automatically recharge itself at a charging station with a simple command.
The armament—either a 7.62-millimeter FN MAG or 5.56-millimeter Negev machine gun with 400 or 500 rounds, respectively—is mounted on a stabilized Pitbull remote weapon system made by Israeli firm General Robotic. This weighs around 200 pounds and allows accurate fire while on the move. Cameras integrated in the Pitbull enable detection of a human being from up to 1.2 kilometers away in daylight, or out to 800 meters at night using a thermal sight.
It also can also be optionally equipped with sensors designed to pinpoint the sources of incoming small arms and anti-tank fire, as well as employ a radar, though the IDF hasn’t revealed to what extent it’s deploying those capabilities.
However, it’s reported the Jaguar is fitted with a self-disabling device so that, in the event one falls into the hands of hostile forces, they won’t be able to recover any sensitive components. It also can transmit its coordinates so that it can be tracked and presumably destroyed by an orbiting drone.
An IDF soldier also comments that the Jaguar “…can mount almost any weapon, rocket launchers, less [than] lethal weapons and crowd-dispersal means.” The latter two items suggest that beyond Gaza, Jaguars may be employed in confrontations with protesters or rioters.
Like the aforementioned robotic sentry gun turrets deployed around Gaza, the Jaguar is usually remotely operated by a human being, and would typically be teamed up with dismounted soldiers observing from a safe vantage and surveillance drones flying overhead. The command link reportedly has a range of “miles,” which if true, is impressive given difficulties maintaining a reliable communication link with other robotic ground combat vehicles.
In an article for Shephard Media, Arie Egozie that “The [Concept of Operations] for Jaguar is to integrate it with tactical forces in mobile, dismounted operations. The IDF foresees a support role for the vehicle in a wide range of missions, including intelligence, surveillance and armed reconnaissance; convoy protection; decoy; ambush; and attack.”
In a video, an IDF soldier explains “Surveillance teams will plan the missions and operate the assets under the commander’s instructions. When there is a threat, there is always a person in the control room, who handles the incident.”
Ordinarily, decisions to use lethal force would be made by the operator using a “touch and fire” interface, with the robot automatically adjusting its aim to track a moving target and correct for accuracy. The Pitbull also has a track-and-fire capability for shooting down aerial drones.
However, Egozie writes “…where necessary, pre-programmed scenarios enable the UGV to fire autonomously [ie. without direct human command].”
In combat, that mode might be desirable when facing possible disruption to the Jaguar’s command link. But in areas proximate to civilians, such a mode could pose ethical issues because that could mean entrusting an artificial intelligence to make decisions on whether or not to kill a human being. Discriminating military from civilian targets is already difficult for human beings, and an artificial intelligence may have a weaker grasp of the context to make such decisions.
The IDF has broader ambitions to eventually integrate the Jaguar into its conventional warfighting capabilities, using it as an expendable scout at the vanguard of mobile ground formations. However, the system’s role in a border patrol and possibly anti-riot capacity will likely continue to receive scrutiny as public security services across the world explore deploying unmanned systems with offensive capabilities.
Israel is Using Robots with Machine Guns to Patrol Gaza Border
The Jaguar's role in a border patrol and possibly anti-riot capacity will likely continue to receive scrutiny as public security services across the world explore deploying unmanned systems with offensive capabilities.
The Jaguar's role in a border patrol and possibly anti-riot capacity will likely continue to receive scrutiny as public security services across the world explore deploying unmanned systems with offensive capabilities.
by Sebastien Roblin
Aphoto posted last Saturday appears to confirm that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has operationally deployed Jaguar robotic vehicles armed with machine guns to patrol the Gaza border wall. The unmanned system also has a built-in public address system which could be used to warn border infiltrators to cease and desist.
It’s unclear how recently this began, as the image, posted by the National Resistance Brigades, the armed wing of a small Marxist-Leninist Palestinian group, is undated. The IDF first announced it would deploy the mobile robotic sentries earlier in April, prior to a war with Hamas in May.
The Gaza border barrier, which began construction in 1994 and has been progressively reinforced since, encompasses the small coastal territory governed by the extremist group Hamas.
The wall has decreased the frequency of terrorist attacks on nearby Israeli communities, prompting Hamas’s current focus on using rockets to attack Israel. However, the barrier (which is matched by a barrier on the Egyptian border) also has cut off Gazans from employment, emergency medical care, and other services. Palestinians routinely organize protests near the wall which at times have been met with lethal force. Hamas militants also frequently shoot at the IDF forces guarding the barrier with anti-tank missiles, sniper rifles and mortars.
Supposedly Jaguars will assume routine patrol duties for the Gaza division, reducing by one battalion the forces deployed to guard the barrier. The diminutive six-wheeled unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) built by Israeli Aerospace Industries weighs only 1.5 tons and uses numerous high-resolution cameras both for surveillance and to avoid getting stuck while driving on rough terrain. This sort of self-driving capacity is seen as a technical breakthrough given how much harder it is to implement self-driving vehicles in off-road contexts. The Jaguar’s sensor also allows it to operate in fog and dust, and the vehicle can automatically recharge itself at a charging station with a simple command.
The armament—either a 7.62-millimeter FN MAG or 5.56-millimeter Negev machine gun with 400 or 500 rounds, respectively—is mounted on a stabilized Pitbull remote weapon system made by Israeli firm General Robotic. This weighs around 200 pounds and allows accurate fire while on the move. Cameras integrated in the Pitbull enable detection of a human being from up to 1.2 kilometers away in daylight, or out to 800 meters at night using a thermal sight.
It also can also be optionally equipped with sensors designed to pinpoint the sources of incoming small arms and anti-tank fire, as well as employ a radar, though the IDF hasn’t revealed to what extent it’s deploying those capabilities.
However, it’s reported the Jaguar is fitted with a self-disabling device so that, in the event one falls into the hands of hostile forces, they won’t be able to recover any sensitive components. It also can transmit its coordinates so that it can be tracked and presumably destroyed by an orbiting drone.
An IDF soldier also comments that the Jaguar “…can mount almost any weapon, rocket launchers, less [than] lethal weapons and crowd-dispersal means.” The latter two items suggest that beyond Gaza, Jaguars may be employed in confrontations with protesters or rioters.
Like the aforementioned robotic sentry gun turrets deployed around Gaza, the Jaguar is usually remotely operated by a human being, and would typically be teamed up with dismounted soldiers observing from a safe vantage and surveillance drones flying overhead. The command link reportedly has a range of “miles,” which if true, is impressive given difficulties maintaining a reliable communication link with other robotic ground combat vehicles.
In an article for Shephard Media, Arie Egozie that “The [Concept of Operations] for Jaguar is to integrate it with tactical forces in mobile, dismounted operations. The IDF foresees a support role for the vehicle in a wide range of missions, including intelligence, surveillance and armed reconnaissance; convoy protection; decoy; ambush; and attack.”
In a video, an IDF soldier explains “Surveillance teams will plan the missions and operate the assets under the commander’s instructions. When there is a threat, there is always a person in the control room, who handles the incident.”
Ordinarily, decisions to use lethal force would be made by the operator using a “touch and fire” interface, with the robot automatically adjusting its aim to track a moving target and correct for accuracy. The Pitbull also has a track-and-fire capability for shooting down aerial drones.
However, Egozie writes “…where necessary, pre-programmed scenarios enable the UGV to fire autonomously [ie. without direct human command].”
In combat, that mode might be desirable when facing possible disruption to the Jaguar’s command link. But in areas proximate to civilians, such a mode could pose ethical issues because that could mean entrusting an artificial intelligence to make decisions on whether or not to kill a human being. Discriminating military from civilian targets is already difficult for human beings, and an artificial intelligence may have a weaker grasp of the context to make such decisions.
The IDF has broader ambitions to eventually integrate the Jaguar into its conventional warfighting capabilities, using it as an expendable scout at the vanguard of mobile ground formations. However, the system’s role in a border patrol and possibly anti-riot capacity will likely continue to receive scrutiny as public security services across the world explore deploying unmanned systems with offensive capabilities.
Sébastien Roblin holds a Master’s Degree in Conflict Resolution from Georgetown University and served as a university instructor for the Peace Corps in China. He has also worked in education, editing, and refugee resettlement in France and the United States. He currently writes on security and military history for War Is Boring.
Israel Reportedly Sends Robots Armed With Machine Guns to Gaza Border Days After Easing Some Restrictions
BY MADZ DIZON JUN 25, 2021
The Gaza Strip in Palestine has effectively become an open-air jail, with people's movements severely limited and regulated, due to the influence of Israel's military. To add to the confusion, Israel is now sending killer robots to patrol the border.
Thick barriers, a naval blockade, drones, machine gun turrets, and armed soldiers protect Gaza's border with Israel. Adding to these are Jaguars, tank-like robots armed with 7.62-millimeter machine guns, which are now patrolling the heavily secured border.
The Jaguar has already been spotted near the Palestinian border where it will be used to disperse crowds. It is also equipped to shoot down armed militants attempting to enter or fire missiles into Israel. According to an Israeli militar press release, the Jaguar robot is semi-autonomous, which means it can guide itself to a target and identify problems along the route.
Israel's semi-autonomous robots
However, in most cases, a human operator will instruct the robot to fire its machine gun - or, if it has been corrupted, to self-destruct. While those human operators must use a point-and-shoot interface to pull the trigger, the Jaguar's software can automatically change its aim to better target whatever the soldier is instructing it to fire at.
While the Jaguar's deployment may achieve its claimed purpose of keeping more Israeli soldiers out of harm's way, the Daily Beast points out that the robots are likely to exacerbate tensions along the Gaza border.
Israel recently announced that it will relax trading and fishing restrictions in the Gaza Strip, which were imposed during 11 days of conflict with the Palestinian enclave's Hamas leadership last month. With the help of Egypt, Israel maintains tight control over Gaza's borders. During the last month's fighting, Israel tightened its restrictions and suspended Gaza exports. It also restricted raw material importation and reduced the fishing area available to Palestinians.
With the ceasefire imposed by Egypt mostly holding, Israel permitted a limited reopening of commercial exports from Gaza on Monday. Hamas, on the other hand, wanted a broader relaxation of restrictions and hinted at the prospect of restarting hostilities, Reuters via MSN reported.
Due to Israeli limitations on raw materials imports, notably carbon dioxide gas, at least one factory in the Strip, Pepsi Gaza, closed. Coordination of Government Activities in Territories, the agency that oversees civilian activities in the area, did not specify which raw commodities will be permitted into the country.
Last week, Egypt and the UN stepped up mediation after incendiary balloons fired from Gaza triggered retaliatory Israeli air attacks on Hamas targets, putting the fragile ceasefire in jeopardy. Gaza militants fired rockets at Israeli cities and Israel conduct airstrikes across the coastal enclave last month. At least 250 Palestinians and 13 Israeli were killed.
Tensions between Hamas and Israel may re-escalate
Israel has permitted Palestinians stranded in Jordan to return home through the Erez border, according to the Palestinian Authority's (PA) General Authority for Civil Affairs in Gaza. It also allowed for the return of inbound and outbound mail to Gaza, as well as the export of agricultural commodities and sewing industry items. This is in response to a ban that went into force on May 11.
In Gaza City on June 22, Hamas met with Tor Wennesland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, and his delegation to further UN efforts to stabilize the cease-fire and lift the Gaza barrier. However, the conference concluded on a bad note, with tensions mounting once more.
The discussion with the UN was unfavorable, according to Yahya al-Sinwar, the Gaza Strip's Hamas head, who warned Israel about the "consequences of maintaining the barrier on the coastal enclave in place and blackmailing the resistance and the Palestinian people." The Hamas leadership released a statement warning Israel against slow steps in removing the closure and failing to commit to the previously agreed-upon understandings, and delaying the reconstruction work, as per Al-Monitor.
Prison Guards
Palestine’s Gaza Strip, thanks to the influence of Israel’s military, has functionally become an open-air prison where residents’ movements are heavily restricted and controlled. And now, to up the ante, Israel is sending killer robots to guard the border.
The border between Gaza and Israel is guarded by thick walls, a naval blockade, drones, machine gun turrets, and armed soldiers. Now, the heavily-reinforced border is also patrolled by tank-like robots called Jaguars armed with 7.62-millimeter machine guns, according to the Daily Beast. The Jaguar has already been photographed at the border, where it’s expected to handle crowd dispersal and perhaps even shoot down armed combatants trying to enter or fire projectiles into Israel.
Locked On
The Jaguar robot is semi-autonomous, according to a press release from the Israeli military, meaning it can steer itself to a designated target and spot obstacles on the way. But under most circumstances, a human operator will actually tell the robot to fire its machine gun — or, if it’s compromised, to self-destruct.
While those human operators need to actually pull the trigger through a “point-and-shoot” interface, the Daily Beast notes that the Jaguar’s software can automatically adjust its aim to better target whatever it thinks the soldier was telling it to fire at. That little add-on, plus the fact that the Jaguar comes pre-programmed with the ability to fire autonomously in certain scenarios — likely to return fire — present an unsettling glimpse of a future where killer robots can select and terminate human targets all on their own.
While the deployment of the Jaguar may accomplish its stated goals of keeping more Israeli soldiers out of harm’s way, the Daily Beast notes that the robots will probably only increase tensions at the Gaza border. For as long as the residents of Gaza continue to live in a heavily-militarized dystopia, it’s hard to imagine the deployment of killer robots will do anything except make matters worse.
READ MORE: Israel Is Sending Robots With Machine Guns To Gaza Border [The Daily Beast]
BY MADZ DIZON JUN 25, 2021
The Gaza Strip in Palestine has effectively become an open-air jail, with people's movements severely limited and regulated, due to the influence of Israel's military. To add to the confusion, Israel is now sending killer robots to patrol the border.
Thick barriers, a naval blockade, drones, machine gun turrets, and armed soldiers protect Gaza's border with Israel. Adding to these are Jaguars, tank-like robots armed with 7.62-millimeter machine guns, which are now patrolling the heavily secured border.
The Jaguar has already been spotted near the Palestinian border where it will be used to disperse crowds. It is also equipped to shoot down armed militants attempting to enter or fire missiles into Israel. According to an Israeli militar press release, the Jaguar robot is semi-autonomous, which means it can guide itself to a target and identify problems along the route.
Israel's semi-autonomous robots
However, in most cases, a human operator will instruct the robot to fire its machine gun - or, if it has been corrupted, to self-destruct. While those human operators must use a point-and-shoot interface to pull the trigger, the Jaguar's software can automatically change its aim to better target whatever the soldier is instructing it to fire at.
While the Jaguar's deployment may achieve its claimed purpose of keeping more Israeli soldiers out of harm's way, the Daily Beast points out that the robots are likely to exacerbate tensions along the Gaza border.
Israel recently announced that it will relax trading and fishing restrictions in the Gaza Strip, which were imposed during 11 days of conflict with the Palestinian enclave's Hamas leadership last month. With the help of Egypt, Israel maintains tight control over Gaza's borders. During the last month's fighting, Israel tightened its restrictions and suspended Gaza exports. It also restricted raw material importation and reduced the fishing area available to Palestinians.
With the ceasefire imposed by Egypt mostly holding, Israel permitted a limited reopening of commercial exports from Gaza on Monday. Hamas, on the other hand, wanted a broader relaxation of restrictions and hinted at the prospect of restarting hostilities, Reuters via MSN reported.
Due to Israeli limitations on raw materials imports, notably carbon dioxide gas, at least one factory in the Strip, Pepsi Gaza, closed. Coordination of Government Activities in Territories, the agency that oversees civilian activities in the area, did not specify which raw commodities will be permitted into the country.
Last week, Egypt and the UN stepped up mediation after incendiary balloons fired from Gaza triggered retaliatory Israeli air attacks on Hamas targets, putting the fragile ceasefire in jeopardy. Gaza militants fired rockets at Israeli cities and Israel conduct airstrikes across the coastal enclave last month. At least 250 Palestinians and 13 Israeli were killed.
Tensions between Hamas and Israel may re-escalate
Israel has permitted Palestinians stranded in Jordan to return home through the Erez border, according to the Palestinian Authority's (PA) General Authority for Civil Affairs in Gaza. It also allowed for the return of inbound and outbound mail to Gaza, as well as the export of agricultural commodities and sewing industry items. This is in response to a ban that went into force on May 11.
In Gaza City on June 22, Hamas met with Tor Wennesland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, and his delegation to further UN efforts to stabilize the cease-fire and lift the Gaza barrier. However, the conference concluded on a bad note, with tensions mounting once more.
The discussion with the UN was unfavorable, according to Yahya al-Sinwar, the Gaza Strip's Hamas head, who warned Israel about the "consequences of maintaining the barrier on the coastal enclave in place and blackmailing the resistance and the Palestinian people." The Hamas leadership released a statement warning Israel against slow steps in removing the closure and failing to commit to the previously agreed-upon understandings, and delaying the reconstruction work, as per Al-Monitor.
Prison Guards
Palestine’s Gaza Strip, thanks to the influence of Israel’s military, has functionally become an open-air prison where residents’ movements are heavily restricted and controlled. And now, to up the ante, Israel is sending killer robots to guard the border.
The border between Gaza and Israel is guarded by thick walls, a naval blockade, drones, machine gun turrets, and armed soldiers. Now, the heavily-reinforced border is also patrolled by tank-like robots called Jaguars armed with 7.62-millimeter machine guns, according to the Daily Beast. The Jaguar has already been photographed at the border, where it’s expected to handle crowd dispersal and perhaps even shoot down armed combatants trying to enter or fire projectiles into Israel.
Locked On
The Jaguar robot is semi-autonomous, according to a press release from the Israeli military, meaning it can steer itself to a designated target and spot obstacles on the way. But under most circumstances, a human operator will actually tell the robot to fire its machine gun — or, if it’s compromised, to self-destruct.
While those human operators need to actually pull the trigger through a “point-and-shoot” interface, the Daily Beast notes that the Jaguar’s software can automatically adjust its aim to better target whatever it thinks the soldier was telling it to fire at. That little add-on, plus the fact that the Jaguar comes pre-programmed with the ability to fire autonomously in certain scenarios — likely to return fire — present an unsettling glimpse of a future where killer robots can select and terminate human targets all on their own.
While the deployment of the Jaguar may accomplish its stated goals of keeping more Israeli soldiers out of harm’s way, the Daily Beast notes that the robots will probably only increase tensions at the Gaza border. For as long as the residents of Gaza continue to live in a heavily-militarized dystopia, it’s hard to imagine the deployment of killer robots will do anything except make matters worse.
READ MORE: Israel Is Sending Robots With Machine Guns To Gaza Border [The Daily Beast]
No comments:
Post a Comment