Peloni: If the US did not have access to the Israeli military to test, improve and innovate US military hardware in real battlefield conditions, it would greatly change the advantage which the US today enjoys over its adversaries. As Amb. Ettinger has repeatedly stated, Israel provides the US with a unique force multiplying advantage for the US military which greatly dwarfs the US investment allocated to Israel. But this is just part of the benefits to the US tax payer which comes from such an investment, which Ettinger explores in the following seven minute video:
By | May 2, 2025
Israel receives $3.8 billion in annual military aid from the US government. Almost all of it is spent on American weapons. This aid is not a one-way street. Israel has done more to improve existing American weaponry, and to share with the American military the IDF’s latest technological innovations, than all of the NATO countries combined. Professor John Spencer has provided a description of those Israeli advances that are now benefiting American servicemen here: “How Israeli Military Technology Continues to Improve the US Military,” by INSS, April 27, 2025:
After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the US Department of Defense undertook an extensive evaluation of the conflict, commissioning no fewer than 37 separate studies, including a still-classified seven-volume report on weapon systems. American military personnel walked the battlefields alongside Israeli commanders who had fought there, analyzing the strategies and technologies that enabled Israel to prevail against overwhelming odds. The lessons drawn from Israel’s battlefield successes would profoundly shape US military doctrine, directly influencing the development of AirLand Battle doctrine and the “Big Five” weapon systems—Apache helicopters, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, Patriot missile systems, Abrams tanks, and Black Hawk helicopters. These advancements, combined with new operational approaches emphasizing speed, firepower, and joint-force coordination, would redefine modern warfare.
Since that study, the US military’s enduring engagement with Israeli defense innovations continues to influence the US military’s combat strategies and systems. From tank protection systems to artificial intelligence-powered warfare solutions, Israeli defense firms and research institutions have consistently delivered cutting-edge innovations that have found their way into the American military. Many of these technologies were born out of Israel’s unique security challenges and its need for rapid innovation in urban and asymmetric warfare. The US military has adopted many of Israel’s systems and integrated them into combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and various counterterrorism operations worldwide.
The Israeli Emergency Bandage: A Battlefield Lifesaver
While Israeli innovations have shaped military doctrine and force structures, they have also had a direct impact on individual warfighters, as seen in battlefield medical advancements. The Emergency Bandage—a simple yet highly effective hemorrhage control dressing developed by an Israeli military medic—has saved countless American lives. First introduced in the 1990s, the bandage features a built-in pressure applicator that allows soldiers to treat severe wounds with one hand.
The US military adopted the Emergency Bandage in the early 2000s, particularly as it faced increasing casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan due to IEDs and small arms fire. It is now standard issue in the individual first aid kits of American soldiers, special operations forces, and first responders.
Armored Bulldozers: A Critical Urban Warfare Tool
The Israeli military’s adaptation of the D9 bulldozer into a heavily armored combat bulldozer offered a battlefield-tested model that directly influenced American operations in Iraq. In 2003, the US military procured 14 Israeli-armored D9s, developed by Israel’s military engineering corps, for use in combat zones like Iraq. While it remains uncertain where these specific units were deployed in Iraq, their acquisition illustrates the growing recognition of Israeli expertise in modifying heavy equipment for urban warfare. Some reports indicate that armored D9s were used in the Second Battle of Fallujah, possibly equipped with Israeli-designed armor kits that enabled US forces to breach barricades, demolish fortified positions, and reduce the risk to dismounted troops. In Israeli service, the D9 has been heavily employed in Gaza, where it has been used to clear booby-trapped buildings, uncover tunnel shafts, and breach barricades under fire—often while under threat from IEDs and anti-tank missiles. To further protect operators and sustain the platform’s urban utility, Israel developed a remote-controlled version of the bulldozer. This unmanned variant allows forces to conduct critical combat engineering tasks in high-risk zones without exposing soldiers to direct fire, demonstrating how the D9 continues to evolve as a life-saving tool on the modern battlefield….
Did you understand all of that technical stuff? No, I didn’t either. But I get the idea: Israel is the technological gift that keeps on giving. Those $3.8 billion in American aid given each year to Israel is the best possible investment in our own security. The next time someone complains on social media that “we spend too much on Israel” refer them to — no, quote in detail — Professor Spencer’s exhaustive list of Israeli military innovations. Israel is our not-so-secret weapon. China doesn’t have it, Russia doesn’t have it. But we do.
In addition to everything that ambassidor Ettinger mentions, Israel has actively developed many of the weapons systems that the U.S. is using right now. These weapons systems are described in official U.S. publications as joint invention of Israel and America and jointly manufactured by them. Many Israeli ‘start-up” corporations active in the U.S. also provide military technology to several different braches of the U.S. military, the CIA and other USG agencies.