AHL PODCAST Final Submission

The Iron Dome is a mobile missile defense system developed by Israel and the US. It uses radar-guided missiles to intercept incoming rockets and artillery shells. The system is 90% effective and consists of 10 batteries, each containing 60 to 80 missiles. The US has contributed $317 billion to Israel, mostly for defense, including research and development. Laser-guided munitions are not used as they are less dependable in inclement weather. The Iron Dome reflects Jewish principles of tikkun olam (advancement of the world) and Pekin Nevesh (preservation of human life). The resilience of the Jewish people throughout history is also highlighted. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on the impact of the Iron Dome on faith and trust in Israel. It's okay, no missiles are heading towards the building just yet, but take a seat, and let's talk about this horrifying sound, and why it might not be so horrifying after all. Hello, and welcome to the Two Amateur Historians Podcast. This is your host, Corey Bohannon, and co-host Gabriel Spafford, and today we'll be talking about the Iron Dome. So I'm going to call upon my amateur military expert and co-host, Mr. Gabriel Spafford, to show you exactly what this Iron Dome is, because even from its conception, certain U.S. officials doubted that it would succeed, and even to this point in time, it's only 90% effective. I wouldn't go as far to call myself an expert, but I definitely like to research weapons of warfare and whatnot, but the Iron Dome is a mobile missile defense system that counteracts incoming rockets and artillery shells in order to protect selected areas. Through the combined efforts of an Israeli defense company known as Rafael, and an American defense company called Raytheon, these two were actually able to produce a defensive countermeasure that achieves near-maximum efficiency in the realm of air defense capabilities. Alright, so this isn't some magical force field that's located over Israel, right? Yeah, man. Yeah, absolutely. It's not a weapon out of Star Wars. What it actually is, is a radar-guided missile system. The way it works is the radar picks up on an incoming projectile, and it will send one of two missiles, both having the same capabilities. One is just the Israeli variant, as the other is American. The Israeli version is a Tamir missile, and the American is the Skyhunter. For right now, as much as we currently know, just common knowledge you can find on the internet, there are 10 batteries, meaning there are 10 different units, and within each battery, there are 60 to 80 missiles per one, and each missile costs around $60,000. So it's no wonder the U.S. has to send over so much money, because these are expensive and effective. Yeah, man. So just by these calculations right here, through these 10 batteries, we're approaching $48 million, which isn't, you know, cheap exactly. But this doesn't even scratch the surface of what the U.S. has contributed to Israel. Just since the ending of World War II, we have contributed about $317 billion to the Israeli government, most of which being for defense. This comes in many different forms, not just weapons. R&D, or research and development, is also a major component of this $317 billion. This R&D aids in not only maintaining, but also furthering the efficiency and overall reach of the Iron Dome. This advancement is seen in new innovations such as laser munitions as an aiding asset to the original Iron Dome system. In regard to this, I am actually curious about why they don't just replace the whole system with laser-guided munitions. Well, the reason they don't replace the Iron Dome with laser munitions is simply due to the fact that they've done the research, they've tested the weapon itself to see how dependable it was, and there are actually failures to perform in inclement weather, like you've got just cloudy skies, or even a really dense fog layer can really mess with the dependability and the accuracy of a laser-guided munitions system. It's interesting that you mention dependability in the realm of advancement, because this draws near to a Jewish principle of tikkun olam, which is, in a sense, the repairing or advancement of the world. However, this is not the only Jewish principle that the Iron Dome represents. Another principle is the Pekin Nevesh, or the preservation of human life, because as we said earlier, the Iron Dome is a defense system and not an offensive weapon. And it is obvious that Jewish scripture points to a principle of defense such as seen in Exodus 22.1, where it states, If a thief is found breaking in, and he is struck so that he dies, there shall be no guilt for his bloodshed. I mean, honestly, it's interesting to think about not only their concepts and beliefs of defense of one another and the community as a whole, but if you think about the resilience that the people of the Jewish faith have displayed throughout history, I mean, through times of things like persecution, enslavement, even genocide, I mean, it really speaks volumes to their capacity for being a relentless, undying people that aren't afraid to be very persistently strong and united in times of great peril. In hindsight of the information Corey and I have provided in this episode, we would also like to provide some food for thought for our listeners today. Firstly, what aspects of the Iron Dome can you see in your own religion? And secondly, how do you think the concept of the Iron Dome has impacted the people of Israel in an aspect of faith and trust? This has been the Two Amateur Historians podcast. Thank you for listening. We hope to have you again for the next episode.