Posted on 09/17/2003 12:11:54 PM PDT by IsraelBeach
Exclusive: IDF training software to go to US forces in Iraq By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN
The US military has asked the Israeli army to translate its special educational software program that teaches soldiers how to behave in occupied territories, so US forces can apply it in Iraq, senior Israeli officers said Wednesday.
The newly completed completed software teaches the IDF's code of conduct, which is based on 11 principles. These deal with such issues as how to behave at roadblocks, during arrests and searches and with rioters. All are common events soldiers face in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The software, developed by the Judge Advocate General's office, will be distributed to command courses in the IDF by the end of the month. It uses movie clips, animation and scenarios to show soldiers what is the right and wrong way to behave in this sensitive area of limited combat. It was made in conjunction with the Ground Forces Command education and technology department.
"This is an interactive software program based on movie clips and animation aimed at teaching junior commanders the 11 codes of conduct regarding the civilian population," said Lt.-Col. Amos Giora, Commandant of the IDF School of Military Law. "It is geared toward what is going on in the territories, but can also be applied to war and combat situations."
Giora said the idea for the software program grew out of mounting requests by field commanders for IDF jurists to lecture to troops on how to behave properly when engaged in combat situations in the territories.
"During the past year we lectured to thousands of soldiers and commanders on the modes of conduct, but realized that the best way to deal with this considering our limited staff was to make a software program," Giora said.
The goal is for all troops serving in the territories to use the program.
Giora said US military personnel who have seen the program responded positively to it.
"They tell us that from their perspective, parts of it are clearly relevant with what they are going through in Iraq," Giora told The Jerusalem Post. "If you view our experiences and theirs, you can obviously see they are similar. This educational software can teach them these codes of conduct."
The US embassy in Tel Aviv confirmed that American military personnel had been shown the software and agreed it was a useful tool for soldiers, but declined to comment further.
The code of conduct drew upon various international and Israeli laws and various principles of war. The result rested on these 11 principles:
Military action can only be taken against military targets.
The use of force must be proportional.
Soldiers may only use weaponry they were issued by the IDF
Anyone who surrenders cannot be attacked.
Only those who are properly trained can interrogate prisoners.
Soldiers must show dignity and respect to the Palestinian population and those arrested
Soldiers must give appropriate medical care when conditions allows to yourself and your enemy
Pillaging is absolutely and totally illegal
Soldiers must show proper respect for religious and cultural sites and artifacts
Soldiers must protect international aid workers, including their property and vehicles
Soldiers must report all violations of this code. The interactive program can be used in army laptop computers and classrooms.
"What is important is that they get immediate feedback and are told whether their answers are correct and given explanations," Giora said.
Some of the clips used come from the movies "Apocalypse Now," "The Year of Living Dangerously," and "The English Patient." Animation is used to drive home difficult situations, such as how to treat ambulances, which have sometimes been used to transport gunmen and suicide bombers.
In one animated simulation, an ambulance drives across the screen and then a gunman pops out and starts shooting from it. When this happens soldiers are taught the status of the vehicle changes.
The program contains six simulations. One, for example, has two soldiers in a jeep pulling up to a makeshift roadblock. They are faced with dilemmas. Can they ask Palestinians to remove the stones? Do they have to wait for sappers? Or can they remove the rocks themselves? The answer is in the program.
The harsh treatment by soldiers of Palestinians, particularly at roadblocks has come under criticism, but groups like the Association of Civil Rights in Israel say this is the exception and not the norm.
"There is still a lot of room for improvement," said ACRI official Noa Stein. "This is a necessary step and should have been done before hand and shows the need for the deepening of values among soldiers because we know it is far from the desired situation out there."
Giora said field commanders have pressured the Judge Advocate General's office for the educational program.
"Commanders tell us that if their soldiers better understand the codes of conduct, his operational level will increase because he will know that his troops will react as required," Giora said. "The combination of the movies and animation make this very user-friendly, particularly compared to an hour-long stand up lecture on international law."
Anyone who surrenders cannot be attacked.
There's a rule that can cause some problems considering the enemy we are facing. They are not beyond surrendering, letting soldiers get near and blowing themselves (and the soldiers) to smithereens.
Their strategy is simply to inflict casualties on American soldiers, and then let their allies, the DemocRATS in America take care of the rest.
When they explode, then their status changes and you're allowed to shoot them.
Of course, it's too late then.
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