Rethinking Contemporary Warfare: A Sociological View of the Al-Aqsa Intifada

9. Technology, Gender, and New Combat Roles

125 9 Technology, Gender, and New Combat Roles Forces along the Separation Barrier Introduction The “separation barrier” constructed along the northern part of the West Bank has been at the center of much attention during the past few years. The common IDF term for the barrier is “the seam zone” (merkhav hatefer), a somewhat optimistic label referring to a combination of security measures, crossing points, and transportation arteries linking its two sides. The barrier itself, however, comprises ditches, patrol roads, delaying hedges, electronic fences, intrusion tracks (revealing footprints), and an array of technological means for monitoring people nearing or going through the crossing points (Folman 2004, 118–20; see http://www.securityfence.mod.gov.il). As a military source has it (HA August 29, 2003), while the territory around the barrier appears to be empty, this is an illusion, because “we base our activities on very advanced technology.” This is a “smart” fence that automatically signals where and when it has been touched. Among the technological means used are cameras and sensors providing pictures of the area and communications links between control rooms and combat forces that can be activated within minutes (YA September 9, 2005). Organizationally, the barrier comprises both specialized forces for its defense and capture of people illegally crossing into Israel proper and soldiers staffing its technological apparatuses. In this chapter we examine the four main forces deployed and the ways in which they interact to form one organizational entity: a spotters’ or 126 Rethinking Contemporary Warfare an observers’ unit charged with technological surveillance, military police units deployed in crossing points, combat units comprising patrols and mobile reserves, and male and female drivers of vehicles used by combat troops. We do not claim that this bundle of forces is somehow unique to the security fence, since similar amalgams have been part of Israeli military deployment for decades and can now be found, for instance, along Israel’s boundary with Lebanon. We do, however, contend that no social scientific work has been carried out to examine the organizational and sociological implications of this military framework. The separation zone—the area comprising the fence, the forces deployed around it, and the technologies and infrastructure involved— is indicative of developments typifying many armed forces of the industrial democracies. Moskos, Williams, and Segal (2000) maintain that in most parts of the world intrastate (rather than interstate) conflicts have become the norm, and that within these contexts, militaries are charged with missions that existed before but are now central to their deployment. The IDF bears some similarity to this general typification. First, as we saw in previous chapters, the move in many armed forces is toward innovative modular forms deriving from requirements to create versatile systems capable of adapting to changing circumstances and the missions they necessitate (Shamir and Ben-Ari 2000). In this way, the diverse forces around the barrier are integrated into frames to deal with security challenges as armed attacks, individual or group incursions, or demonstrations. Second, the integration of women into the fighting forces of the democratic world is part of a global pattern in which demands for social equality for minority groups are being answered (Dandeker 1994). In the separation barrier, women can be found either in or working with all of the forces assigned to combat missions. In addition, this process has been accompanied by the inclusion of men with low medical profiles in some of the forces. As Bacevich (2005, 170) explains in regard to gender, combat through the ages had placed a premium on qualities associated with young males. Yet, today, interpreting or manipulating data was becoming at least as important as the ability to tote a rucksack or willingness to charge a hill. . . . Now women too could be warriors. This development suited those who viewed distinctions based on gender as inherently invidious and who wished to advance towards a society that treated men and women as interchangeable . At the same time, it made available as potential recruits 127 Technology, Gender, and New Combat Roles that half of the population traditionally seen as possessing limited military utility. Third, ground forces are now involved in the promotion of technological roles and deployment in technologically advanced environments . This “digitization” of warfare (Van Creveld 1991a) entails the use of computer networks, surveillance apparatuses, and information systems and, in turn, it requires new military capacities in operating technologies and processing large...