Why is it forbidden to cut the budgets of the Israeli military space program
For the first time, the Israeli public was exposed to the full extent of the Israeli military space program, and this from the head of the program, professor and lieutenant colonel (res.) Haim Ashad ("Haaretz", 3.8). The disclosure of the plan is a welcome precedent, since until now the space sector in Israel has been shrouded in secrecy.
The timing of the announcement is of course related to the discussions on the defense budget. But unlike the black seers from the security establishment who terrorize the public out of concern for preserving the replica budgets allocated for defense against wild scenarios that border on imagination, Ashad's call to prevent cuts in space budgets has a different purpose.
The goals of the Israeli military space program are seemingly clear, and they include elements of communication, gathering intelligence from space, increasing the operational capabilities of the IDF and increasing the range of its operations to strategic areas that have considerable geographical distance from the country's borders.
With the collapse of the "Eastern Front", there remains a circle of countries hostile to Israel in the long run. Gathering intelligence on these countries and providing a technological response to a possible action in them can be carried out in the best way using various types of space platforms.
A cut in the Israeli development and equipping budget with space operational capabilities will not only be a fatal blow to the capabilities of the IDF; Such a cut would seriously damage the human, scientific and technological infrastructure of Israel's advanced industries, the number of exact science students (who would lose potential jobs), the ability of Israeli companies to compete in the huge market of commercial satellites, and Israel's ability to deter against hostile countries.
The real meaning of the reduction of investment in the field of military applications of space is the almost complete elimination of the development of Israeli research satellites and of conducting various scientific experiments in space - especially after the "Columbia" shuttle disaster and the lengthening of the queue of countries interested in launching experiments into space.
A cut in the space budget is not equivalent to other cuts, since it takes a long time to develop space capabilities. The recovery period from a budget cut that will damage the infrastructure of the space industry will be long and can cause not only a delay in achieving Israel's space goals, but also a technological lag compared to other countries in the commercial market for space applications, which is estimated at billions of dollars. In this market, there is great marketing importance to the fact that Israeli satellites are already operating in space and satisfying the needs of a demanding customer such as the Israeli security system.
According to Ashad, the marketing of Israeli space systems is not aggressive enough. It is to be hoped that his words will receive the echo they deserve and that the policy makers will embrace the field of space to their hearts, work to promote state investments in it and encourage the private sector to invest in it as well. In addition, it is worthwhile to hold a comprehensive systemic examination of companies that deal directly or indirectly in the field of space, to prevent unnecessary and harmful competition between companies with similar products, to release bureaucratic barriers that hinder activity in this dynamic field, and to make the Israeli space industry the world leader in the commercial niche of small satellites.
Educational programs and various public organizations, which raise public awareness of the need to invest in space, constitute a complementary layer to the space industry. The Ministry of Education can and should help through a deeper integration of the field of space in the curricula, from a young age to XNUMX.
The State of Israel, which is blessed with a human resource, can make optimal use of it to make a decisive contribution to the security of the state, to improvement in the fields of education, employment and the economy. As the eighth country in the world to launch a satellite using a self-developed launcher, Israel has shown that in its capabilities in the field of space it is shoulder to shoulder with technological superpowers with experience and great wealth of its own. We should not allow Israeli space capabilities to be harmed due to budget cuts, which stem from a narrow and short-term vision. It is not a time for cuts, but a time to establish and increase Israeli activity in space - an activity from which we will all benefit.
* The writer is the vice president of the Israel Space Association. The article was published in "Haaretz" * The editor of the website is also a member of the Israel Space Association
