Elbit Systems, Israel's largest arms supplier, has sent shockwaves through the defence community with a revelation that its command and control system identified 850,000 potential targets in the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon since October 2023. The staggering figure was presented at a military conference in London by Miki Edelstein, an executive vice-president at Elbit and IDF reservist major general, who explained how the Israeli Tzayad digital army programme has been processing vast amounts of data to inform its targeting decisions.
The Royal United Services Institute hosted the land warfare conference, where senior British military personnel, including Air Chief Marshal Sir Johnny Stringer, NATO's second most senior military commander, and a British Army brigadier, were in attendance. The presence of these high-ranking officials underscores the close information exchange within NATO alliances, with significant implications for the UK's own defence strategies.
Elbit Systems supplies the Tzayad programme to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which uses advanced algorithms and artificial intelligence to map the positions of friendly units and perceived enemy entities. The company has secured a contract to further enhance Tzayad, incorporating AI to bolster tactical decision-making. However, experts have expressed concerns about the scale of data being processed by the system, with Wes Bryant, a former senior targeting adviser at the US Pentagon specialising in civilian harm assessments, warning that it would be impossible for any military to adequately assess each piece of information for legality and collateral damage at such volumes.
While an Elbit spokesperson clarified that the 850,000 figure reflected 'aggregated system activity' rather than confirmed enemy targets or strikes, critics argue that even as 'system activity', the scale implies an unprecedented level of information processing that challenges traditional targeting protocols. This raises questions about the UK's own defence strategies and its reliance on technology-driven decision-making in combat situations.
The revelation has sparked a wider debate about the ethics and implications of relying on complex algorithms and artificial intelligence in warfare. As NATO allies, including the UK, continue to engage with Israel and other partners in the region, this development highlights the need for greater transparency and accountability in defence strategies.