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Ofir Hagag
Sarah Marshall
English 2135
13 July 2015
The Impacts of Communication on the IDF
All of us participate in or know of many communities. Whether we
engage in them or just observe them, they all have an impact on our lives. In
accordance, the communities that we are most devoted to have the largest
effect on us. For me, the Israeli military, or the IDF (Israeli Defense Force),
has the largest influence on my life. I was born in Israel and have grown up
surrounded by people who have either served in the past or are currently in
active military service. In Israel it is mandatory to enlist in the military.
Therefore, not only has my whole family been in active military service in the
past, but now over the next couple of months, many of my friends will be
enlisted as well. Once they are enlisted, it will be much more difficult to
communicate with them throughout the day.
Since the formation of the IDF, the genres of communication have
changed due to changing technologies. Some of these have included letters,
phone calls, and verbal interactions. The IDF was established in 1948,
immediately after the Declaration of Independence of Israel and the
immediate resulting attempt by the surrounding neighboring countries to

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invade Israel. While the military has become much more modern and
sophisticated with new weapons, technologies and techniques since the
1960s, the overall idea of serving is essentially the same. The goal of the IDF
is to protect the state of Israel and defend its borders with all its power.
During the time that Eli Katz and Menashe Hagag, my grandfathers, served
in the military, the IDF had only recently been formed and the methods of
communicating in the Israeli Defense Force mainly included verbal
communication. My grandfathers also received some letters, although verbal
interaction was most common. Since Eli Katz was an artillery instructor, he
would often tell his recruits phrases like pay attention or be careful or
even good luck. Saying these phrases showed his recruits that he had
authority and cared for them also.
When I parents were in the military, another way of communication in
the IDF was through incident reports and case studies. These reports are still
used to this day. An incident report is a way for soldiers to describe important
events from throughout their day. It is important for the Israeli military to
know about these events so they can place together every piece of
information they have, discover its relevance, and improve future tactics and
behavior. Captain Benny Hagag, my father, said that these are especially
used in the air force to keep everything under very tight control and
regulation since fighter aircraft is typically very delicate and sensitive to
human errors during maintenance and air missions. He served in the Air
Force from the years 1989 to 1993. Reporting included an electronic

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reporting system as well as a special book that was attached to each of the
fighters, he added. Among his community, Captain Hagag also served as an
engineering officer and guided people through completing their duties on the
aircrafts. On normal days he usually worked in office buildings in the
headquarters of the Israeli Air Force, but every couple of days he had to
travel to the operating bases and assist people there as well. People such as
Captain Hagag are crucial to the military because they keep everything in
order and assure the field teams operate at their highest performance level.
A mistake within this position could cost a life.
While in the military, phone calls are also used on a regular basis.
Whereas some calls are made on ordinary landlines, most armed forces
related calls are placed on a military secure line that allows for the
encryption of the data during the call Captain Hagag stated. Sergeant Ronit
Katz also said that phones like these were used in the Intelligence Research
Unit. The intelligence unit receives artifacts and data from all the different
units across the country. Through these artifacts and data, intelligence
gathers all the information and come up with a prediction of their enemys
activities and objectives. After they agree on this prediction their officers
send central command all the information they came up with and from there
it is delivered to the relevant troops. This information need to be protected
through the encrypted calls because if it gets out, it could endanger lives or
ruin missions. In the military, these forms of communication are very
regimented, as opposed to how civilians interact on a day to day basis. Some

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genres of IDF communication are not even known to the public because they
are so secretive. My mother, Ronit Katz, once described how [her] position
in the military was so secretive that [she] do[es] not even have any
documentation related to her position or specific responsibilities.
Before my mother and father were able to serve in the IDF, they had to
go through a rigorous qualification process. This would result in the right to
undergo specific training and active qualification. If passed, it provides the
new recruit with the right to join that unit. For example, my mother had to
endure two months of special training before she started her active service
in the Intelligence Unit. By undertaking this special training, she was able to
be selected into a very prestigious program: the Intelligence Research Unit.
The Intelligence Research Unit is tasked with the collection of data from the
surrounding countries; this data may include phone calls, written
communication, electronic data and others. The data then goes through
professional translation and interpretation and is delivered to the Analytic
Unit. The Analytic Unit is responsible for the analysis of the data and the
creation of models and scenarios attempting to describe expected behavior
of enemies, activists and other hostiles. Based on these models and the
likelihood of events, the Intelligence Research Unit then develops
recommendations that are delivered to the commanders for their approval
and decision on the required field actions.

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A lot of the time the armed forces uses letters for written
communication. These letters are sent as hard copies to the different bases
as internal military mail. The IDF does not use standard mail because their
mail is confidential and cannot risk being leaked out to the public. While
examples of these letters cannot be given due to the fact that their contents
are usually classified, they can be used for technical information or actions to
make a certain proposal. Furthermore, while in the IDF, every recruit is given
a military identification number. This number is used within the IDF as a form
of an ID, similar to the civilian ID that we carry. This ID allows the IDF to have
a central repository of all their soldiers which includes the soldiers IDF
experience, training, and military service related records. My Dads
identification number in the Israeli Defense Force was 4395149. He had to
memorize this number along with every other soldier in the IDF since it holds
so much importance.
In addition to this ID number soldiers were also associated with their
ranks. When the soldiers speak with their superiors they must address them
in a formal manner. From the movie Beneath the Helmet, I was able to see
the communication between soldiers and their supervisors as well as the
training they endured. In the first few months of military training, the
supervisors had to be very strict so they could break the civilian mentality of
their trainees and obtain their subordinates respect. This civilian mentality
needs to be broken because mistakes in the military can have very dire
consequences. As time went on in the movie, the commanders began to

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reduce the pressure they had to maintain in the barracks and eventually
joked around with the new soldiers and treated them as friends and
teammates. They even became like a family at the end of the movie when
one of their commanders had finished his service. In the military, this is
common behavior. When forced to be around those you work with every day,
essentially 24 hours per day, you form unbreakable bonds that remain for
years to come. These bonds are not shallow like between classmates or coworkers. These bonds stem from the core values of loyalty and pride for their
country that all of the members of the unit share and swear by.
Throughout my visits in Israel, I was able to observe soldiers behaviors
and interactions with one another. While they are around their commanders
in military service, they speak in one way, but while they are around their
friends, family, or civilian population in a carefree environment, they speak in
a completely different manner. In addition, I was also able to see how they
dress and how they communicate with their friends while they are at home.
While they are off duty, they can dress freely and are able to make their
outfits unique through accessorizing. This is important to them because while
they are on duty, they have to follow orders, but while they are at home they
avoid such strict measures.
On the other hand, at their base they need to dress from head to toe in
their dark green uniforms and big, sturdy black boots. While the uniforms are
similar to many other military uniforms, the Israeli Armed Forces uniform is

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distinctive because it has IDF written on it in yellow Hebrew writing. In
addition, each different unit in the IDF have special colored berets and
shoulder tags which indicate which unit he or she is in. These colors are
another form of genre for visual communication. A beret is a piece of cloth
which is typically worn as part of a military uniform globally. There are also
beret pins that signify a soldiers corps. These pins usually have Hebrew
writing on them and some even have a Jewish star on them. The inclusion of
the Jewish Star, or Magen David in Hebrew, is meant to display these
soldiers love for not only their country but also their faith.
Furthermore, while the soldiers are at home they communicate with
their friends or with each other through text messaging; it serves as a break
from the uniform mentality. Casual phone conversations and times to hang
out are not privileges given around the office. This summer when I visited
Israel, I was able to observe my cousin and friends communicate with their
other friends. Outside of the office, my cousin communicated through her
phone although while she was at her base she communicated verbally with
her peers and needed to keep her conversations strictly professional.
Although the process to enlist in the military is usually the same, over
the last twenty years, the process has been modified slightly to fit the more
modern world. My friend, Rotem Kaplan, who immigrated to Israel with her
family from the US several years ago, is currently undergoing her
qualification exams and selection criteria for her obligatory militia service.

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This selection and filtering started about a year and a half before the actual
enlistment. Nowadays, the IDF communes either through phone calls, text
messages, or through the mail. After Rotems notice, which she received in
Sourc
eA

the mail, she had a general interview. Following this interview she took an
exam to assess her strengths, including her control of the Hebrew language
as well as assessment of her technical skills and her intelligence. As a result
of these exams, she began receiving notices in the mail from various units
for other tests and interviews to see if they were the right fit for her. If the

Sourc
eB

IDF did not think that she would be suitable for a specific division, they would
schedule her for an interview for a different force.
The military requests a new recruit to rank his unit preferences in
order. These units can literally be any unit in the militia. Although in the end
of the selection process and following the actual enlistment the recruit may
not get the task force he or she had as top priority, the IDF is still respectful
towards the combatants wishes. Once the Israeli Defense Force has given
that soldier a list to choose from all the different tasks forces that want him
or her, it is time for that soldier to choose which unit to be in. For example
these could include the air force, the marines, or the army. Furthermore, this
list does not include the specific positions one will receive in each corps like
being a commander or a researcher. The Israeli military does however let one
submit a request for the position he or she wants. These requests show that
the IDF is interested in their soldiers wishes and will be respectful towards
them.

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While the IDFs forms of communication have adapted over time to fit
the revolutionizing technology, the goal has remained the same over the
year: to protect the state of Israel from all harm with all its power. Even
though over the years the military has added encrypted phones to transmit
information, verbal communication seems to be safer since the calls can be
intercepted. Overall the main genres of communication have been verbal
and through the mail. Both of these categories seem to have stayed the
securest.
As an Israeli living in the United States, I am glad that the Israeli
military has impacted my life in such a positive way. Though I have never
partaken or contributed to the IDF, I can see how large of an effect it has had
on my friends and family. Hopefully I will get the chance to enlist in the IDF in
the future. In the meantime, I am glad that the Israeli Defense Force has
done such a successful job in keeping Israel safe from harm. This feat is
partially due to their effective forms of communication.
Word Count: 2316
Appendix
Recruitment Letters Examined

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Figure 1. Photo taken

of a recruitment

letter.

Figure 2. Photo taken of a recruitment letter.

Works Cited
Hagag, Benny. "Israeli Military. Telephone interview. 7 July 2015.

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Kaplan, Rotem. Israeli Military. Telephone interview. July 10 2015.
Katz, Eli. Israeli Military. Telephone interview. 7 July 2015.
Katz, Ronit. "Israeli Military. Telephone interview. 7 July 2015.