The Strategic Burden of Israel’s “Iron Dome”
The Australian Jewish News by Michael Scott 10 April 2025

Extracts:

• Intifadas — intense violence, including numerous suicide bombings of civilian targets

This reductionist perspective — one that assumes Israel’s defensive capabilities make aggression against it acceptable — ignores the human cost of resilience

• Each intercepted rocket may prevent immediate loss of life but it does not erase the trauma it leaves behind
• A community is left shaken, living under the perpetual shadow of the next attack
• A family is disrupted, forced to seek shelter at a moment’s notice, their daily lives dictated by the whims of those who fire indiscriminately
• A society is held hostage, conditioned to accept constant threat as an unavoidable reality rather than an aberration that demands decisive action

This adds to the trauma of a population who endured the Second Intifada
The Second Intifada also known as the Al-Aqsa Intifada erupted in September 2000 and persisted until February 2005

This period was marked by intense violence, including numerous suicide bombings targeting buses, restaurants and other public spaces within Israel

These attacks resulted in significant civilian casualties and widespread fear among the population
The relentless nature of these assaults profoundly traumatized Israeli society, leaving enduring psychological scars

The Strategic Burden of Israel’s “Iron Dome”
The Australian Jewish News by Michael Scott 10 April 2025

Extracts:

• Double standards and Hypocrisy

Beyond the immediate suffering, failing to confront aggression head-on emboldens adversaries to escalate their violence

History proves that unchallenged hostility does not fade — it festers

As General Douglas MacArthur once warned:
Observers now have the benefit of hindsight: ignoring threats does not neutralise them; it emboldens them

Each time Hamas, Hezbollah, other terrorists or Iran launched an attack without decisive repercussions,
1. they grew bolder,
2. relentlessly probing Israel’s red lines
3. and testing global tolerance for their terror campaigns

Yet, Western political elites — and most so called Israel allies — and media figures consistently overlook these realities

Instead they demand,
1. an unrealistic level of restraint from Israel
2. while ignoring far more aggressive counter-terrorism operations undertaken by other nations in the region

The Strategic Burden of Israel’s “Iron Dome”
The Australian Jewish News by Michael Scott 10 April 2025

Extracts:

• Purpose of This Article

This article provides an overview of Israel’s extraordinary air defence system, examining both its strategic necessity and its unintended consequences

It exposes the opportunity — cost of maintaining a technologically superior yet economically burdensome defence apparatus, questioning whether this reliance on interception alone has prolonged rather than resolved the threats Israel faces Yes!

Beyond the financial and psychological toll, the article explores how adversaries exploit this defensive posture to dictate the terms of engagement

Finally, it considers alternative approaches used in the region to defeat terrorism, contrasting Israel’s measured responses with the decisive actions taken by its neighbours to neutralise similar threats

The Strategic Burden of Israel’s “Iron Dome”
The Australian Jewish News by Michael Scott 10 April 2025

Extracts:

• The Four Layers of Missile Defence

Israel’s missile defence architecture operates on four interconnected layers:

• Iron Dome

The most well-known component, designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells
It provides coverage for areas up to 70 kilometres, boasting a success rate often cited above 90%

• David’s Sling

A system for intercepting medium- to long-range missiles and drones, bridging the gap between the Iron Dome and higher-level defences

• Arrow 2 and Arrow 3

Advanced interceptors designed to neutralise long-range ballistic missiles, including those carrying unconventional warheads

• Multi-Tier Coordination

These systems work in concert, guided by cutting-edge radar and tracking technologies to optimise resource deployment and ensure seamless coverage against a spectrum of threats


While technologically extraordinary, these systems come at a staggering cost
October 7 extraordinary failure and staggering brutal cost — coming to 19 months

The financial burden of maintaining, upgrading and deploying these defences underscores Israel’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding its population
No safeguarding of October 7 victims

However it also highlights the asymmetric nature of Israel’s conflicts

The Strategic Burden of Israel’s “Iron Dome”
The Australian Jewish News by Michael Scott 10 April 2025

Extracts:

• The Iron Dome’s Economic Challenge

Each Iron Dome interceptor costs approximately US$50,000 whereas the rockets it intercepts — often crude and inexpensive — may cost as little as a few hundred dollars This disparity underscores the economic challenge Israel faces in defending itself against asymmetric warfare

During the May 2021 Gaza conflict, Hamas fired over 4,000 rockets at Israel
The Iron Dome intercepted 90% of those deemed a threat, reportedly costing Israel hundreds of millions of dollars

Beyond the financial toll, indirect costs — such as disruptions to daily life, economic activity and psychological strain on civilians — further compound the burden

Since October 2023 rocket fire from Gaza and Lebanon has surged, with estimates exceeding 7,000 rockets fired in the months following Hamas’s coordinated attack Each interception — while saving lives — adds to mounting defence expenditures

An enemy only needs to “get lucky” once to penetrate air defences and strike a high-rise tower in Tel Aviv or critical infrastructure
Israel however must get lucky every time

• 07 October 2023 Colossal Failure All fronts

1. well-resourced Intelligence agencies in the world — famed and deadly Mossad, Shin Bet
2. Surveillance
3. Technology
4. Communications
5. IDF

The Strategic Burden of Israel’s “Iron Dome”
The Australian Jewish News by Michael Scott 10 April 2025

Extracts:

• Alternate Methods of Treatment — Double standards and Hypocrisy

The challenge posed by Islamist terrorism is not unique to Israel

• Jordan and Black September (1970)

In 1970 the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) operated within Jordan, posing a direct threat to the monarchy

In Black September, King Hussein launched a military crackdown, expelling PLO militants
The Jordanian army engaged in brutal urban warfare, decisively crushing PLO forces and forcing their relocation to Lebanon

An estimated 3,400 to 5,000 militants were killed

• Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s Crackdown on Islamists

Egypt under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has waged an aggressive crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood, resulting in thousands of arrests and military operations that eliminated 1,000 to 2,000 militants

Saudi Arabia and the UAE have aggressively targeted Islamist groups, restricting their activities and aligning their counter-terrorism efforts with Egypt

The Strategic Burden of Israel’s “Iron Dome”
The Australian Jewish News by Michael Scott 10 April 2025

Extracts:

• Peace Through Strength

Such an approach found favour with Rabbi Meir Kahane, often referred to as the “militant rabbi”
A controversial figure, Kahane was an outspoken advocate for Jewish self-defence and a staunch opponent of any concessions to terrorism

Kahane famously declared:
1. One does not deal with terrorists;
2. one does not bargain with terrorists;
3. one kills terrorists

Kahane’s views were polarising and while some saw Kahane as a visionary who spoke hard truths about security, others — both within and outside the Jewish community — condemned him as extremist, divisive and dangerous

Kahane's Kach party was banned from Israeli politics for its radical positions and Kahane was ultimately assassinated in 1990 by El Sayyid Nosair, an Egyptian-born Islamist terrorist, in New York City

Nosair was later linked to the network that carried out the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, underscoring the very dangers of terrorism that Kahane had long warned about

The Strategic Burden of Israel’s “Iron Dome”
The Australian Jewish News by Michael Scott 10 April 2025

Extracts:

• Conclusion

Israel’s multi-layered missile defence systems, epitomised by the Iron Dome, are testaments to its ingenuity and resolve
However they come at a profound cost — financially, socially and psychologically

Indeed — Reflecting on my [Michael Scott] military career,
1. I have seen firsthand how complacency in defence can be lethal
2. Technology alone cannot eliminate threats

Warfare is a continuous cycle of adaptation — with adversaries constantly adjusting to bypass strengths and exploit weaknesses

Perhaps one of America’s founding fathers and first president, George Washington, said it best in 1799
Colonel Michael Scott CSC Conspicuous Service Cross recipient is a former commander ADF and the CEO and Founder of The 2023 Foundation, a charity focused on combating antisemitism and fostering peaceful coexistence

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the positions of the Australian Defence Force ADF or the Commonwealth Government of Australia

Israel-Gaza War: Why wasn’t Israel prepared?
ABC Australia If you're listening by Matt Bevan 28 October 2023

Extracts:

• 07 October 2023 — How did Israel not see this coming?

The Israeli Government is one of the most well-resourced intelligence communities in the world specifically designed to prevent an attack from terrorists

So how did Israel fail to detect such a terror operation | just over the Israel-Gaza border — right under their nose | that involved, among others:
1. months of planning
2. meetings in multiple countries
3. thousands of militants
4. and it was not secretive either

| Complacency and supposedly Fort Knox deterrence | Israel's Achilles heel