Israel’s Iron Dome will continue to inspire other nations’ defense practices for years to come.
As the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues to threaten the security of Taiwan, the Pacific-based Island is looking to mimic Israel’s defensive approach. Earlier this week, Taiwan’s president cited the Biblical story of David and Goliath when expressing how the Jewish state should serve as a model for the island’s defensive strategy. “Like Israel, we face constant threats, but we have never lost our courage or our determination,” Taiwanese president Lai Ching-te said. Beijing has been ramping up hostilities with military force and other coercive tactics in recent years to assert its claims over Taiwan. As part of its widescale effort to threaten the island nation, the PRC carries out military exercises to demonstrate how a full-scale attack of Taiwan would look. In response to this buildup in hostility, Taipei has prioritized bolstering its defenses.
Taiwan’s T-Dome
In early October, president Lai unveiled Taiwan’s upcoming multi-layered defense system dubbed the “T-Dome.” Named to honor its inspiration, the Israeli Iron Dome, the air defense apparatus is intended to help promote regional peace, prosperity, and stability, according to Taipei. As part of Lai’s T-Dome announcement, the Taiwanese president pledged to beef up the nation’s defense spending to over 3 percent of its GDP next year, and by 5 percent by 2030, to pay for the defense system. Equipped with “multi-layered defence, high-level detection and effective interception,” Taiwan’s T-Dome will “weave a safety net” to protect citizens, Lai said.
Introducing the Iron Dome
Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system has become widely popularized over the last few years following its role in the nation’s long war against Iran and its regional proxy groups. Known as the Jewish state’s great rocket swarm shield, the unmatched system helped thwart thousands of launches at Israel from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and even Yemen. Developed by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with US support, the Iron Dome has an impressive success rate of over 90 percent. Back in the early 2000s, Rafael built the system with US backing in order to better tackle the threat from the nation’s hostile neighbors. The Iron Dome was made to intercept and destroy short-range projectiles from a range of 2.5 to 90 miles. While the Iron Dome continues to play a critical role in Israel’s defense, the country’s multitiered security effort also consists of the Arrow 2/3 and David’s Sling systems, which are tasked with tackling ballistic missile barrages and medium-to-long range rockets, respectively.
The Trump administration has also noticed the success of Israel’s Iron Dome, inspiring the White House’s “Golden Dome” initiative. While the United States may be located further from its adversaries than Israel is, the basic function of the Golden Dome would, in theory, protect Americans from barrages launched by Iran, China, Russia, and even North Korea in the future. Each of these nations possesses growing intercontinental ballistic missile programs, which would directly threaten the United States down the line. While the eventual introduction of both the Golden Dome and T-Dome projects remains up in the air, Israel’s Iron Dome will certainly continue to inspire the defense practices of other nations for years to come.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: ChameleonsEye / Shutterstock.com
