From the air to the sea, already in the first hour: How the IDF's defense concept changed after 10/7

The IDF's defense concept has fundamentally changed following the lessons of October 7. The Air Force has shifted from on-demand pinpoint support to active force application already in the first hour of an incursion, with a mass of aircraft and heavy fire. Recent exercises practiced extreme scenarios including ground raids, naval infiltrations, drones, and massive fire, alongside strikes on enemy command posts deep in enemy territory.

The IDF's defense concept has undergone a fundamental change following the lessons of the October 7 massacre. At the center of the change is a shift from relying on the Air Force as a supporting factor for ground forces to active force application already in the first hour of an incursion event. The Air Force is preparing to apply heavy fire and send a mass of aircraft within a short time frame, without waiting for a request for assistance from the field. In recent exercises, multi-front extreme scenarios were practiced: large-scale ground raids, naval infiltrations using jet skis and unmanned vessels, massive indirect fire, and threats from drones and quadcopters. Alongside this, direct strikes on enemy command and control headquarters deep in enemy territory were practiced, with the aim of pushing the threat away from population centers. Senior Air Force officials explain that the area requiring the most significant improvement is the involvement of fighter jets in ground defense. An automatic infrastructure was built for immediate action to stop an invasion and "freeze the situation" even before a full picture of the situation had formed. Additionally, daily meetings between squadron commanders and battalion commanders were advanced to improve synchronization. In the Eilat sector, ahead of the holidays when the population is expected to double, multi-organizational tightening between the IDF, police, Magen David Adom, and civilian emergency authorities is being practiced, with reinforcement of companies and five defense battalions.