The Weapon Wizards ─ How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower

From drones to satellites, missile defense systems to cyber warfare, Israel is leading the world when it comes to new technology being deployed on the modern battlefield. The Weapon Wizards shows how this tiny nation of 8 million learned to adapt to the changes in warfare and become the new prototype of a 21st century superpower, not in size, but rather in innovation and efficiency—and as a result of its long war experience.

Sitting on the front lines of how wars are fought in the 21st century, Israel has developed new weapons and retrofitted old ones so they remain effective, relevant, and deadly on a constantly-changing battlefield. While other countries begin to prepare for these challenges, they are looking to Israel—and specifically its weapons—for guidance. Israel is, in effect, a laboratory for the rest of the world.

How did Israel do it? And what are the military and geopolitical implications of these developments? These are some of the key questions Yaakov Katz and Amir Bohbot address. Drawing on a vast amount of research, and unparalleled access to the Israeli defense establishment, this book is a report directly from the front lines.

Yaakov Katz serves as a Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to Israel’s Minister of Education and Diaspora Affairs and is a an adjunct lecturer at Harvard University’s Extension School. He is the former military editor and defense analyst for The Jerusalem Post and the Israel correspondent for Jane’s Defence Weekly, the international defense magazine.

Katz is the co-author of “Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War”. In 2012-2013, Katz was a fellow at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard. He has a law degree from Bar Ilan University, is a popular lecturer on military affairs and lives in Jerusalem with his wife and their four children.

Amir Bohbot is the military editor and senior defense analyst for Walla, Israel’s leading news website. Amir previously covered military affairs for Maariv, one of Israel’s high-circulation daily newspapers, where he worked for 12 years.

Bohbot is a popular lecturer on security and defense issues in Israel and is often interviewed by local radio and TV news stations. Bohbot has a Master's Degree in Political Science from Ben-Gurion University and is currently pursuing a doctorate in Intelligence Studies at Bar Ilan University. He lives in Lehavim with his wife and their three children.