Eilam's Arc How Israel Became a Military Technology Powerhouse

Eilam's Arc reveals the inside story on how Israel became a military technology powerhouse within a period of less than two generations. It blends the broad view of a person who led the creation of incredibly far-sighted R&D programmes with intimate portraits of the main players in a complex strategy that spans continents, corporations and armies. More than any other account, it explains how a very small country was able to make a concentrated use of its limited assets with astute leverage of international relationships while at the same time creating the backbone of Israeli civilian technology industries. Brigadier General Uzi Eilam was born and raised in a deeply socialist kibbutz where science and learning were scorned as useless and effete. His is the journey that an entire country made from devising a better spade to creating an internationally competitive space programme. During this journey Eilam learned step by step how to manage the complex relationship with the United States, which he says was willing to supply Israel with high technology only if it knew that Israel was well on its way to developing its own version of the same technology itself. This book will be of interest not only to military historians but for all those who have an interest in innovation and innovation policy. Israeli innovation policies, both civilian and military, have a proven track record of success and Eilam explains how governments can nurture, stimulate and lead individuals, corporations and foreign partners towards a desired goal.