“The Eyes of Israel”: The IDF’s Autism Intelligence Unit

By Randy Pinsky

Having razor-sharp sensitivities and an obsession for detail may make it difficult for autistic individuals to integrate in social situations - but makes them exceptional candidates for the Israeli army. Unit 9900 Ro’im Rachok (“Seeing Beyond”) has gained renown for its inclusivity but also the ‘superpowers’ of their soldiers. From spotting minute changes in landscape to identifying areas of concern, these autistic individuals have made their mark in keeping their country safe.

Solving a Problem

Being surrounded by hostile neighbours, Israel must constantly be monitoring its borders for movement or any suspicious activity. Though they have extensive aerial reconnaissance and satellite imagery, it takes extreme concentration and persistence to constantly sift through hundreds of photos to appraise the status of the situation. 

But for someone on the autism spectrum who has a natural tendency to focus on details and can spot anomalies a mile off, the fit could not be better.

Making Meaning Out of Loss

The idea for Ro’im Rachok came out of a meeting in 2011 between a group of former agents consoling a couple who had lost their son in battle. One mentioned having autistic sons and being concerned for their future prospects, in spite of their (if unconventional) intelligence. 

Then it hit them; what if there was a possibility to accommodate this clientele into the Israel Defense Force (IDF)? Beyond a meaningful step towards inclusion, it would be a potentially invaluable opportunity for harnessing their rare aptitudes of perception and focus.

The Plan Goes into Motion

“People on the autism spectrum have special visual capabilities, and there’s already scientific research that they see things differently,” observed former security official and future co-founder of Ro’im Rachok, Tali Vardi. 

The team proposed the idea to Ono Academic College outside of Tel Aviv, reached out to the community, and in 2013, the experimental Israeli army program Unit 9900 was launched.

A Superpower Corps

Autism is a development disorder that can impact social skills, and involves language and communication impairment. With increasing awareness of the various forms it can take along a spectrum, numbers have been rising worldwide. In fact, in Israel between 2004 and 2011 alone, the number of autistic individuals grew fivefold, with 1,000 new cases per year.

Neurodiversity experts have long understood that intelligence takes various forms, and that autistic brains are ‘wired differently.’ As a result, they may perceive situations and surroundings in a unique fashion. 

Processing the Unprocess-Able

Where Ro’im Rachok has set itself apart is that it specifically takes these particularities and places the individual where they are best matched. 

“A central challenge of our era is the increasing gap between the technical capacity of data collection and production, and the human capacity to…process [it] into meaningful knowledge,” observed strategist Edward Luttwak in “How the IDF Weaponized Autism.” 

He continued, “the[se soldiers] can focus on a single item for a relatively long time, and also perform repetitive tasks that require screening large amounts of information with very small discrepancies; a task that would quickly exhaust others.”

A Win-Win for All

The situation in the IDF’s Visual Intelligence Division is thus mutually beneficial for all involved. 

Indeed, individuals get to take part in a key aspect of Israeli life that would have otherwise been closed to them, and “for the military, it’s an opportunity to harness the unique skill sets that often come with autism: extraordinary capacities for visual thinking and attention to detail, both of which lend themselves to the highly specialized task of aerial analysis.”

As stated by Sergeant Neta Geffen who is himself autistic, “It’s a great honor but also a great responsibility [to do this work].” 

A Sisyphean Task

Imagine this challenge: you are commissioned to comb through hundreds of virtually identical scans of a border crossing from different angles for suspicious objects or movements for eight hours a day.

Could you do it?

Yet for someone with hyperfocus skills, this can be the challenge they have been seeking. Many become so consumed by their tasks, they have to be reminded to leave at the end of the workday.

“The program seizes on the participants’ perceptive capabilities and their knack for precision or repetition, and places them in the military’s most elite and sensitive intelligence units,” observed The Times of Israel.

As they can scan and decipher with exceptional speed and accuracy, foiling nefarious plots and guiding operations, Unit 9900 has been nicknamed “the Eye of the Country.”

Feel Good…Or Proven Success?

The program is both inclusion-focused but also results-oriented.

Have you ever wondered how Israel is able to plan and execute precision strikes on military targets? It is due to constant analysis provided by groups such as Unit 9900. Through synthesizing data, units are better equipped to evaluate options and make informed plans. 

In fact, “dividends were almost immediate” with Ro’im Rachok. Before the 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, autistic soldiers were tasked to compare thousands of aerial photographs to detect any signs of potential terrorist activities. Commanders had expected the work would take over a year and a half, however it was completed within three months.

Unit 9900’s incomparable aerial photo-analytic skills examining satellite imagery, drone videos and reconnaissance flights have also proven invaluable in Operation Breaking Dawn and in the most recent conflict where the aim is (as always), maximal impact with minimal casualties. 

A New Level of Security Intelligence

From struggling to find their fit, autistic individuals in Israel now have a community, a purpose, and prospects for the future. 

“These [soldiers] embody extraordinary visual memory,” said Major Yitzchak, Commander of the Optotronic Company. “It’s amazing to see the progress…they come on the day of their interview, shy, hardly understanding the wires and tools in front of them. Today, they are working just like their peers beside them.”

As stated by co-founder Vardi, “This program gives adults on the spectrum the opportunities to realize [their] full potential,” often being scouted out by tech companies who see the value provided by this untapped niche. 

Together, Ro’im Rachok is ‘seeing beyond’ common understandings about skill and intelligence, while also fiercely securing the future for Israel.

^[1] Security surveillance is often referred to as ‘Sisyphean’; seemingly endless. The term recalls the character in Greek mythology who was punished by being compelled to continuously roll a boulder up a steep hill.