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When it comes to military technology, Israel has long been acknowledged as among the best in the world, producing systems and weapons designed to give maximum protection to its soldiers and civilians, as well as maintaining an offensive edge over regional enemies.
For a nation whose army is primarily made up of conscripts joining soon after high school, there is a huge weight of responsibility on the Israel Defense Forces to not only train new recruits to the highest possible standards, but also to do everything in its power to reduce potential injuries or loss of soldiers and return them safely to their families after the obligatory two years (for women) or 32 months (for men) of military service.
Lt.-Col. (res.) Dr. Yuval Heled, director of the Institute for Military Physiology, based at the Sheba Medical Center in central Israel, has made it his mission to establish optimal guidelines for soldiers to help save lives and minimize the physical risk factors a soldier might encounter on a daily basis - in training and in combat.
The 48-year-old former intelligence officer, an acknowledged international expert on the study of human physiology in extreme conditions, recently ended his time in uniform but will continue in his key role. He has been a pivotal figure in the development of health policies for the military since 1997 when his work as a scientist and researcher began to be widely acclaimed.
During last year's war in Gaza, Heled tells The Jerusalem Report, he was in direct contact with commanders, answering queries about soldiers' physical readiness to continue or carry out missions after having already been in the field for extended periods.
In the United States, where he did his post doctorate at USUHS (the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland), he was recently made an associate professor and received a medal in recognition of his scientific achievements. He has also had a special research facility dedicated in his name - the Dr. Heled Environmental Chamber - an unprecedented acknowledgement by the US medical fraternity of his innovations, which have benefited not only soldiers from his own country but also those of Israel's closest ally, as well as impacting the world of sports science.
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