Learning to Learn: Lessons for the US Army from the Israel Defense Forces’ Wartime Adaption

John Spencer 

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In war, survival often depends not just on strength or firepower, but on how fast an army can adapt—and whether it can do so in time to save lives. In late 2023, as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) pushed into Gaza following the October 7 Hamas invasion, one horrific moment underscored the urgency of battlefield adaptation. While navigating the complex urban terrain in a column, Israeli infantry soldiers had been staying inside their armored personnel carriers too long as they waited for the lead vehicle—typically a bulldozer or tank—to clear the path forward. Hamas exploited this hesitation and attacked that specific type of vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade from a close and elevated position, killing eleven soldiers in one attack. Hamas had not only found a way around Israel’s advanced active protection systems, but also recognized the vulnerability in the IDF’s dismount timing. Hours later, another Israeli unit spotted a militant attempting the same tactic.

In response, the IDF did something remarkable. They paused combat operations for twenty-four hours across multiple brigades. The goal was not discipline but diffusion: ensuring that all personnel, from brigade commanders to squad leaders, received the lesson and immediately adjusted their tactics. Soldiers would no longer sit in idling armored personnel carriers before dismounting. One moment of battlefield horror became a lifesaving protocol—disseminated in a day.

But how do you make a military learn at the speed of battle?

Three Vectors of Learning: Digital, Document, and Direct

Over five visits to Israel and Gaza since the war began, I had the opportunity to observe firsthand how the IDF adapted in real time to the brutal realities of urban combat. What began as informal conversations soon turned into focused inquiry, as I recognized the uniqueness of what I was seeing. I spoke with commanders, learning officers, and frontline troops, and followed tactical evolutions as they unfolded on the ground. The more I asked, the clearer it became: the IDF was not just learning—it was learning how to learn. And it was doing so with speed, purpose, and institutional resolve that few modern militaries have achieved.