Check Out "Baladia," The 5,000-Acre Fake City Israel Uses To Train For Urban Combat
As warfare transitions from large national militaries clashing in open spaces to small units of soldiers and guerrillas fighting in congested, urban settings, Israel has created the ultimate modern combat training center.
Located at the Tze'elim Army Base in the Negev Desert, just east of the Gaza Strip, the 7.4-square-mile facility has been used by many of the world's most powerful militaries as a training ground, including the U.S. Marines and U.N. security forces.
Nicknamed "Baladia," which is Arabic for "city," the training center's urban mock-up spans more than a half square-mile. The facility was built in 2005 with the help of the U.S. military, at a total cost of $45 million.
Vice News correspondent Alex Miller got to experience the training Israeli soldiers go through at Baladia up-close, and produced a documentary highlighting the venture.
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