Imagine having to walk down the street and enter the neighborhood grocery store without anyone noticing you. If that sounds difficult - you're right, and that's exactly what Maglan fighters are required to do as part of their training. We joined the special exercise, heard about the 'stealth doctrine', and mostly - tried very hard to find them, without success.
They emerge quickly one after another from a thicket of bushes. As they slip through a breach in the settlement's fence, which they prepared in advance, they disappear into the night, in silence. One moment they were right here, and a blink later - even the sharpest eye couldn't find them.
This situation, which sounds like a scene from a superhero movie, is actually part of a regular exercise in Maglan's training. Every time, two months before the end of the course, the fighters are given a mission - to operate covertly in the most exposed places. "This is the 'stealth week'," describes Captain A., from the unit's training company, "They learn how to disappear in the heart of a hostile civilian population, under lighting, and without cover."
The night begins with their landing from Air Force helicopters and walked 8 km to the target. When they arrive, the fighters position themselves and are ready for the "go" order. One team is on a nearby mountain, trying to locate the other two teams. They, in turn, need to sneak into a civilian area at the same time, reach a specific target, complete the mission, and return.
"Today, their mission is to 'break into' the neighborhood grocery store and 'steal' milk," says Sergeant First Class T., a combat instructor in Maglan's training, with a secretive smile. Of course, the entire exercise is done in advance coordination with the settlement and with the consent of the store owners.
And although it sounds complicated to the point of impossible, for the commando fighters, it's second nature. "It's a whole doctrine that they learn from A to Z for a long time," notes the combat instructor, "For this specific exercise, they prepared for days. They studied the area and prepared for a variety of unexpected situations that might arise."
Stealth has clear rules. "We use a lot of light and shadow games," he explains, "You'd be surprised, but even a huge flashlight that illuminates the entire area can be used to our advantage if you know how to use it properly. We can also manipulate our human shadows so that they can't be seen. All this happens thanks to prior learning of the terrain and a deep understanding of the human brain."
Maglan fighters also manipulate the space using makeup and camouflage. "In our faces, there are deep parts like eyes, and prominent parts like the nose. Using colors, we know how to blur the structure of the face, so that even someone looking directly at the fighter won't notice him," he hints.
Indeed, just as the exercise begins, I understand what Sergeant First Class T. means. You can't see them at all, but I know they're there, examining the area, appearing for a split second, and dissipating in the darkness. And when they're already inside the settlement area, carrying out the mission, none of the passersby see them: "You'd be surprised how blind people are to what they're not looking for."
The training ends, and the company commander's satisfaction is evident on his face. I still can't see them, and at some point, I give up and stop trying. When they want us to find them, we can try to locate the invisible shadows and search for the Maglan fighters - but we probably won't succeed.