Inside the Israeli Army Program That Recruits Teens With Autism

Six years ago, three former Mossad agents launched an experimental Israeli Army program to recruit those on the autism spectrum. [ view in [browser](. add esquire@newsletter.esquire.com to your address book ] [Esquire]( [Sunday Reads] FOLLOW US [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Pinterest]( [Instagram]( [You Tube]( [Google Plus]( [The Israeli Army's Roim Rachok Program Is Bigger Than the Military]( It’s early June in Israel, as sirens blare and golden explosions burst the black sky. Clashes have been raging since before President Trump moved the U. S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, recognizing it as the country’s capital to the outrage of Palestinians, but the relocation sparked the most deadly outbreak in years along the Gaza Strip. Legions of protesters hurl firebombs and rocks at Israeli soldiers over the security fence. Burning kites fly over from Gaza into the brittle, dry fields along Israel’s southern border, setting the ground ablaze. Forty-five miles north, in the heart of Tel Aviv, Israel Defense Forces personnel bustle around the Kirya, the sprawling campus that has served as the IDF’s main base and headquarters since shortly after the founding of the country in 1948. On an upper floor of one heavily guarded building, at the end of a narrow hall, a half-dozen young intelligence soldiers in olive-green fatigues stare intently at their dual computer monitors. Aerial-­surveillance photos of the country’s borders flicker on their screens. They’re doing visual analysis, eyeballing an ever-­shifting cascade of thousands of satellite images, looking for the slightest sign of enemy activity—a small stockpile of explosives behind a hill, perhaps, or a tiny, upturned pile of sand indicating a nascent underground tunnel. Missing one detail could cost lives. Their high-stakes work is crucial for protecting Israeli citizens and soldiers. It’s also unforgiving. For nine hours a day, or more during a crisis, they exhibit almost bionic focus, an uncanny ability to stare at a screen and process highly complex data without tiring or daydreaming. For that reason, as their scruffy, middle-­aged commander Eitan (to protect some IDF identities, aliases are used) tells me, "These are the best soldiers in the unit." They are also the most distinctive—not only in Israel but in the world. They’re part of an innovative military program called Roim Rachok, Hebrew for "seeing into the future." The elite group consists entirely of members of a burgeoning but underserved and overlooked population with powers as special as their needs: teens with autism. [READ THE FULL STORY](FEATURE LINK) [MORE FROM ESQUIRE] [Esquire]( [Everything You Need to Know About Killing Eve Before Season Two]( To be frank, Killing Eve is the most fun anxiety attack a television enthusiast can experience these days. The BBC America show features a story about two complex women who could be out to kill one another but also might be too infatuated with the other to pull it off. Long story short, it's just good television. The crime-thriller returns to BBC America (and AMC!) on Sunday, April 7 for Season Two. If you're not caught up, the first season is available to binge on Hulu. If you'd rather just dive into Season Two, sorry baby—there's a few things that are probably good to know. [Read On]( [Esquire]( [The 14 Best Affordable Clothing Stores for Stylish (and Savvy) Guys to Shop Online]( Shopping on the internet is full of infinite possibilities. You can go to any store you want without leaving your couch, standing in a line, or facing any other real human being at all. It's a delight! With that in mind, here are the 14 affordable online menswear resources every guy should have on his radar. [Read On]( [Esquire]( [The Leather Jacket That Proves Everyone Can Wear a Leather Jacket]( I’ve owned a traditional leather biker jacket for a few years and have only been brave enough to wear it out in public on maybe a handful of occasions. It takes a certain amount of confidence to wear the leather jacket and not let the leather jacket wear you. Which brings me to DSTLD's leather bomber. For a beginner like me, DSTLD offers the perfect way to wear a leather jacket and actually feel cool. Which, as it happens, is exactly the point. [Read On]( [Esquire]( [35 Years of WrestleMania in Photos (Woo)]( Football fanatics have the Super Bowl. Tennis lovers have Wimbledon. And fans of the high-flying, chair-throwing, hyper-masculine soap opera that is professional wrestling know there's only one Granddaddy of 'Em All: WrestleMania. The main event of main events has played host to icons of sports, film, music, and even at least one future president (you can probably guess who), delivering plenty of plot twists, torn tees, and Stone Cold Stunners along the way. Here's a look back at some memorable moments over the last 35 years. Can I get a hell yeah? [Read On]( [Esquire]( [I’ve Been Spraying Mist on My Face Every Day and It Has Changed Me]( A couple of years ago, I went to a music festival on a press trip and part of the deal was this little goody bag of essentials. This bag had just about everything I'd need to get through the weekend short of an Insufferable Person Avoidance Device—one of them being a tiny aerosol can of face spray. It changed the game, man. [Read On]( [Unsubscribe]( • [Privacy Notice]( [esquire.com]( ©2019 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019