US Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro visted Kibbutz Sasa in the Northern Galilee, home to Plasan factory, in late January to learn about the company's advanced armor technologies, which have saved countless American soldiers' lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel's Plasan factory manufactures armor, which is used in the majority of the US military's armored vehicles. Plasan has been able to surge the production of up-armor kits for Humvees and for mine-resistant vehicles. These armor kits have been critical in saving the lives of thousands of US soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen when they have been faced the threat of IEDs and RPG attacks.