I would like to ask Michael what happened with Israel’s weapons industry. I seem to recall that Israel had a large industry in exporting weapons, they used to build them and were noted for this. How then did Israel allow itself to be dependent upon other countries for weapons? I am really puzzled by this.
I would like to ask Michael what happened with Israel’s weapons industry. I seem to recall that Israel had a large industry in exporting weapons, they used to build them and were noted for this. How then did Israel allow itself to be dependent upon other countries for weapons? I am really puzzled by this.
I'm now writing a paper on this for the MIsgav Institute in Jerusalem. If I had to sum up the answer in a word I would say: Addiction. The great majority - over 90% - of Israeli military imports are from the United States and are funded by American military aid; as far as the Israeli army is concerned it's all essentially free, from F-35s to combat boots to gasoline for Israeli tanks. Nothing is as expensive in the long run as stuff you get for free. By the way this aid amounts to less than 1% of Israel's GDP; not shruggable, but well within Israel's power to replace with domestic funds. The only weapons systems Israel really has to rely on the United states for are advanced air superiority/strategic attack aircraft, and Israel should concentrate on using American aid to build a large inventory of spare parts for the aircraft it has, while going shoping around the (free) world for aircraft to fulfil less demanding missions (like bombing Gaza or Lebanon/Syria). In fact there would be value in Israel sending a message and leaving American military aid dollars on the table. If Trump is reelected that should make him happy!
I agree, this is what I was trying to point out. Israel used to be a leader in exporting arms and manufacturing them. Why did they allow themselves to abandon this industry and become forced to rely upon others, especially considering the area they live in. Dramatically speaking, Israel needs to be prepared and ready to go at a moment’s notice .
I don't know why you think Israel "abandoned" the arms industry; there is no basis for such a claim. The Israeli army usually purchases about $7-8 billion a year in arms, ammunition and equipment; from now on it'll be more, of course. About 60% of that is domestically produced; most of the rest is imported from the United States. At the same time Israel's military industry is a significant exporter, having sold $12.5 billion in arms abroad in 2022, an all-time high. Israel is too dependent on the United States for certain types of weapons and ammunition but that doesn't mean it has to remain so except probably where the most advanced types of aircraft are involved. That said, no country Israel's size can produce every type of weapon it needs, and one of Israel's goals needs to be to diversify its sources of supply, paying for what it imports by exporting types of weapons and military equipment that it's especially good at producing - drones, RPVs. missiles, battlefield electronics.
I would like to ask Michael what happened with Israel’s weapons industry. I seem to recall that Israel had a large industry in exporting weapons, they used to build them and were noted for this. How then did Israel allow itself to be dependent upon other countries for weapons? I am really puzzled by this.
I'm now writing a paper on this for the MIsgav Institute in Jerusalem. If I had to sum up the answer in a word I would say: Addiction. The great majority - over 90% - of Israeli military imports are from the United States and are funded by American military aid; as far as the Israeli army is concerned it's all essentially free, from F-35s to combat boots to gasoline for Israeli tanks. Nothing is as expensive in the long run as stuff you get for free. By the way this aid amounts to less than 1% of Israel's GDP; not shruggable, but well within Israel's power to replace with domestic funds. The only weapons systems Israel really has to rely on the United states for are advanced air superiority/strategic attack aircraft, and Israel should concentrate on using American aid to build a large inventory of spare parts for the aircraft it has, while going shoping around the (free) world for aircraft to fulfil less demanding missions (like bombing Gaza or Lebanon/Syria). In fact there would be value in Israel sending a message and leaving American military aid dollars on the table. If Trump is reelected that should make him happy!
I agree, this is what I was trying to point out. Israel used to be a leader in exporting arms and manufacturing them. Why did they allow themselves to abandon this industry and become forced to rely upon others, especially considering the area they live in. Dramatically speaking, Israel needs to be prepared and ready to go at a moment’s notice .
I don't know why you think Israel "abandoned" the arms industry; there is no basis for such a claim. The Israeli army usually purchases about $7-8 billion a year in arms, ammunition and equipment; from now on it'll be more, of course. About 60% of that is domestically produced; most of the rest is imported from the United States. At the same time Israel's military industry is a significant exporter, having sold $12.5 billion in arms abroad in 2022, an all-time high. Israel is too dependent on the United States for certain types of weapons and ammunition but that doesn't mean it has to remain so except probably where the most advanced types of aircraft are involved. That said, no country Israel's size can produce every type of weapon it needs, and one of Israel's goals needs to be to diversify its sources of supply, paying for what it imports by exporting types of weapons and military equipment that it's especially good at producing - drones, RPVs. missiles, battlefield electronics.