(BESA Center for Strategic Studies-Bar-Ilan University) Yaakov Lappin - While according to Israeli intelligence assessments, none of Israel's enemies want a full-scale war any time soon, the IDF is implementing a plan to improve its ability to operate on multiple battle fronts simultaneously. In January, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot identified five fronts that pose threats to Israel's security: Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, Gaza, and Sinai. Hovering over all these sectors is Iran, with its nuclear ambitions and regional hegemony efforts. Former Israel Air Force Chief Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel said the IAF's strike rate has "doubled twice" in recent years. Several thousand targets can be hit within 24 hours, every 24 hours - a degree of air power unprecedented in military history. Yet the IDF will not rely mainly on air power, with a major effort underway to improve war readiness among ground forces. To counter the threat of armor-piercing RPGs and anti-tank missiles, the IDF is mass producing modern armored personnel carriers and tanks with the Trophy active protection system. This gives them not only the ability to intercept incoming missiles, but also to instantly detect and share the location of enemy cells that are firing at them, enabling rapid, accurate return fire. The writer is a research associate at the BESA Center.
2018-02-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive