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Source: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Israel_seeks_6th_German_sub_to_boost_navy_999.html
Israel Seeks 6th German Sub to Boost Navy
(UPI) Israel is pressing Germany to sell it a sixth Dolphin-class submarine at a hefty discount to boost the strategic reach - think Iran - of its navy. The Germans, less inclined to help the Israelis than they were in the years following the Holocaust, have been reluctant to underwrite the proposal. There are two schools of thought within Israel's defense establishment about the shape and role of the navy in coming decades. One argues that Israel, which gets nearly all its imports including oil and raw materials by sea, will need large, long-range surface ships to keep shipping lanes open, counter Arab navies in the Mediterranean and Red seas, and mount sea blockades of Lebanon or Gaza. The other school favors giving the navy a powerful strategic reach through a stronger submarine force, supposedly with second-strike capabilities against Iran using nuclear-tipped cruise missiles.