This article concludes a series of publications "This is how the IDF was created", which tells about the most interesting facts related to the creation of the Israel Defense Forces and the supply of weapons to the young Jewish state. You can write a whole monograph or a fascinating fiction book about this period of the history of the Middle East, but we will talk about it in the next articles, which will be devoted to the history of the War of Independence and biographies of famous personalities.
The Israel Defense Forces was formed on May 26, 1948, 12 days after the founding of the State of Israel – at the very beginning of the second stage of the War of Independence, during which local clashes between Arab radicals and Jewish self-defense units grew into a full-scale military conflict. The Provisional Government of Israel decided to create a full-fledged army, and on May 26, 1948, its head David Ben-Gurion signed the Israel Defense Forces Decree.
Before the creation of the State of Israel, there were several Jewish military organizations in Palestine:
1) "Haganah" ("Defense"), subordinate to the leadership of the "ishuv" (Jewish settlements in Palestine). Part of the "Haganah" was in legal position and cooperated with the British colonial authorities.
2) National military organization "Etzel" (full name "Irgun Tsvai Leumi" –
"National Military Organization") – a radical underground organization that fought against the British authorities.
3) "Lehi" (full name "Lohamey Herut Israel" – "Fighters for the freedom of Israel") – an organization that was founded by immigrants from the Irgun, who did not agree with the policy of ending the struggle against the British colonial administration.
Members of these three organizations became the backbone of the IDF personnel. At the same time, most of the recruits were members of the "Haganah", and its commanders were placed in the leadership and command posts of the IDF. By the time Israel proclaimed its independence, the number of this organization had reached 45,000 people, 3,000 of whom were members of the shock companies (Palmach).
After the proclamation of Israel's independence, the commander of "Etzel" Menachem Begin made a statement that the organization would stop clandestine activities. In his speech to the Jewish nation, he said: “ In the State of Israel, we will be soldiers and builders. We will obey its laws, as this– our laws, and his government, we will respect, since this– our government».
On June 1, 1948, Menachem Begin and a member of the interim government, Israel Galili, signed an agreement that the Ezel fighters become IDF soldiers. Soon two battalions were created from them, all in all, about 7,000 "Ezelites" were included in the IDF.
In Jerusalem, which according to the UN Plan for the Partition of Palestine was not included in the State of Israel, "Etzel" for some time continued to operate independently, while actively cooperating with the "Haganah", and later with the IDF.
The leadership of the Lehi organization, which included Yitzhak Shamir (Yezernitsky), Nathan Elin-Mor (Fridman) and Israel Eldad (Shayb), in negotiations with representatives of the Israeli government Levi Eshkol and Israel Galili, also decided that their organization would become a part of IDF. On May 29, 1948, all members of "Lehi", for the first time since leaving the underground, were gathered together. In total, more than 1,000 Lehi members have joined the Israel Defense Forces. Most of them became part of the 8th Armored Brigade, commanded by Yitzhak Sade. The 89th Shock Battalion, commanded by Moshe Dayan, also included one company of former Lehi fighters. Just like the members of the Etzel organization, the Lehi fighters acted independently for some time on the territory of Jerusalem. – this group was led by Yehoshua Zetler.
As for the total number of the army and statistics on the types of troops, it is very difficult to provide accurate data. In fact, the Israel Defense Forces was created throughout the Israel War of Independence (1947 – 1949), while incurring losses. At the same time, new repatriates and new equipment arrived, so the number of the IDF in different periods either increased or decreased. At the beginning of its establishment, the total strength of the IDF and the Jerusalem combat units Lehi and Etzel ranged from 50,000 to 55,000. The army was armed with anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, hand-held firearms, flamethrowers and 30 light aircraft, which were used mainly for delivery of goods or reconnaissance. In October 1948, the IDF had already numbered 120,000 people, and the army was armed with about 100 combat aircraft. By the end of the war, according to various sources, from 84 to 90 thousand people remained in the ranks, while one full-fledged armored battalion appeared in the army.
© 2006 by Alexander Shulman. All rights reserved
Alexander Shulman
IDF - Israel Defense Forces
IDF - this is the short Hebrew name for the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF is rightfully considered one of the strongest armies in the world, victorious in all wars and armed conflicts in which it had to participate in its almost 60-year history. The IDF is an example of the people's army - the entire population of Israel: men and women, representatives of all ethnic and religious communities, owners of billions of dollars and descendants of poor families - all as one equal to fulfill their heavy military duty in the army.
The prestige of military service in Israel is very high - it is considered something indecent to "roll away" from the army service, in the elite military units the competition for recruits is dozens of people per seat. And after demobilization, the whole life of the Israelis is connected with the army - up to the age of forty they are annually drafted into the army for monthly training of reservists, people live in readiness for an unexpected mobilization. No wonder this joke is popular: "An Israeli is a soldier who is on vacation 11 months a year."
Who is at the head of the IDF
Israel is a parliamentary democracy, and therefore the army is separated from politics. The head of the Ministry of Defense is a civilian official who is appointed by a decision of the Prime Minister. This important government post is currently held by Amir Peretz, formerly the head of the Israeli trade unions. The Minister of Defense defends the interests of the army in parliament and in the government, primarily when distributing the budget, but the real leadership of the troops is carried out by the chief of the General Staff - a career military man.
According to the tradition prevailing in Israel, the Chief of the General Staff is appointed by the government on the recommendation of the Minister of Defense for a period of 3 years. In the future, this period may be extended by no more than one year. When appointed to the post of Chief of the General Staff, he is awarded the rank of Colonel-General and he is the only person in active service who has this high rank. Under his command is the entire huge, well-coordinated military machine called the IDF.
For the past two years, the Chief of the General Staff has been Aviation Colonel General Dan Halutz. Dan Halutz became the seventeenth Chief of Staff in the entire history of the Jewish state. This appointment can be considered significant - for the first time a military pilot is at the head of the IDF, while all his predecessors were from the infantry or paratrooper troops.
In the event of a general mobilization, the IDF in a matter of hours turns from a peacetime army, in which about 200 thousand servicemen serve, into one of the most efficient armies in the world, in which up to 800 thousand well-trained fighters and commanders are ready to perform combat missions.
Subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff are the commanders of the Northern, Central and Southern military districts, the Logistics Command, the headquarters of the Ground Forces, the commanders of the combat arms, the Navy, the Air Force, dozens of directorates and commands of various levels, the commanders of divisions, brigades, flotillas, units and formations ...
The commanders of the military districts, the heads of numerous directorates and commands, as well as the heads of the Shabak counterintelligence and the foreign intelligence of the MOSAD, are part of the General Staff Forum, which unites all the top military leadership of Israel, headed by the Chief of the General Staff ..
Get in line!
In Israel, in accordance with the Universal Military Obligation Law, the entire population over 18 years of age, with some exceptions, is subject to active military service. However, preparation for military service begins long before conscription.
The initial military training of schoolchildren is carried out within the framework of the youth paramilitary organization GADNA (an abbreviation of the Hebrew words for "Youth battalions"). The GADNA is headed by a command from among the regular officers of the Israeli army, coordinating its activities with the Ministry of Education. The service of the senior officer of the General Staff for the education of youth directly directs this process.
Every year, high school students undergo two-week military training in the camps. They are led by officers and sergeants. During the training camp, schoolchildren receive army uniforms, they are given lessons in shooting, physical and drill training. Much attention is paid to field activities. At the end of the training camp, each student undergoes certification, at which conclusions are given on the level of training and recommendations for choosing an army specialty. Within the framework of GADNA there are also aviation and naval sections.
For teenagers 13-15 years old (both boys and girls), who have decided to receive vocational training in specialties of the army profile, there is a whole network of cadet corps. These include numerous colleges of the Air Force, the Armaments Service, and the Navy, which train future army and navy specialists. The oldest military educational institution of this profile is the College of Naval Officers in Akko, opened in 1938. Cadets who complete their training course in college are drafted into the army, where they serve in the acquired specialties. The best graduates can continue their studies at universities, where they receive their first academic degree.
A special place among military educational institutions for adolescents is occupied by the Command Preparatory College, which prepares command personnel for the infantry and airborne forces, founded in 1953. Cadets of this profile receive versatile combat command training. A specific feature of their studies is their constant participation in military exercises as part of military units, where they are trained as ordinary soldiers and commanders of squads and platoons.
Upon reaching the age of 18, all Israelis of both sexes are subject to conscription. Common to all is the passage of the course of a young soldier (tironut), the duration and complexity of which depend on the type of troops to which the conscript is sent. Conventionally, all military specialties are divided into combat, related to the performance of combat missions, and logistics support specialties. In combat units, tyronut lasts up to six months, in rear units - one month. At the end of the tironut, the soldiers are assigned an index of combat training ("rovai"). The value of the index is determined by the level of combat training: for example, for a soldier-infantryman, the ditch can reach a value of 05. The index of combat training increases with additional courses.
For soldiers of combat units, the next stage of combat training is an advanced training course that lasts several months. The best trained fighters then take a sergeant course, and only the best graduates of the sergeant course can be assigned to an officer course. Thus, it is compulsory for candidates for officers to complete all stages of soldier's service directly in the troops and the total duration can reach from one to one and a half years. All this time, the soldier combines training with service in his military units.
Who gets the officer's shoulder straps
Special attention has always been paid to the training of officers in Israel. The first head of government, David Ben-Gurion, formulated this task in the following way: “We need a selected and highly professional officer corps who are fluent in the science of winning. It is necessary that the best representatives of our youth, who have a high intellect and are devoted to the ideals of the first builders of our state, devote their lives to serving the Motherland in the ranks of the armed forces. "
Unlike Russia, where officers are trained in schools from yesterday's school graduates, in Israel the path to officer's shoulder straps lies only through the soldier's service. Only the best soldiers and sergeants who have been carefully selected are admitted to the exams for admission to the officer courses. Potential candidates are subject to stringent requirements: it is mandatory to have a secondary education certificate, the candidate must have a high coefficient of intellectual and physical development, which consists of 27 parameters, pass exams and medical commissions, and receive recommendations from their immediate commanders.
Officer courses are located at the training bases of the combat arms and military formations. The duration of study ranges from 6 months for infantry platoon commanders to 20 months for naval officers. Only at the Air Force Academy, which trains Air Force pilots, the training period is 3 years and upon graduation, the graduates, along with the officer rank, are awarded the first academic degree.
Training on officer courses, due to their short duration, is highly intensive and requires maximum moral and physical efforts from cadets. Those who cannot cope with such loads will be immediately expelled from the course. The entire training system is inextricably linked with the solution of real combat missions, cadets spend a significant part of their time in the field and on exercises, where the theoretical knowledge they have gained is immediately consolidated. The emphasis is on mastering the practical skills of commanding subunits by future officers.
Girls are trained on an equal basis with guys. Until recently, there was a separate training base for the Women's Corps, where officers from among the girls undergoing military service were trained at various women's officer courses. However, after the disbandment of the separate Women's Corps in 2001, they were merged with the existing officer courses, and now the girls are trained on a common basis. Combined companies and battalions are formed from cadets of both sexes.
To train specialist officers with a higher education, the IDF operates the “Atuda” program. Under this program, a deferral from conscription is given to students of civil higher educational institutions studying in specialties needed by the army, as a rule, of a technical and medical profile. Students sign an agreement under which they undertake to serve in the army at the end of their studies for at least five years. During the years of study, students enrolled in this program are periodically drafted into the army, where they take a month-long course for a young soldier, as well as a basic officer course. There are no analogs of military departments in Israeli universities.
A condition for the successful promotion of an officer in the service is the compulsory completion of courses for him corresponding to positions of various command levels. The IDF has an extensive system of military educational institutions in which such training is carried out.
The Command and Tactical College trains promising young officers who are promoted to command of companies. A prerequisite for studying there is the signing of an agreement on military service for 4-5 years after graduation from this college. Future battalion commanders are trained at the Command and Staff College.
Along with education in military educational institutions, the IDF has the practice of sending officers to receive academic education in civilian universities, both in Israel and abroad. It is believed that the presence of officers in an atmosphere of academic freedom, in the absence of military command, develops initiative and promotes the adoption of non-standard decisions.
Ground troops
The ground forces of the IDF include parachute, motorized infantry and tank divisions, and a marine division. In the course of hostilities, corps of mixed composition can be formed from divisions.
The armored forces, the main striking force of the IDF's ground forces, are considered one of the largest in the world - it is known that the IDF is now armed with about 4,000 tanks. This is significantly more than, for example, in the armies of countries such as Great Britain, France and Germany. The main part of the tank fleet is made up of Israeli-made Merkava tanks.
The IDF's armored forces were born in the battles of the War of Independence, which began immediately after the founding of the State of Israel in May 1948. During the war, the army of the young Jewish state repelled the aggression of the regular armies of eight Arab countries and achieved a crushing victory.
The commander of the first tank unit, the 82nd tank battalion, was former Red Army Major Felix Beatus, who traveled along the roads of the Great Patriotic War from Stalingrad to Berlin. The battalion had "English" and "Russian" companies. So they were called by the languages \u200b\u200bspoken by the tankers - Jewish volunteers from around the world. Most of the soldiers of the "Russian" company were tank officers of the Red Army and the Polish Army, who managed to get to the newly created Jewish state.
The first combat vehicles of Israeli tankers were captured tanks, which were captured during the fighting in northern Israel. Then tanks purchased abroad began to arrive. By the middle of 1948, the 7th and 8th tank brigades were formed, which took part in the battles.
In those years, the doctrine of tank warfare began to take shape, which was adopted by the IDF. It was based on the following principles. The first is “Tank Totality”. This means that tank formations are capable of independently solving the main tasks of land warfare. The second - "Bronekulak" as the main tank maneuver ", which consisted in the introduction of large tank forces into a breakthrough, capable of leading an offensive at high speed, destroying enemy forces on its way.
This doctrine was first tested by force during the 1956 Sinai campaign. In three days, the 7th and 27th tank brigades, interacting with the infantry and paratroopers, broke into the enemy's defenses and, passing the Sinai desert, reached the Suez Canal. During the fighting, up to 600 units of enemy armored vehicles were destroyed or captured, Israeli losses amounted to 30 tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Analysis of tank battles showed a high percentage of losses among tank commanders. This was due to the implementation of the commanding honor code adopted by the Israeli army. According to him, the main command in the IDF is "Follow me!" - the commander is obliged to lead subordinates by personal example. During battles, tank commanders controlled the battle directly from open hatches and therefore often died from enemy fire.
The 1967 Six Day War was a true triumph for the Israeli armored forces. For the first time, tank formations operated simultaneously on three fronts. They were opposed by the many times superior forces of five Arab states, but this did not save the Arabs from total defeat.
On the southern front, the blow was struck by the forces of three tank divisions of Generals Tal, Sharon and Ioffe. In an offensive operation called "March across the Sinai", Israeli tank formations, interacting with aviation, motorized infantry and paratroopers, made a lightning-fast breakthrough of the enemy's defenses and moved through the desert, destroying the encircled Arab groupings.
On the northern front, the 36th Panzer Division of General Peled advanced along the rugged mountain paths, which, after three days of fierce battles, reached the outskirts of Damascus. On the eastern front, Israeli troops drove Jordanian units out of Jerusalem. During the fighting, more than 1,200 enemy tanks were destroyed, and thousands of armored vehicles were captured.
The hardest test for Israel was the Yom Kippur War, which began on October 6, 1973, on the day of one of the most important Jewish holidays, when most of the soldiers were on leave. Israel was suddenly attacked on all fronts by the many times superior forces of the aggressors. In the vastness of the Sinai to the Golan Heights, one of the largest tank battles in world military history unfolded - up to six thousand tanks took part in it on both sides.
A particularly dangerous situation developed in the Golan Heights - there, only 200 tanks of the 7th and 188th tank brigades opposed almost 1,400 Syrian tanks on a 40-kilometer stretch. Israeli tank crews fought to the death, demonstrating massive heroism. The tankers fought to the last shell, from the surviving tankers who had just left the burning tanks, new crews were immediately formed, which again went into battle in repaired combat vehicles. The platoon leader Lieutenant Gringold burned three times in tanks during the battle, which lasted 24 hours, but each time he went into battle again in new vehicles. Shell-shocked and wounded, he did not leave the battlefield and destroyed up to 30 enemy tanks.
The Israeli tankers held out and won, the 210th Panzer Division, commanded by General Dan Lahner, who came to the rescue, completed the defeat of the enemy in the Golan Heights. During the fighting, the Iraqi tank corps, which had been sent to the aid of the Syrians, was also defeated. Israeli troops launched a counteroffensive and on October 14 were already in the suburbs of Damascus.
An equally fierce tank battle took place in the sands of Sinai, where the Arabs first succeeded in pushing back units of General Mendler's 252nd Panzer Division. General Mendler died in battle, but stopped the enemy's further advance. On October 7, the 162nd Panzer Division under the command of General Bren and the 143rd Panzer Division under the command of General Ariel Sharon entered the battle.
In the course of heavy tank battles, the main forces of the Arabs were destroyed. On October 14, the largest battle of tank formations since the Second World War, "tanks against tanks", took place, in which up to 800 tanks from both sides participated. Israeli tank crews lost 40 of their combat vehicles, enemy losses amounted to 360 tanks.
On October 16, 1973, Israeli tank forces launched a counteroffensive. General Sharon's tankmen broke through the front, set up a pontoon crossing over the Suez Canal, and Israeli tanks poured onto the African coast. In the ensuing battles, the 3rd Egyptian army was surrounded, and a direct road opened up for the Israeli forces to attack Cairo.
During the fierce tank battles of the Yom Kippur War, Israeli tank forces once again proved their superiority: more than 2,500 enemy tanks and thousands of other armored vehicles were destroyed in the battles. However, the victory had to pay a high price - hundreds of heroically fighting Israeli tankers were killed in the battles.
One of the results of the past wars was the creation of their own tank, in which the requirements of Israeli tankers for a combat vehicle were most fully implemented and their combat experience was taken into account. Another reason that prompted the creation of the Israeli tank industry was the embargo on the supply of military equipment, imposed by foreign manufacturers every time a war broke out.
The Israeli tank project was headed by General Israel Tal, a combat tank officer, commander-in-chief of the armored forces. Under his leadership, in just a few years, a project was created for the first Israeli tank "Merkava-1", which in 1976 was put into mass production at Israeli tank factories. The first tanks "Merkava" were equipped with a tank battalion, commanded by the son of General Tal. Tank "Merkava" is recognized as one of the best tanks in the world. Now the fourth generation of Merkava tanks is being produced.
Air Force
The Israeli Air Force (in Hebrew - "Heil Avir") includes dozens of squadrons of fighter, military transport, naval aviation, an electronic warfare squadron, "flying tankers" refuelers, and combat helicopters for various purposes. The number of modern supersonic fighter-bombers alone reaches almost 800 aircraft. In terms of the number of combat aircraft, the Israeli Air Force is second only to the United States, but in terms of flight training and combat skill, Israeli pilots are considered the best in the West. Suffice it to say that the annual flight time of Israeli pilots reaches 250 hours, while for NATO pilots this figure does not exceed 180 hours. It is important to note that the skill of Israeli pilots is honed not in training battles, but in performing real combat missions during wars.
In air battles, Israeli aces shot down 686 enemy aircraft, losing only 23 of their own. The history of military victories of the Israeli air force dates back to June 3, 1948. On this day, squadron commander Moddi Alon on a Messerschmitt fighter shot down two enemy Dakota bombers in the skies over Tel Aviv, which were going to bomb densely populated areas of the city.
The Israeli Air Force was created in the battles of the War of Independence. The young Jewish state did not yet have any aircraft or trained personnel, and Israeli cities and villages were already subject to enemy air strikes. The first aircraft were purchased from Czechoslovakia. They were delivered to Israel by air, assembled right at the airfields, and the pilots went into battle in new combat vehicles. During the air combat, Israeli pilots seized air superiority and shot down 18 enemy aircraft. Bomb strikes were carried out on combat positions and rear targets of the enemy.
Since then, the mission of the Israeli Air Force has been to gain air supremacy and protect the Israeli population and its armed forces from attacks by enemy armies and terrorist groups.
The combat operations of the Israeli Air Force are based on a whole spectrum of strategic plans, tactical and aerobatic techniques, initiative and a non-trivial approach to solving combat missions at all levels: from ordinary pilots to commanders of air formations. This principle was fully revealed in the 1967 Six Day War.
On June 5 at 07.45 the Israeli air force attacked along the entire front. Their plan of action was to strike at air bases and destroy all enemy combat aircraft on the ground. Instead of flying directly to the target, the first wave of Israeli aircraft flew into the open sea, turned around and at low altitude, above the crests of the waves, approached from the west - not at all from the direction from which the Egyptians were expecting an attack. Having destroyed 300 of 320 Egyptian aircraft right at the airfields, the Israelis immediately proceeded to destroy the air forces of other Arab states, united in a single alliance against Israel. After crushing blows, the Air Forces of Iraq, Jordan and Syria were destroyed. In air battles, Israeli pilots shot down sixty more enemy aircraft.
General Mordechai Hod, Commander-in-Chief of the Israeli Air Force, said at the time: “Sixteen years of planning are reflected in this exciting eighty hours. We lived by this plan, we went to bed and ate, thinking about it. Finally, we did it. " The secret of this victory lies primarily in the highest combat training of the pilots and ground personnel - many pilots made 4-6 sorties a day.
The 21st century air war strategy was tested by the Israeli Air Force in 1982 in Operation Peace for Galilee, which aimed at repelling terrorist attacks on Israel's northern borders. On June 9, 1982, Israeli intelligence discovered a group of enemy forces in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley, which was under the protection of twenty battalions of anti-aircraft missile systems and aviation.
Dozens of Israeli aircraft were immediately launched into the air to conduct aerial combat and strike at ground targets. In the air, there were also aircraft with radar stations that tracked the flights of enemy aviation, and aircraft for electronic warfare, which suppressed the enemy's communication and control systems. For the purpose of reconnaissance and target designation, for the first time in world combat practice, the Israelis actively used UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)
Air battles were controlled in real time - all electronic information about the enemy flowed to the control centers of the Israeli headquarters, from where tele-instructions were immediately sent directly to the Israeli pilots. The result of the air battle in the Bekaa Valley speaks for itself - the Israeli Air Force destroyed dozens of enemy aircraft and anti-aircraft missile systems, without losing a single of its aircraft.
The pilots are the elite of the Israeli army. In military aviation, it is customary to confer the honorary title "ace" on pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircraft in air battles. There are now more than forty such pilots in the Israeli air force. Israeli Air Force Colonel Giora Epstein shot down 17 enemy supersonic aircraft in aerial combat and is considered the most effective ace in the West.
Air Force pilots are trained at the Air Force Academy. The selection of candidates begins at school in the aviation clubs of the GADNA aviation section. Numerous tests reveal not only the physical and intellectual abilities of the future cadet, but also his leadership qualities, as well as the ability to be a member of the crew and work as part of a group. Those who have passed this stage of testing will have a weekly test of survival in extreme situations. Only those who have overcome all these barriers begin to master flight skills. Until recently, there were no women among combat pilots. However, now this barrier has also been broken - the first female cadet of the Air Force Academy was eighteen-year-old Ellis Miller, who together with the guys passed all the admissions tests.
The three-year course of study consists of several stages. Initially, there is a distribution of cadets in flight specialties - someone will become a pilot, someone - a navigator or flight engineer. In the future, future fighter pilots, transport aviation and helicopter pilots are singled out from among the cadets. Throughout the entire period of training, cadets are in a situation of severe pressure and high loads, the competitive spirit is stimulated in every possible way - after all, only 10% of cadets will eventually become professional combat pilots. The slogan "Only the best are pilots" symbolizes the philosophy of the Israeli Air Force.
Navy
The main theater of military operations of the Israeli Navy is the waters of Sredize-many and the Red Sea, where the main Israeli naval bases are located. Organizationally, the Israeli Navy consists of flotillas and squadrons that unite warships of various classes.
The flotilla of missile-carrying ships includes divisions of high-speed missile corvettes and Saar-class frigates armed with powerful anti-ship missile systems Barak, Harpoon, Gabriel. Ships of this class are equipped with helipads and are capable of carrying combat helicopters.
An increasing role in the fleet is played by the submarine flotilla. It includes three Gal-class submarines built in Great Britain according to a German project, as well as new submarines built in Germany - Dolphin, Leviathan and Tekuma, which are considered the best in the world in their class. In the near future, the fleet should be replenished with another two or three submarines of this class, which can make autonomous voyages to any region of the World Ocean. According to foreign press reports, they are armed with cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The squadron of patrol ships is armed with high-speed boats of the "Dabur" and "Dvora" types, created at the enterprises of the Israeli industry. This squadron carries out combat missions to protect the coast of Israel from terrorist attacks from the sea. The Navy also has a large number of auxiliary ships - landing ships capable of taking on board tank and infantry units, tankers, and rescue ships.
The 13th flotilla, the flotilla of naval commandos, occupies a special place in the fleet. It is designed to carry out sabotage and landing operations directly on the enemy coast. The fighters of this flotilla carried out dozens of attacks on enemy naval bases, ending with the sinking of enemy ships right at their base. The 13th Flotilla includes unique surface and submarine ships capable of covertly deploying soldiers to any given point.
Israel is the world leader in the development and combat use of a new class of naval weapons - anti-ship missiles and electronic warfare systems at sea. The development of missiles began at Israeli military factories in 1955, when the first Luz anti-ship missile was created. The decision to create missile boats was made in 1960 at a meeting of the General Staff of the Navy, where the Israeli naval doctrine was discussed. The next generation of anti-ship missiles, the Gabriel, entered the navy before the 1967 war. They were armed with Israeli ships that inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy during the naval battles of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
In this war, the Navy successfully solved all the tasks assigned to it - in the course of naval battles and attacks of naval saboteurs, up to forty enemy warships were sunk.
On October 6, 1973, on the second day of the Yom Kippur War, a squadron of missile carriers left the Moscow military base in Haifa and moved in two wake columns towards the Syrian coast. The purpose of the squadron, flying the flag of Rear Admiral M. Barkai, was to destroy enemy ships in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Syrian naval base Latakia. In the ensuing battle, the opposing sides, for the first time in world naval history, used sea-to-sea missiles. The result of this naval battle was the destruction of five enemy missile-carrying ships by Israeli missiles, the Israeli fleet suffered no losses.
The Israeli Navy is recruited on a draft basis. There is one exception - only volunteers go to sea commandos and submariners. Naval specialists are trained in numerous schools of the Navy, the command staff graduates from officer schools and technical universities. There is a high percentage of foremen-super-conscripts, who are true aces in their field and keepers of maritime traditions. Women serve in the navy on an equal basis with men, among them are graduates of officers' schools and commanders of warships. Perhaps only submarine crews still retain patriarchy. Naval traditions are sacredly observed. For example, when returning with a victory to the home base, it is necessary to fix the mops on the masts - according to the number of enemy ships sunk in a military campaign.
The Israeli armed forces are the main vehicle for the implementation of the aggressive policy of the government of this Zionist state. In a quarter of a century, Israeli forces have invaded neighboring Arab countries four times. As a result of the wars, he occupied a territory that is almost 5.5 times larger than the area allotted to him by the UN decision of November 29, 1947, and 3.7 times the territory within the borders until June 5, 1967.
Israel's aggressiveness and expansionism are explained by a number of reasons, and above all by the fact that this state is an instrument of American and international Zionism defending its interests in the Middle East. Imperialism, with the hands of Israel, is trying to hold back the development of the national liberation movement in this region, for which it is provided with the necessary military, economic "assistance" and given the appropriate political support.
In the interests of achieving its goals, the Zionist leadership turned Israel into a militaristic state. In terms of the number of medium tanks in service, Israel significantly exceeds countries such as, and (respectively, 2,700, 900, 950 and 1,600 units), and in terms of the number of combat aircraft it is not inferior to them (respectively, about 500, 500, 460 and 370 units). About 80% of Israel's military budget goes to the development of the Air Force and. Israel is the only country in which women are called up for active military service in peacetime under the universal conscription law. Military training covers the population aged 14 to 60 years.
The aggressive goals of the Zionist government, the peculiarities of the military-geographical position of the country, and the limited human and material resources have an impact on the military doctrine and the construction of the armed forces.
The military doctrine of Israel, judging by the reports of the foreign press, provides for the maintenance of the armed forces in a high degree of mobilization and combat readiness and the transfer of hostilities from the outbreak of war to the territory of Arab countries in order to inflict military defeat on them as soon as possible. It is believed that the Israeli armed forces are not capable of leading a large scale simultaneously on two or three fronts. Therefore, along with the offensive, defensive actions will also be widely used. Taking into account the experience of the 1973 war, the military-political leadership of Israel pays great attention to the issue of a preemptive strike, primarily by the air force, against the Arab states. In Israel, stocks of weapons, ammunition and fuel are being created, sufficient for conducting active hostilities for a month.
Its own military industry is developing at an accelerated pace, a significant part of which is exported. To date, Israel has launched the production of tactical fighters "Kfir", jet combat training aircraft "Fuga Majister", light military transport aircraft "Arava", self-propelled guns of 155-mm caliber, mortars (60-160 mm), including self-propelled (Fig. 1), 106-mm recoilless guns, missile boats equipped with the Gabriel missile defense system, small arms, ammunition and electronic equipment. Israel's military industry exports are expected to reach $ 300 million in 1976, 60% more than in 1975 and three times more than in 1974 ($ 96 million). One of the buyers is the racist regime in South Africa. At the enterprises of the military industry, the modernization of foreign-made military equipment, which is in service with the Israeli army, is also being carried out.
Figure: 1. Battery of 160-mm self-propelled mortars in the firing position
For more efficient decision-making on military policy, the structure of the Israeli armed forces, their combat readiness and equipment, the conduct of military operations, etc. On April 11, 1976, the Israeli Cabinet of Ministers established a government commission (11 people) on security issues chaired by the Prime Minister ... It included the ministers of foreign affairs, defense, finance, interior, trade and industry, police, justice, health and two ministers without a portfolio.
The Israeli Armed Forces were created by decree of the Provisional Government of Israel dated May 26, 1948. The basis for their formation was the illegal Jewish military formations "Haganah", "Palmach", "Irgun Tsva Leumi" and others, created by the Zionists in Palestine before the formation of the state itself.
The Israeli Armed Forces are composed of the Ground Forces, the Air Force, the Navy, and the NOHAL Territorial Forces. In addition, Israel has the Gadna paramilitary youth organization, the Haga civil defense organization and border guard units under the Ministry of Police.
The number of the armed forces, according to the foreign press, is 156,000, including 135,000 in the ground forces, 16,000 in the air force, and 5,000 in the navy. In addition, the NOKHAL territorial troops have about 5,000 people. During the wars of 1967 and 1973, the number of armed forces was increased to 310,000 - 320,000 (ground forces - about 275,000, air forces - 20,000, navy - 6,000, NOKHAL troops - 8,000). Border police units number 4,000.
The supreme organs of Israel's military command are the Government Security Commission, the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff (Fig. 2). The supreme commander-in-chief of the armed forces is the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Defense exercises direct control over them through the General Staff (on operational issues) and the apparatus of the Ministry of Defense (production and procurement of weapons, logistical and financial support). A civilian is appointed minister of defense, and his assistants are usually retired generals.
Figure: 2. The structure of the Israeli armed forces
The chief of the general staff is actually the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, since, in addition to the ground forces, he is subordinate to the air force, the navy and the territorial troops of the NOHAL.
In military-administrative terms, the territory of Israel is divided into three commands (military districts) - North, Central and South (headquarters in the cities of Nazareth, Er-Ramla and Beer Sheva, respectively). In peacetime, they develop mobilization and operational plans, direct the combat training of formations and units of the ground forces, and during a war - their combat activities.
The recruitment of recruits for military service is carried out by recruiting bureaus located in the cities of Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beer Sheva, Petah Tikva, Tiberius and others.
Israel Ground Forces
The functions of the headquarters of the ground forces are performed by the general staff. The main unit of the Israeli army is a brigade (3000-4000 people). During the war, larger formations (ugda) are created, consisting of two or more brigades with means of reinforcement, which can be: two to six battalions of field artillery, including self-propelled ones, one or two battalions of anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery, a communications battalion, a sapper battalion, reconnaissance and other combat support units.In the side troops, as reported in the Western press, there are ten armored, ten mechanized, nine infantry, five airborne and three artillery brigades. Of these, 11 cadre brigades (five armored, four infantry and two airborne), staffed and armed according to the state; six cadre brigades of the first stage (one armored, four mechanized and one airborne) are staffed by 50% or more, and weapons are staffed; the rest of the second-stage cropped brigades (less than 30% manned and understaffed).
The ground forces are armed with about 2,700 medium tanks (Sherman, M48, M60A1 and others), 3,300 armored personnel carriers, up to 800 field artillery guns, including 450 self-propelled (105, 155 and 203.2-mm howitzers, 175-mm guns), a number of launchers of rocket artillery caliber 240 mm, 900 anti-aircraft guns of caliber 20, 30 and 40 mm (Fig. 3 shows a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun). Recently, 20-mm six-barreled anti-aircraft guns, anti-aircraft missiles, etc. have entered service with the air defense of the ground forces. Anti-tank weapons are represented by a significant number of 106-mm recoilless guns installed on jeeps and armored personnel carriers, SS-10 ATGMs, SS-11 Cobra and 66-mm M72 anti-tank rocket launchers. Since 1973, the infantry and motorized infantry units have been receiving an Israeli-made 5.6-mm Galil automatic rifle.
Figure: 3.20-mm twin anti-aircraft gun in a firing position
According to foreign press reports, in 1976, an operational tactical missile with a non-nuclear warhead was put into service (a total of 18-24 launchers and up to 200 missiles should be delivered) and the Israeli Jericho missile (firing range of 500 km) is in production. can carry a nuclear or conventional charge.
To increase the combat capabilities of the ground forces, Israel is seeking additional supplies of operational-tactical missiles, M60A3 tanks, Cobra fire support helicopters, Tou ATGM, and M113 armored personnel carriers.
In the combat training of the ground forces, the main emphasis is placed on the development of armored formations in cooperation with the Air Force and the airborne troops. Considerable attention is paid to reconnaissance of the enemy and conducting sabotage operations in his rear, providing the advancing troops with ammunition and fuel and lubricants, as well as evacuating the wounded by air. For framed brigades, the terms of mobilization are set at 24-72 hours, depending on the degree of their staffing. First of all, armored and airborne brigades are mobilized.
Israel Air Force
The Air Force is an independent branch of the armed forces that the Israeli command gives priority to. They are designed to provide air support to the combat operations of the ground forces and the Navy and to ensure the country's air defense in cooperation with anti-aircraft missile units.The Air Force has about 500 combat aircraft of modern types, including: 200 F-4 (six fighter-bomber squadrons), 200 A-4 (six fighter-bomber squadrons), 75 types (Fig. 4), including more than 30 "Kfir" (three air defense squadrons). The Air Force has 80 combat training aircraft "Fuga Magister" and a number of aircraft of obsolete types (, "Mister" 4A, "Super Mister").
Figure: 4. "Mirage" 3C in the parking lot is preparing for the next combat sortie
Auxiliary aviation numbers about 100 aircraft (Boeing 707, C-97 Stratocruiser, Noratlas, C-47, C-1 30, Arava, Do-27, Do-28, Islander).
Helicopters are represented by the following types:, CH-53G, AB-205A, UH-1, S-65 2 (up to 100 units in total).
The Air Force also includes 15 SAM batteries (90 launchers).
The main airfields of the Israeli Air Force are Ramat David, Akir, Hatzor, Tel Aviv, Lod (Lydda).
The foreign press reported that in the near future, the Israeli Air Force will continue to receive its own Kfir and Kfir C-2 aircraft, as well as American tactical fighters of the F-15 type (delivery of 25 aircraft is planned within the next two years).
Israeli Navy
By mid-1970, the Israeli Navy had about 60 warships and boats, including: two submarines, six missile boats of the Reshef type and 12 of the Saar type (all of them are equipped with Gabriel anti-ship missile systems), more than 30 patrol and anti-submarine boats, as well as ten landing ships and boats. In addition, the BMC includes reconnaissance and sabotage units with a total strength of up to 300 people. Three submarines are expected to arrive from the UK.The main naval bases of Israel are Haifa (main), Ashdod and Eilat. A number of boats are based in a number of points on the coast of the Sinai Peninsula.
NOHAL territorial troops
The NOHAL Territorial Troops are part of the regular armed forces that combine agricultural production with combat training. They were formed in 1949. Their main purpose is the creation of military settlements in important areas in the border areas, which, according to the plan of the Israeli command, should take the first blow of the enemy and provide time for the deployment of the main forces. After the 1967 war, the NOHAL troops were used mainly to consolidate the occupied Arab territories, on which they had already established dozens of their settlements (Fig. 5). Such settlements are equipped as strong points with firing positions and obstacles. The garrison of the strongpoint is 30-40 people under the command of an officer. The NOKHAL settlement usually specializes in one branch of agriculture (animal husbandry, fishing, horticulture, vegetable growing, melon growing, etc.) and has the appropriate equipment and machines for this.
Figure: 5. Soldiers of the military settlement NOKHAL in the classroom for combat training
NOHAL troops are recruited on a voluntary basis. The terms and procedure for serving in them do not differ from those existing in the linear units. Recruits are sent to military settlements after completing the course of a young soldier in training units.
The Israeli government uses the interest of some countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America in the creation of military formations such as the NOHAL troops and sends its advisers there to penetrate these countries.
Militarized Youth Organization "Gadna"
The paramilitary organization of youth "Gadna" was founded in 1948. Its main purpose is military training and upbringing in the Zionist spirit of pre-conscription Jewish youth aged 14 to 17 years. In addition, Gadna members are recruited to work on agricultural farms, repair defensive structures and bomb shelters in Israel, preventive maintenance of weapons and military equipment in warehouses, etc. Gadna has sections of the ground forces, air force and navy. Initial military training is conducted at the place of study or work. The Gadna command has a network of training bases and camps, the capacity of which is 18 thousand people a year. During the summer, each member of the "Gadna" undergoes 7-10-day training camps for practicing fire, tactical and topographic training.As a result of training under the Gadny program, the Western press notes, militarily trained recruits come to active military service, which allows the Israeli command to train highly qualified specialists for the Air Force, Navy, armored and airborne troops in a relatively short time.
The activities of this organization on the ground are directed by the "Gadna" department in the General Staff through offices in the headquarters of the military districts. The organization publishes a monthly magazine "Bamahane Gadna".
Civil Defense ("Haga")
The operational management of civil defense is carried out by the General Staff. The Department of Defense is responsible for funding, staffing, weapons, equipment and vehicles. Civil defense is headed by a commander (brigadier general) who exercises leadership through the headquarters. Subordinated to him are six district headquarters (according to the number of administrative districts), which have mobile units at their disposal to eliminate the consequences of an enemy attack. In settlements, especially cities, a network of bomb shelters is developed, which are kept in good condition. Civil defense combat readiness is supported by frequent drills held both in individual cities and in the districts.Israeli Women's Corps
The women's corps of the Israeli armed forces, according to foreign press reports, numbers 5-6 thousand people in peacetime. Female military personnel are used, as a rule, as signalmen, in medical, economic and administrative services in all branches of the armed forces, branches of the armed forces and in the territorial troops of the NOHAL. The general leadership of the women's corps is carried out by a commander with the rank of colonel (woman), subordinate to the chief of the general staff.The order of service in Israel
Men who are 18-55 years old and women 18-35 years old (medical workers up to 38 years old) are considered to be liable for military service. Service in the armed forces consists of personnel service and service in the reserve.Men aged 18-29 are conscripted for professional military service, women - 18-26 years old (medical workers of both sexes up to 38 years old). The duration of service for men aged 18-26 is 36 months, 27-29 years - 24 months (immigrants at this age - 18 months). Women of all ages serve 21 months.
After the end of the personnel service, the conscripts are transferred to the reserve and, to maintain combat readiness, are annually called up to one of the units for the following periods - male soldiers and corporals under the age of 39 for 31 days, at the age of 40-54 for 14 days. Reservists with the rank of senior sergeant and above serve an additional seven days. Duration of service for women privates and corporals - 31 days; women with the rank of Sergeant Major and above also serve seven days more.
The Minister of Defense has the right to detain reservists in military service for a longer period of time in connection with the ongoing exercises, the development of new military equipment and the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East. On this basis, many reservists serve for two to three months annually.
Reservists (privates, corporals and sergeants) aged 45-51 are called up to civil defense units.
The indoctrination of the Israeli military
At the heart of the indoctrination of the military is a reactionary ideology that includes racist concepts of Judaism, Jewish bourgeois nationalism and anti-communism. Soldiers and officers are taught in every possible way the idea that the army is carrying out a "sacred mission" to restore the Jewish state on the "Promised Land", which was supposedly the homeland of the Jews, and the seizure of Arab lands is presented as their "liberation." Religious fanaticism, cruelty and anti-communism are the "ideals" on which the Zionists educate their soldiers.The entire officer corps, as well as the chief rabbi of the armed forces, the cultural and educational department of the personnel management of the general staff, are engaged in the indoctrination of soldiers. The media are also actively involved in indoctrination.
At the disposal of the propaganda bodies of the armed forces are the army broadcasting station "Galei Tsagal", the weekly soldier's magazine "Bamahane", which is published in mass circulation. They also use the journals of the branches of the armed forces and combat arms "Heil Gaavmr", "Heil Gayam", "Maarahot", "Maarahot Khimush" and others.
A characteristic feature of the Israeli armed forces is that a significant part of the formations and units of the ground forces in peacetime are only partially manned and brought up to their regular strength during the war or for the period of the exercises due to the call of reservists. In the Air Force and Navy, the manning of the units is almost complete.
Despite the desire of the peoples for peaceful cooperation and detente, the militarist circles of Israel, supported by international imperialism and Zionism, continue to balance on the brink of war and constantly pose a threat to peace and security in the Middle East. They are building up the combat power of their armed forces. strive to perpetuate the occupation of the occupied territories, prepare new aggressive actions against the Arab countries. This policy is one of the reasons for the persistence of the danger of new hostilities in this area.
The Israel Defense Forces, also known as the Army of the State of Israel and the main body of its security, is known to the whole world under the abbreviation IDF
Israel's military doctrine
The IDF was founded two weeks after the founding of the state, during the War of Independence. The Provisional Government headed by David Ben-Gurion made a decision to create an army, and on May 26, 1948, David Ben-Gurion signed the "Decree on the Israel Defense Forces." Let me remind you that since 1948 the Israeli army has taken part in more than 10 major military conflicts in the Middle East.
By the beginning of June 1948, an agreement was signed between the leadership of the Haganah (Israel Galili and Levi Eshkol) and the leaders of other underground militarized organizations Irgun (Menachem Begin) and Lekhi (Nathan Yalin-Mor, Israel Eldad) that their combat units will be integrated into the IDF. The exception was the divisions of these organizations in Jerusalem, which was not then subject to Israeli sovereignty. Since most of the IDF was made up of members of the "Haganah", it basically retained its organizational structure.
The way to use the Israeli army - the doctrine of action - developed in 1949 by a committee chaired by Colonel Khaim Laskov. The doctrine was based on geopolitical realities:
Israel is inferior to its neighbors in population and in the foreseeable future will always be forced to wage war against a numerically superior enemy.
The dispute with the neighbors does not consist in disagreement over borders, but in rejection of the very fact of Israel's existence. Israel's opponents will wage a war against Israel for destruction.
Given the geographic realities, as well as the superiority of the enemy in manpower and equipment, in the event of a war, Israel cannot expect to win by destroying the enemy. The real goal should be to inflict such damage on its armed forces that would incapacitate them for as long as possible.
The small territory, very indented borders and the proximity of the population centers to the front lines deprive Israel of any strategic depth. In the narrowest zone, the distance from the border to the sea is only 14 km. There are no natural barriers to defense.
Israel cannot fight a long war. The war makes it necessary to mobilize such a huge percentage of the population that the economy will simply cease to function in a few weeks.
Conscription service in the Israeli army
The Military Service Act establishes two types of compulsory military service in the Israel Defense Forces - conscript service and reserve service.
By law, all Israeli citizens, including those with dual citizenship and living in another country, as well as all permanent residents of the state, upon reaching the age of 18, are subject to conscription into the IDF. The term of military service is 36 months, for women - 24 months. The law applies to Jews and (non-Jews citizens of the state), Druze and Circassians. Bedouins, Christians and Muslims can volunteer in the army.
Release from conscription are received by women who are married by the time of conscription or for health reasons, men only for health reasons, and repatriates - only those who have arrived in the country over the age of 26 or have children.
Men attending Jewish religious schools (yeshivahs) receive a lifelong deferral for their studies. Religious girls have the right to be exempt from military service or to undergo alternative service - in hospitals, educational institutions, volunteer organizations. Thus, despite the fact that officially all Jewish citizens of Israel are required to do military service, the vast majority of ultra-religious Jews do not serve in the army, which serves as a source of tension in society.
The difference from many other armies is that in The Israel Defense Forces serve most of the country's women (women in Israel are liable for military service). However, about a third of women receive a reprieve or complete exemption from the army (pregnancy, religious reasons). At the end of their military service, most women are exempt from their annual military fees.
In the 1948 War of Independence, due to the country's plight, women took an active part in defending Israel. With the end of the war, women practically ceased to be sent to combat operations. Currently, most women are conscripted into non-combat units. As of 2005, women are allowed to serve in over 83% of the Israel Defense Forces.
In 2009, women serve in the artillery troops, the Maghav border service. There are also infantry units where men and women serve together, such as the Caracal Battalion.
Reserve Service in the Israeli army is required. After the end of regular service, all privates and officers are called up annually to reserve training for up to 45 days. Active reservist service - “Shirut Miluim Pail” continues until the reservist reaches the age of 45 years. It is these reservists that Israel is now mobilizing in an amount of about 100 thousand people.
The structure of the active Israeli army
The Israeli army consists of three types of armed forces: ground, air force and naval. The army is led by the General Staff. The Ground Forces, the Air Force, and the Naval Forces have separate commands under the General Staff.
The ground forces are divided into three military districts: Northern, Central and Southern. After the Gulf War, a Logistics Administration was also established.
The General Staff consists of 6 directorates: Operations, Planning, Personnel, Intelligence, Computer Service, and Technology and Logistics.
Some figures for the active Israeli army as of 2011:
The military budget of the country - 15.8 billion dollars
The total number of regular armed forces: 176.5 thousand people
Militarized formations: 8.05 thousand people (including border guard - 8 thousand, coast guard - 50 thousand people)
Service life: officers - 48 (men) and 36 (women) months, servicemen of other categories - 36 (men) and 24 (women) months
Reserve: 565 thousand people (ground forces - 380 thousand, air force - 24.5 thousand, naval forces - 3.5 thousand people)
Mobilization resources: 3.11 million people, including 2.55 million fit for military service
Ground forces: 133 thousand people, 3 territorial commands, border guard command, 4 corps headquarters, 2 armored, 4 infantry divisions, 15 tank, 12 infantry and 8 airmobile brigades. The organizational structure of the formations depends on the operational situation.
Reserve: 8 armored divisions.
Armament of the Israeli army
As of 2010, the Israeli army consisted of:
Ground Forces: more than 20 launchers of operational-tactical missiles; 3,657 main battle tanks (including 1,681 Merkava, 711 M60A1 / 3, more than 100 T-55, over 100 T-62, 111 Magakh-7, 561 M-48), about 10 420 infantry fighting vehicles and BTR, 408 BRM, 456 towed artillery guns of calibers 105, 122, 130 and 155 mm, 960 self-propelled howitzers (105, 155, 175 and 203 mm), 212 MLRS, 4 132 mortars (2000 52 mm, 1358 81 mm, 652 120 mm, 122 160 mm), more than 1225 ATGM launchers, more than 1,300 anti-aircraft artillery guns, 1,250 MANPADS.
Air Force: 35 thousand people. (of which 20 thousand conscripts are mainly in air defense), 460 combat aircraft, 100 combat helicopters.
Aircraft and helicopter fleet: 72 F-15 air superiority fighters (A, B, C, D), 25 heavy attack multi-role fighters - F - 15 I bombers, 260 light multirole fighters - F-16 bombers (A, B, C and D), 102 F-16I light multirole fighter-bombers equipped with Israeli avionics. These are the planes of the so-called first line, which are in a state of full combat readiness.
In addition, there are about 140 Phantoms of various modifications in "custody", that is, in reserve (F-4E Phantom II, RF-4E Phantom II, F-4E-2000 (Phantom-2000 )), about 120 Skyhawk attack aircraft of various models (A-4H / N, TA-4H, TA-4J), and about 140 Israeli-made Kfir multirole fighter bombers (C-2 / TC-2 / C-7 / TC-7 / CR)
Auxiliary and special aviation of the IDF has the following fleet of combat vehicles: 5 RD-10, Boeing 707, 2 Boeing 707 Falcon, 3 (according to other sources -6) Gulf Stream G550 (Electronic reconnaissance aircraft), 2 EC-130, 3 IAI-1124 Sea scan, 5 КС-130Н, 11 С-47, 6 IAI-202 Arava, 8 Do-28, 2 Islander, 4 Beach 200 Super King Air, 20 Cessna U-206 , 12 Beach 80 Queen Air, 43 SM 170, 17 Grob G-120 (training), 26 TA-4H and J, 55 AN-1E and F "Cobra", 33 Hughes 500MD, 40 AN-64A, AH -64D (18 cars ordered), 7 AS-565SA, 41 CH-53D, 24 S-70A, 14 UH-60, 34 Bell 212, 43 Bell 206.
UAVs: "Scout", "Seicher", "Pioneer", "Fireby", "Samson", "Deline", "Hunter", "Hermes-450", "Skye", "Harpies".
SAM: "Arrow", "Hawk", "Patriot", "Chaparel" (removed from service in 2003).
Navy: 8.5 thousand people (including 300 commandos and 2.5 thousand average words), 3 Dolphin submarines, 3 Saar-5 corvettes, 10 missile boats (8 Saar 4.5 and 2 Saar-4), 41 patrol boats (15 "Dabur", 13 "Super Dvora" MM / 2, 6 "Super Dvora" Mk3, 4 "Shaldag", 3 "Stingray"), an experimental vessel.
Naval aviation: 25 helicopters (8 Eurocopters AS-565SA, 17 Bell 212).
American military aid to Israel
On July 23, 1952, the United States and Israel concluded bilateral agreement on military assistance - "Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement" (TIAS 2675), in accordance with which the supply of American weapons and military equipment to Israel began.
On September 26, 1962, the US government, in a change of its previous policy, agreed to sell the Hawk air defense missile system division to Israel (thus, Israel became the first country that was not part of the NATO bloc and received these weapons). The State Department, however, said that this delivery was intended to compensate for the supply of offensive weapons by the Soviet bloc countries to Israel's Arab neighbors and to maintain a balance of power in the Middle East.
In 1968, the US government authorized the sale of 48 A-4 Skyhawks and 50 F-4 Phantoms to Israel.
In November 1971, the United States and Israel entered into an agreement, according to which Israel received the right to produce, under license, certain types of American weapons, ammunition, military equipment and military equipment.
In 1973, after the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War, the United States supplied Israel with a significant amount of weapons, ammunition and military equipment via an "air bridge" (Operation Nickel Grass).
In 1976, the US Congress adopted the Symington Amendment, and in 1977 - the Glenn Amendment, which banned the supply of weapons from the United States to countries that are implementing atomic weapons programs. However, the Syminton-Glenn amendments have never been applied to Israel, which allegedly possesses such weapons and sees them as a means of delivering a "second blow" to an aggressor in the event of an attack.
On November 30, 1981, the United States and Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Cooperation.
In 1990, Israel signed an agreement with the United States on participation in the program of "storage of military reserves for the US allies", according to which six warehouses for the storage of weapons, armored vehicles and ammunition were equipped in the country. Initially, the cost of weapons in warehouses was $ 100 million, in 1991, after the Gulf War, this volume was increased to $ 300 million, then to $ 400 million, and in December 2009 to $ 800 million. Although the weapons do not belong to Israel, under the agreement, the IDF can access warehouses and use stored weapons "with US permission" or "in an emergency."
In preparation for the Gulf War (1991) and the creation of a coalition against Saddam Hussein with the participation of Arab countries (and, accordingly, without Israel), the United States guaranteed the destruction of the Iraqi "Scuds" during the first days of the operation and protection from Iraqi shelling. To this end, 7 batteries of the Patriot air defense system were deployed in Israel, which ultimately failed to intercept the missiles launched at Israel.
In 1995, as part of the "special delivery program", the United States was "ready to donate" to Israel 14 Cobra combat helicopters and 30 thousand M-16 assault rifles, in addition to the "previously delivered" two Patriot air defense missile systems, 75 F-15 fighters and F-16, 450 TOW ATGM launchers, 336 trucks and tractors, 10 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, a batch of Harpoon anti-ship missiles and 650 AH-64 anti-tank missiles for helicopters.
In 2000, the United States provided $ 200 million to build and equip two training bases to train reservists.
In 2008, electronic equipment was received from the United States (an AN-TRY-2 centimeter range radar and a JTAGS mobile terminal for receiving data).
Military aid from the "fraternal" USA continues to this day, no one knows its real volume.
Weapon of the future: Israel special
IDF Is the short Hebrew name for the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF is rightfully considered one of the strongest armies in the world, victorious in all wars and armed conflicts in which it had to participate in its almost 60-year history. The IDF is an example of the people's army - the entire population of Israel: men and women, representatives of all ethnic and religious communities, owners of billions of dollars and descendants of poor families - all as one equal to fulfill their heavy military duty in the army.
The prestige of military service in Israel is very high - it is considered something indecent to "roll away" from the army service, in the elite military units the competition for recruits is dozens of people per seat. And after demobilization, the whole life of the Israelis is connected with the army - up to the age of forty they annually call up for the monthly training of reservists, people live in readiness for an unexpected mobilization. No wonder this joke is popular: "An Israeli is a soldier who is on vacation 11 months a year."
Who is at the head of the IDF
Israel is a parliamentary democracy, and therefore the army is separated from politics. The head of the Ministry of Defense is a civilian official who is appointed by a decision of the Prime Minister. This important government post is currently held by Amir Peretz, formerly the head of the Israeli trade unions. The Minister of Defense defends the interests of the army in parliament and in the government, primarily when distributing the budget, but the real leadership of the troops is carried out by the chief of the General Staff - a career military man.
According to the tradition prevailing in Israel, the Chief of the General Staff is appointed by the government on the recommendation of the Minister of Defense for a period of 3 years. In the future, this period may be extended by no more than one year. When appointed to the post of Chief of the General Staff, he is awarded the rank of Colonel General and he is the only person in active service who has this high rank. Under his command is the entire huge, well-coordinated military machine called the IDF.
For the past two years, the Chief of the General Staff has been Aviation Colonel General Dan Halutz. Dan Halutz became the seventeenth Chief of Staff in the entire history of the Jewish state. This appointment can be considered significant - for the first time a military pilot is at the head of the IDF, while all his predecessors were from the infantry or paratrooper troops.
In the event of a general mobilization, the IDF in a matter of hours turns from a peacetime army, in which about 200 thousand servicemen serve, into one of the most efficient armies in the world, in which up to 800 thousand well-trained fighters and commanders are ready to perform combat missions.
Subordinate to the Chief of the General Staff are the commanders of the Northern, Central and Southern military districts, the Logistics Command, the headquarters of the Ground Forces, the commanders of the combat arms, the Navy, the Air Force, dozens of directorates and commands of various levels, the commanders of divisions, brigades, flotillas, units and formations ...
The commanders of the military districts, the heads of numerous directorates and commands, as well as the heads of the Shabak counterintelligence and the foreign intelligence of the MOSAD, are part of the General Staff Forum, which unites all the top military leadership of Israel, headed by the Chief of the General Staff ..
Get in line!
In Israel, in accordance with the Universal Military Obligation Law, the entire population over 18 years of age, with some exceptions, is subject to active military service. However, preparation for military service begins long before conscription.
The initial military training of schoolchildren is carried out within the framework of the youth paramilitary organization GADNA (an abbreviation of the Hebrew words for "Youth battalions"). The GADNA is headed by a command from among the regular officers of the Israeli army, coordinating its activities with the Ministry of Education. The service of the senior officer of the General Staff for the education of youth directly directs this process.
Every year, high school students undergo two-week military training in the camps. They are led by officers and sergeants. During the training camp, schoolchildren receive army uniforms, they are given lessons in shooting, physical and drill training. Much attention is paid to the exercises in the field. At the end of the training camp, each student undergoes certification, at which conclusions are given on the level of training and recommendations for choosing an army specialty. Within the framework of GADNA there are also aviation and naval sections.
For teenagers 13-15 years old (both boys and girls), who have decided to receive vocational training in specialties of the army profile, there is a whole network of cadet corps. These include numerous colleges of the Air Force, the Armaments Service, and the Navy, which train future army and navy specialists. The oldest military educational institution of this profile is the College of Naval Officers in Akko, opened in 1938. Cadets who complete their training course in college are drafted into the army, where they serve in the acquired specialties. The best graduates can continue their studies at universities, where they receive their first academic degree.
A special place among military educational institutions for adolescents is occupied by the Command Preparatory College, which trains command personnel for the infantry and airborne forces, founded in 1953. Cadets of this profile receive versatile combat command training. A specific feature of their studies is their constant participation in military exercises as part of military units, where they are trained as ordinary soldiers and commanders of squads and platoons.
Upon reaching the age of 18, all Israelis of both sexes are subject to conscription. Common to all is the passage of the course of a young soldier (tironut), the duration and complexity of which depend on the type of troops to which the conscript is sent. Conventionally, all military specialties are divided into combat, related to the performance of combat missions, and logistics support specialties. In combat units, the tyronut lasts up to six months, in the rear - one month. At the end of the tironut, the soldiers are assigned a combat training index ("rovai"). The value of the index is determined by the level of combat training: for example, for a soldier-infantryman, the ditch can reach a value of 05. The index of combat training increases with additional courses.
For soldiers of combat units, the next stage of combat training is an advanced training course that lasts several months. The best trained fighters then take a sergeant course, and only the best graduates of the sergeant course can be assigned to an officer course. Thus, it is compulsory for candidates for officers to complete all stages of soldier's service directly in the army and the total duration can reach from one to one and a half years. All this time, the soldier combines training with service in his military units.
Who gets the officer's shoulder straps
Special attention has always been paid to the training of officers in Israel. The first head of government, David Ben-Gurion, formulated this task in the following way: “We need a selected and highly professional officer corps who are fluent in the science of winning. It is necessary that the best representatives of our youth, who have a high intellect and are devoted to the ideals of the first builders of our state, devote their lives to serving the Motherland in the ranks of the armed forces. "
Unlike Russia, where officers are trained in schools from yesterday's school leavers, in Israel the path to officer's shoulder straps lies only through the soldier's service. Only the best soldiers and sergeants who have been carefully selected are admitted to the exams for admission to the officer courses. Potential candidates are subject to stringent requirements: it is mandatory to have a secondary education certificate, the candidate must have a high coefficient of intellectual and physical development, which consists of 27 parameters, pass exams and medical commissions, and receive recommendations from their immediate commanders.
Officer courses are located at the training bases of the combat arms and military formations. The duration of study ranges from 6 months for infantry platoon commanders to 20 months for naval officers. Only at the Air Force Academy, which trains Air Force pilots, the training period is 3 years and upon graduation, the graduates, along with the officer rank, are awarded the first academic degree.
Training on officer courses, due to their short duration, is highly intensive and requires maximum moral and physical efforts from cadets. Those who cannot cope with such loads will be immediately expelled from the course. The entire training system is inextricably linked with the solution of real combat missions, cadets spend a significant part of their time in the field and on exercises, where the theoretical knowledge they have received is immediately consolidated. The emphasis is on mastering the practical skills of commanding subunits by future officers.
Girls are trained on an equal basis with guys. Until recently, there was a separate training base for the Women's Corps, where officers from among the girls undergoing military service were trained at various women's officer courses. However, after the disbandment of the separate Women's Corps in 2001, they were merged with the existing officer courses, and now the girls are trained on a common basis. Combined companies and battalions are formed from cadets of both sexes.
To train specialist officers with a higher education, the IDF operates the “Atuda” program. Under this program, a deferral from conscription is given to students of civil higher educational institutions studying in specialties needed by the army, as a rule, of a technical and medical profile. Students sign an agreement under which they undertake to serve in the army at the end of their studies for at least five years. During the years of study, students enrolled in this program are periodically drafted into the army, where they take a month-long course for a young soldier, as well as a basic officer course. There are no analogs of military departments in Israeli universities.
A condition for the successful promotion of an officer in the service is the compulsory completion of courses corresponding to positions of various command levels. The IDF has an extensive system of military educational institutions in which such training is carried out.
The Command and Tactic College trains promising young officers who are promoted to command of companies. A prerequisite for studying there is the signing of an agreement on military service for 4-5 years after graduation from this college. Future battalion commanders are trained at the Command and Staff College.
Along with education in military educational institutions, the IDF has the practice of sending officers to receive academic education in civilian universities, both in Israel and abroad. It is believed that the presence of officers in an atmosphere of academic freedom, in the absence of an army chain of command, develops initiative and promotes the adoption of non-standard decisions.
Ground troops
The IDF's ground forces include airborne, motorized infantry and tank divisions, and a marine division. In the course of hostilities, corps of mixed composition can be formed from divisions.
The armored forces, the main striking force of the IDF's ground forces, are considered one of the largest in the world - it is known that the IDF is now armed with about 4,000 tanks. This is significantly more than, for example, in the armies of countries such as Great Britain, France and Germany. The main part of the tank fleet is made up of Israeli-made Merkava tanks.
The IDF's armored forces were born in the battles of the War of Independence, which began immediately after the founding of the State of Israel in May 1948. During the war, the army of the young Jewish state repelled the aggression of the regular armies of eight Arab countries and achieved a crushing victory.
The commander of the first tank unit, the 82nd tank battalion, was former Red Army Major Felix Beatus, who traveled along the roads of the Great Patriotic War from Stalingrad to Berlin. The battalion had "English" and "Russian" companies. So they were called by the languages \u200b\u200bspoken by the tankers - Jewish volunteers from around the world. Most of the soldiers of the "Russian" company were tank officers of the Red Army and the Polish Army, who managed to reach the newly created Jewish state.
The first combat vehicles of Israeli tankers were captured tanks, which were captured during the fighting in northern Israel. Then tanks purchased abroad began to arrive. By the middle of 1948, the 7th and 8th tank brigades were formed, which took part in the battles.
In those years, the doctrine of tank warfare began to take shape, which was adopted by the IDF. It was based on the following principles. The first is “Tank Totality”. This means that tank formations are capable of independently solving the main tasks of land warfare. The second - "Bronekulak" as the main tank maneuver ", which consisted in the introduction of large tank forces into the breakthrough, capable of leading an offensive at high speed, destroying enemy forces on its way.
This doctrine was first tested by force during the 1956 Sinai campaign. In three days, the 7th and 27th tank brigades, interacting with the infantry and paratroopers, broke into the enemy's defenses and, passing the Sinai desert, reached the Suez Canal. During the fighting, up to 600 units of enemy armored vehicles were destroyed or captured, Israeli losses amounted to 30 tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Analysis of tank battles showed a high percentage of losses among tank commanders. This was due to the implementation of the commanding honor code adopted by the Israeli army. According to him, the main command in the IDF is "Follow me!" - the commander is obliged to lead subordinates by personal example. During battles, tank commanders controlled the battle directly from open hatches and therefore often died from enemy fire.
The 1967 Six Day War was a true triumph for the Israeli armored forces. For the first time, tank formations operated simultaneously on three fronts. They were opposed by the many times superior forces of five Arab states, but this did not save the Arabs from total defeat.
On the southern front, the blow was struck by the forces of three tank divisions of Generals Tal, Sharon and Ioffe. In an offensive operation called "March across the Sinai", Israeli tank formations, interacting with aviation, motorized infantry and paratroopers, made a lightning breakthrough of the enemy's defenses and moved across the desert, destroying the encircled Arab groupings.
On the northern front, the 36th Panzer Division of General Peled advanced along the rugged mountain paths, which, after three days of fierce fighting, reached the outskirts of Damascus. On the eastern front, Israeli troops drove Jordanian units out of Jerusalem. During the fighting, more than 1,200 enemy tanks were destroyed, and thousands of armored vehicles were captured.
The most difficult test for Israel was the Yom Kippur War, which began on October 6, 1973, on the day of one of the most important Jewish holidays, when most of the soldiers were on leave. Israel was suddenly attacked on all fronts by the many times superior forces of the aggressors. In the vastness of the Sinai to the Golan Heights, one of the largest tank battles in world military history unfolded - up to six thousand tanks took part in it on both sides.
A particularly dangerous situation developed in the Golan Heights - there, only 200 tanks of the 7th and 188th tank brigades opposed almost 1,400 Syrian tanks on a 40-kilometer stretch. Israeli tank crews fought to the death, demonstrating massive heroism. Tankers fought to the last shell, from the surviving tankers who had just left the burning tanks, new crews were immediately formed, which again went into battle on repaired combat vehicles. The platoon commander, Lieutenant Gringold, burned three times in tanks during the battle, which lasted 24 hours, but each time he went into battle again in new vehicles. Shell-shocked and wounded, he did not leave the battlefield and destroyed up to 30 enemy tanks.
The Israeli tankers held out and won, the 210th Panzer Division, commanded by General Dan Lahner, who came to the rescue, completed the defeat of the enemy in the Golan Heights. During the fighting, the Iraqi tank corps, which had been sent to the aid of the Syrians, was also defeated. Israeli troops launched a counteroffensive and on October 14 were already in the suburbs of Damascus.
An equally fierce tank battle took place in the sands of Sinai, where the Arabs first succeeded in pushing back units of General Mendler's 252nd Panzer Division. General Mendler died in battle, but stopped the enemy's further advance. On October 7, the 162nd Panzer Division under the command of General Bren and the 143rd Panzer Division under the command of General Ariel Sharon entered the battle.
In the course of heavy tank battles, the main forces of the Arabs were destroyed. On October 14, the largest battle of tank formations since the Second World War, "tanks against tanks", took place, in which up to 800 tanks from both sides participated. Israeli tank crews lost 40 of their combat vehicles, enemy losses amounted to 360 tanks.
On October 16, 1973, Israeli tank forces launched a counteroffensive. General Sharon's tankmen broke through the front, set up a pontoon crossing over the Suez Canal, and Israeli tanks poured onto the African coast. In the ensuing battles, the 3rd Egyptian army was surrounded, and a direct road opened up for the Israeli forces to attack Cairo.
During the fierce tank battles of the Yom Kippur War, Israeli tank forces once again proved their superiority: more than 2,500 enemy tanks and thousands of other armored vehicles were destroyed in the battles. However, the victory had to pay a high price - hundreds of heroically fighting Israeli tankers were killed in the battles.
One of the results of the past wars was the creation of their own tank, in which the requirements of Israeli tankers for a combat vehicle were most fully implemented and their combat experience was taken into account. Another reason that prompted the creation of the Israeli tank industry was the embargo on the supply of military equipment, imposed by foreign manufacturers every time a war broke out.
The Israeli tank project was headed by General Israel Tal, a combat tank officer, commander-in-chief of the armored forces. Under his leadership, in just a few years, a project was created for the first Israeli tank "Merkava-1", which in 1976 was put into mass production at Israeli tank factories. The first tanks "Merkava" were equipped with a tank battalion, commanded by the son of General Tal. Tank "Merkava" is recognized as one of the best tanks in the world. Now the fourth generation of Merkava tanks is being produced.
Air Force
The Israeli Air Force (Heil Avir in Hebrew) includes dozens of squadrons of fighter, military transport, naval aviation, an electronic warfare squadron, “flying tanker” refuellers, and combat helicopters for various purposes. The number of modern supersonic fighter-bombers alone reaches almost 800 aircraft. In terms of the number of combat aircraft, the Israeli Air Force is second only to the United States, but in terms of flight training and combat skill, Israeli pilots are considered the best in the West. Suffice it to say that the annual flight time of Israeli pilots reaches 250 hours, while for NATO pilots this figure does not exceed 180 hours. It is important to note that the skill of Israeli pilots is honed not in training battles, but in performing real combat missions during wars.
In air battles, Israeli aces shot down 686 enemy aircraft, losing only 23 of their own. The history of military victories of the Israeli air force dates back to June 3, 1948. On this day, squadron commander Moddi Alon on a Messerschmitt fighter shot down two enemy Dakota bombers in the skies over Tel Aviv, which were going to bomb densely populated areas of the city.
The Israeli Air Force was created in the battles of the War of Independence. The young Jewish state did not yet have any aircraft or trained personnel, and Israeli cities and villages were already subject to enemy air strikes. The first aircraft were purchased from Czechoslovakia. They were delivered to Israel by air, assembled right at the airfields, and the pilots went into battle in new combat vehicles. During the air combat, Israeli pilots seized air superiority and shot down 18 enemy aircraft. Bomb strikes were carried out on combat positions and rear targets of the enemy.
Since then, the mission of the Israeli Air Force has been to gain air supremacy and protect the Israeli population and its armed forces from attacks by enemy armies and terrorist groups.
The combat operations of the Israeli Air Force are based on a whole range of strategic plans, tactical and aerobatic techniques, initiative and a non-trivial approach to solving combat missions at all levels: from ordinary pilots to commanders of air formations. This principle was fully revealed in the 1967 Six Day War.
On June 5 at 07.45 the Israeli air force attacked along the entire front. Their plan of action was to strike at air bases and destroy all enemy combat aircraft on the ground. Instead of flying directly to the target, the first wave of Israeli aircraft flew into the open sea, turned around and at low altitude, above the crests of the waves, approached from the west - not at all from the direction from which the Egyptians were expecting an attack. Having destroyed 300 of 320 Egyptian aircraft right at the airfields, the Israelis immediately proceeded to destroy the air forces of other Arab states, united in a single alliance against Israel. After crushing blows, the Air Forces of Iraq, Jordan and Syria were destroyed. In air battles, Israeli pilots shot down sixty more enemy aircraft.
Israeli Air Force Commander General Mordechai Hod said at the time: “Sixteen years of planning are reflected in this exciting eighty hours. We lived by this plan, we went to bed and ate, thinking about it. Finally, we did it. " The secret of this victory lies primarily in the highest combat training of pilots and ground personnel - many pilots flew 4-6 sorties a day.
The 21st century air war strategy was tested by the Israeli Air Force in 1982 in Operation Peace for Galilee, which aimed to repel terrorist attacks on Israel's northern borders. On June 9, 1982, Israeli intelligence discovered a group of enemy troops in the Lebanese Bekaa Valley, which was under the protection of twenty battalions of anti-aircraft missile systems and aviation.
Dozens of Israeli aircraft were immediately launched into the air to conduct aerial combat and strike at ground targets. In the air, there were also aircraft with radar stations that tracked the flights of enemy aircraft, and aircraft for electronic warfare, which suppressed the enemy's communication and control systems. For the purpose of reconnaissance and target designation, for the first time in world combat practice, the Israelis actively used UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles)
Air battles were controlled in real time - all electronic information about the enemy flowed to the control centers of the Israeli headquarters, from where tele-instructions were immediately sent directly to the Israeli pilots. The result of the air battle in the Bekaa Valley speaks for itself - the Israeli Air Force destroyed dozens of enemy aircraft and anti-aircraft missile systems without losing a single one of its aircraft.
The pilots are the elite of the Israeli army. In military aviation, it is customary to confer the honorary title "ace" on pilots who shot down five or more enemy aircraft in air battles. There are now more than forty such pilots in the Israeli air force. Israeli Air Force Colonel Giora Epstein shot down 17 enemy supersonic aircraft in aerial combat and is considered the most effective ace in the West.
Air Force pilots are trained at the Air Force Academy. The selection of candidates begins at school in the aviation clubs of the GADNA aviation section. Numerous tests reveal not only the physical and intellectual abilities of the future cadet, but also his leadership qualities, as well as the ability to be a member of the crew and work as part of a group. Those who have passed this stage of testing will have a weekly test of survival in extreme situations. Only those who have overcome all these barriers begin to master flight skills. Until recently, there were no women among combat pilots. However, now this barrier has also been broken - the first female cadet of the Air Force Academy was eighteen-year-old Ellis Miller, who together with the guys passed all the admissions tests.
The three-year course of study consists of several stages. Initially, there is a distribution of cadets in flight specialties - someone will become a pilot, someone - a navigator or flight engineer. In the future, future fighter pilots, transport aviation and helicopter pilots are singled out from among the cadets. Throughout the entire period of training, cadets are in a situation of severe pressure and high loads, the competitive spirit is stimulated in every possible way - after all, only 10% of cadets will eventually become professional combat pilots. The slogan "Only the best are pilots" symbolizes the philosophy of the Israeli Air Force.
Navy
The main theater of military operations of the Israeli Navy is the waters of Sredize-many and the Red Sea, where the main Israeli naval bases are located. Organizationally, the Israeli Navy consists of flotillas and squadrons that unite warships of various classes.
The flotilla of missile-carrying ships includes divisions of high-speed missile corvettes and Saar-class frigates armed with powerful anti-ship missile systems Barak, Harpoon, Gabriel. Ships of this class are equipped with helipads and are capable of carrying combat helicopters.
An increasing role in the fleet is played by the submarine flotilla. It includes three Gal-class submarines built in Great Britain according to a German project, as well as new submarines built in Germany - Dolphin, Leviathan and Tekuma, which are considered the best in their class in the world. In the near future, the fleet should be replenished with another two or three submarines of this class, which can make autonomous voyages to any region of the World Ocean. According to foreign press reports, they are armed with cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
The squadron of patrol ships is armed with high-speed boats of the "Dabur" and "Dvora" types, created at the enterprises of the Israeli industry. This squadron carries out combat missions to protect the coast of Israel from terrorist attacks from the sea. The Navy also has a large number of auxiliary ships - landing ships capable of taking on board tank and infantry units, tankers, and rescue ships.
The 13th flotilla, the flotilla of naval commandos, occupies a special place in the fleet. It is designed to carry out sabotage and landing operations directly on the enemy coast. The fighters of this flotilla carried out dozens of attacks on enemy naval bases, ending with the sinking of enemy ships right at their base. The 13th Flotilla includes unique surface and submarine ships capable of covertly deploying soldiers to any given point.
Israel is the world leader in the development and combat use of a new class of naval weapons - anti-ship missiles and electronic warfare systems at sea. The development of missiles began at Israeli military factories in 1955, when the first Luz anti-ship missile was created. The decision to create missile boats was made in 1960 at a meeting of the General Staff of the Navy, where the Israeli naval doctrine was discussed. The next generation of anti-ship missiles, the Gabriel, entered the navy before the 1967 war. They were armed with Israeli ships that inflicted a crushing defeat on the enemy during the naval battles of the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
In this war, the Navy successfully solved all the tasks assigned to it - in the course of naval battles and attacks of naval saboteurs, up to forty enemy warships were sunk.
On October 6, 1973, on the second day of the Yom Kippur War, a squadron of missile carriers left the Moscow military base in Haifa and moved in two wake columns towards the Syrian coast. The purpose of the squadron, flying the flag of Rear Admiral M. Barkai, was to destroy enemy ships in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Syrian naval base Latakia. In the ensuing battle, the opposing sides, for the first time in world naval history, used sea-to-sea missiles. The result of this naval battle was the destruction of five enemy missile-carrying ships by Israeli missiles, the Israeli fleet suffered no losses.
The Israeli Navy is recruited on a draft basis. There is one exception - only volunteers go to sea commandos and submariners. Naval specialists are trained in numerous schools of the Navy, the command staff graduates from officer schools and technical universities. There is a high percentage of foremen-super-conscripts, who are true aces in their field and keepers of maritime traditions. Women serve in the navy on an equal basis with men, among them are graduates of officers' schools and commanders of warships. Perhaps only submarine crews still retain patriarchy. Naval traditions are sacredly observed. For example, when returning with a victory to the home base, it is necessary to fix the mops on the masts - according to the number of enemy ships sunk in a military campaign.