The article, which has reflected military assessments in 2009, was
awarded a prize for excellence by Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi.
Sandman said the next few years "could leave Israel without an ally."
In 2009, Israel received about $2.4 billion in U.S. military aid. But
the Obama administration has refused to announce a single weapons deal or
export delivery to Israel.
The military has been discussing scenarios of a Middle East war in which
Washington would refuse to directly help Israel. The scenarios have been
examined amid the administration of President Barack Obama, who has refused
to approve most of Israel's weapons requests in 2009.
The report urged the Israeli military to focus on intensified training
and other programs with the United States. Sandman said the two countries
should hold exercises that would facilitate U.S. military intervention in a
Middle East war, and that Israel should expand U.S. military stockpiles in
the Jewish state.
"This type of support will be important one day in an emergency, but
could also serve as a deterrent for enemies when planning an attack,"
Sandman said.
The report came in wake of a series of consultations between the
military's General Staff and the Defense Ministry over the prospect of a
U.S. arms embargo on Israel. During the meetings, the military and Defense
Ministry explored alternative suppliers should the Obama administration
continue to reject Israeli weapons requests.
Sandman said Israel must restructure its military to prepare for a
regional war, including an invasion by the Iranian-sponsored Hizbullah and
Syria. Based on interviews with 24 senior defense officials, Sandman
asserted that Hizbullah performed better than the Israeli military during
the war in Lebanon in 2006. Hizbullah's strengths were said to have been in
intelligence and organization.
"We need to recognize that the army with its current structure cannot
provide a response to the unbelievably well-equipped force that is rising to
destroy the state of Israel," Sandman said.
