Special to WorldTribune.com

TEL AVIV — Israel’s new defense minister was expected to scrap plans
to assemble a fleet of tactical missile and rocket defense systems.

Defense sources said Moshe Ya’alon would abandon plans by his
predecessor to procure dozens of Iron Dome batteries to protect Israel from
missile and rocket attacks. The sources said the new defense minister, a
former military chief of staff, has assessed that Iron Dome or ballistic
missile defense systems could not serve as the basis for the nation’s
defense in any regional war.

“He sees Iron Dome as an important tactical system, but not that which
should stop or restrict Israel’s response to an attack,” a source said.

Last month, Ya’alon was appointed defense minister in the new
government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ya’alon has been regarded as the first Israeli defense minister in more than 20 years who seeks to limit Israeli dependence on the United States.

“Bogie [Ya’alon’s nickname] respects the United States, but wants to
maintain complete Israeli independence on the question of war and peace,” the source, familiar with the new defense minister, said. “He believes this could take place only if Israel reduces its military dependence on Washington.”

In 2012, Washington pledged to invest hundreds of millions of dollars
for Iron Dome production for Israel. Already, the administration of
President Barack Obama has allocated $205 million as part of plans to
procure 12 such batteries.

Ya’alon’s predecessor, Ehud Barak, said he regarded Iron Dome as a means
for which Israel could withdraw unilaterally from the West Bank despite the
threat of Palestinian rocket attacks. Barak sought to persuade Washington to
fund the procurement of dozens of Iron Dome batteries to protect
cities as well as critical sites.

“It seems that during the Ya’alon period, the Israel Defense Forces will
suffice with the master plan of acquiring 13 Iron Dome batteries — five
batteries are already operational today,” Israeli defense analyst Amir
Rapaport said. “Grandiose plans for filling Israel with Iron Dome batteries
which were considered under Ehud Barak will be taken away.”

Rapaport, editor of the influential Israel Defense magazine, said
Ya’alon would also limit other missile defense programs. He cited the new
David’s Sling, which joins Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems with the
U.S. firm Raytheon. Washington has also sponsored the development of the
Arrow-3 interceptor, meant to destroy missiles above the atmosphere.

“The new minister of defense is not among the enthusiastic fans of the
Iron Dome system, nor of the other systems for intercepting enemy missiles,”
Rapaport said. “He is interested in the Iron Dome and the David’s Sling
systems, but in a reasonable amount, and not in numbers that necessitate
enormous budgets and manpower, even if most of the funding continues to come
from the United States.”

  Benjamin Netanyahu, David’s Sling, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, Ehud Barak, Israel’s Ya’alon would limit dependence on U.S., seeks to limit Israeli dependence on U.S., sees Iron Dome as ‘tactical’, Ya’alon cool to Iron Dome