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Suddenly, Israel has a potent navy

By Steve Rodan, Middle East Newsline
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM

Thursday, July 29, 1999

TEL AVIV [MENL] -- As the captain left his vessel, he was saluted by a senior Israeli Air Force officer.

"That's a change," the captain said. "I never thought an air force officer would salute me."

The salute came during the arrival ceremony of the first of three Dolphin-class submarines from Germany in an acquisition that the military agrees will change Israel's modest navy.

The submarines, defense officials and military commander said, will change the navy into an offensive force at least that as potent as the air force. The three submarines will be able to patrol thousands of kilometers from Israel's shores and avoid most detection systems.

Defense sources said the possibilities are many. The submarines can be used for intelligence-gathering, particularly in such distant targets as Iran and Iraq.

The Dolphin, which can carry a crew of 35, can be used for special operations, such as commando raids similar to the rescue operation at Entebbe in 1976. Then, the air force brought the commandos who freed Israeli hostages hijacked by Palestinians and brought to Uganda.

The third scenario is that the Dolphin will be used in the next Arab-Israeli war. The Israeli Navy said the submarine has ten 21-inch multi-purpose tubes for torpedoes, mines, missiles and decoys. That means Israel can react to a missile attack from such countries as Iran and Iraq with a punishing attack on their ports and cities.

Foreign reports said the tubes could carry cruise missiles. They said Israel could modify its purported nuclear weapons to respond to any Arab nuclear attack. The submarines could rob Israel's enemies from launching a massive first-strike in the hope that such an attack would destroy all of the missiles in the tiny Jewish state.

A senior defense source said the acquisition of the German submarines is the most important Israeli military procurement in decades. The source said Iran and the Arab states have failed to develop anti-submarine warfare systems to detect such a quiet submarine as the Dolphin.

The source said the purchase of the Dolphins is more important than the 1994 decision to procure 25 F-15 long-range fighter-jets from the United States. He pointed to U.S. and Arab restrictions on Israel that prevented its air force from retaliating against Iraqi missile strikes in the 1991 Gulf War.

"If you don't have the air space where are you going to fly?" the source said. "On the other hand, the seas are open. We don't have to ask permission."

"There is a navy in Israel," President Ezer Weizman, a former Air Force commander, said.

Prime Minister Ehud Barak, a former chief of staff and ground forces commander, agreed. "This will change the entire navy and Israel's long arm," he said.

Arab states have not ignored the Israeli procurement. Since 1996, when the first Dolphin was launched, Egypt has been searching for advanced submarines from such diverse suppliers as the United States and Russia.

A senior defense source said Egypt is considering ordering submarines from Germany similar to the Dolphin. Cairo is also considering the purchase of new Dutch subs.

The Gulf War was the turning point for Israel's military planners. After years of indecision, they accepted a German offer to build two Dolphins for free and pay half of the cost of the third. The procurement is worth some $1.6 billion.

Navy Commander Admiral Alex Tal said at a ceremony for the Dolphin on Tuesday that the second submarine will arrive in October. The last submarine will arrive in the summer of next year.

In addition, the navy is expecting to deploy three Sa'ar-5 missile boats. Military sources said the U.S.-built corvettes have a design that allows them to escape most radar detection.

Defense officials, however, said they expect tremendous opposition to investing in the navy. They said the government is looking to cut the defense budget as part of economic reforms and the services will once again be vying for limited funds.

"The question is will the navy again be at the bottom of the list, this time with advanced subs and missile boats waiting to be operated?" an official asked.

Thursday, July 29, 1999



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