TEL AVIV — Israel's military has scrapped its five-year development
program because of government demands to sharply reduce the defense budget.
A report by the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies said the
Kela five-year plan, launched in 2003, was deemed by the military as
unfeasible. The report said a budget cut of 4.5 billion shekels, or nearly
$1 billion, has emasculated the military's plan for a lighter and more
mobile military.
Kela was meant to reduce the military's main battle tank fleet and
release funds for a light armored infantry. The program, which stipulated
the dismissal of 6,000 career officers, was designed to enhance firepower,
mobility, digitalization and intelligence, Middle East Newsline reported.
"In 2006, a process has begun to reduce the military by 20 percent," the
report, authored by Alex Fishman, said. "This is not another cut, but a
substantial change in the composition, nature, mentality and structure of
the military organization."
The government decision to cut the defense budget from 38.5 billion
[$8.18 billion] to 34 billion shekels [$7.22 billion] has destroyed Kela,
the report said. Fishman, military commentator for the Israeli daily Yediot
Aharonot, said Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz entered his position in
mid-2005 without any development budget. Within months, Halutz scrapped
Kela.
Currently, the military has been preparing another five-year plan, from
2007-2012. Fishman wrote that the program was based on an annual budget of
at least 34.25 billion shekels [$7.27 billion] for the first three years of
the plan.
The budget figure did not include U.S. military aid to Israel of more
than $2.2 billion a year. Under U.S. law, about 75 percent of American
military must be spent in the United States.
"The three-year transitional phase would allow the military to plan and
implement changes without constant shocks," the report said. "But the
defense establishment is not convinced that any government formed after the
elections would be capable of fulfilling this obligation."
The report cited a December 2005 pledge by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
for 500 million shekels [$106.2 million] to secure the Egyptian-Israeli
border, which in wake of the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip has become a
leading route for smugglers and insurgents. Fishman said Sharon reneged
within a week of his promise.
Fishman said the military envisioned a 20 percent reduction in the
standing army. The report said the cuts would mostly affect non-combat
soldiers, particularly those who serve in large bases in the Tel Aviv area.
The military plans to significantly reorganize the ground forces. The
report said the General Staff would eliminate battalions, merge numerous
units and consolidate training.
The General Staff also plans to review such major indigenous projects as
the Merkava main battle tank. The military also intends to determine the
optimal size of the air force and navy.
"What will be the size of the navy and what will be its internal
division?" the report, referring to the military's plans, asked. "Which
platforms could be retired? Is it possible to make do with a navy based on a
core of submarines that operate as part of the long-range strategic arm of
the military, next to coast guard vessels that engage in maritime security?"
