The next crisis surrounding the strengthening of the IDF and its preparation for the next war: in the defense establishment, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was accused of compromising Israel’s security and preventing the purchase of Air Force fighter squadrons for populist reasons, according to Israeli media on Friday.
A procurement agreed upon by the government and approved by the US Congress and the Pentagon.
An official in the defense industry told Maariv this week: “The minister is preventing the convening of the procurement committee. We are trying to implement the purchase of the two F15 and F35 squadrons in the last few hours, and if we do not complete the procurement in the coming days, the Air Force will suffer.”
The IDF feared that Israel will process both transactions, which will significantly increase the price of each fighter plane, but beyond that, this will cause a delay of years in the delivery of the planes, according to Maariv‘s report.
“The production lines are not waiting for the Israeli politicians; instead of building the planes for Israel, they will increase the production line of planes for other countries.”
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was also frustrated by Finance Minister Smotrich’s move dealing with the defense establishment in general and with the arms deals to strengthen the Air Force in particular.
Gallant outlined the threats that Israel must be prepared to face, and chief among them is Iran’s arms race, especially after the April 13 attack.
“The Israeli perception that it is possible to provide increased security with less money, in the face of threats that are only increasing along with additional combat units, is a wrong perception that needs to change,” Gallant said on Friday.
“The State of Israel needs to invest twice as much in the defense budget – this is our main insurance policy, and we received evidence of this only a few weeks ago.”
He added: “The exchange of blows with Iran, and the international security situation, will lead to a global arms race, which obliges us to accelerate the pace of military intensification and procurement.”
Gallant commented directly on the political move by Smotrich to prevent the purchase of the two squadrons: “If we do not complete the process of purchasing the squadrons from the USA (the F15 squadron and the F35 squadron) within a month – the delivery of the planes will be delayed for three more years, and will increase the price for the State of Israel by an additional billion shekel. The delay in procurement is an attack on Israel’s security, and at a time when we are fighting a multi-front war – the implications are clear.”
F-15 squadrons critical for Israel’s security
A security source told Maariv that the acquisition of the squadrons is critical to maintaining the superiority of the IDF in the region and against the arms race of both Iran and Hezbollah in the north.
“The F15 squadron is supposed to replace the F15s that arrived in Israel in the 1970s. They must be out of a job. The planes that are supposed to arrive are equipped with advanced technology that will allow us to face threats of firing cruise missiles as fast and deadly missiles that may be launched from Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.”
“The F35 stealth squadron is critical to handling the threats. This plane demonstrated amazing capabilities in the Israel-Hamas War. People from all over the world now come to learn from the IAF the new capabilities of these planes.”
“The plane can operate on hours-long sorties, perform assault sorties on far-off targets, operate on a reconnaissance at a target at a medium distance, and as a cherry on top, operate in the skies of Gaza and attack.”
“Its radar systems are advanced, and it can identify many targets and provide the data to other aircraft that will attack effectively. Now the IAF is improving the aircraft’s ability to carry assault weapons without harming its stealth capabilities.”
According to the source, if the government does not approve the order within days, Lockheed Martin will put a series of planes on the production line for another country. “Israel’s place in the queue will be pushed back several more years. Which will inevitably lead to a crisis in the Air Force’s preparedness level for the next war,” he said.