Israel’s political paralysis causing serious problems for military preparedness

Israel’s political paralysis, with the third national elections in 12 months scheduled for the first quarter of 2020, is having a serious impact on the military’s preparedness, reported Israel Hayom.

According to the paper, “with the exception of the operational theatre…everything else has been treading water”, while Israel’s politicians have twice failed to form a coalition government.

“The mountain of necessary streamlining efforts, procurement plans, and various other objectives – some of them critical – has been reduced to a small list of ‘must-dos’,” says the paper. “Everything else remains on a future to-do list”.

The Israeli military’s current multi-year plan officially ends on 1 January 2020. The political standstill, however, has “precluded the transitional government from giving…the final green light” to the next such plan, and thus, on 1 January, the military “will be working off a monthly budget until such time that the plan can be approved by the next government”.

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As explained by Israel Hayom, “in the absence of a state budget, government ministries operate on a monthly stipend that equals one-twelfth of their last sanctioned budget.”

Israeli military chief of staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, in post almost a year, is reportedly “angry”, and “is not alone”, says the report, with “most top defence officials” describing “the paralysis imposed on them by the political logjam” as “outrageous”.

“The damage it has inflicted on the military and, by extension, Israel’s security, amounts to gross negligence,” the newspaper added.

Israel Hayom reported that “national security is paying a heavy price for the political chaos”, citing an incident two weeks ago, when a Sikorsky CH-53 helicopter crashed during training.

The Israeli Air Force’s fleet of Sikorsky helicopters “is fast approaching the end of its operational lifecycle and is slated to be replaced”, noted the report, “but in the absence of a functioning government and an orderly work plan, everything has ground to a halt”.

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