IDF Planning for Life Under Iran Deal

No one in the Israeli defense establishment thinks Iran has given up on its nuclear ambitions, and the IDF is seeking a multi-year budgetary commitment from the government to prepare for a nuclear-armed Iran and other contingencies, a senior military source told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

Adequate funding will be necessary to deal with covert Iranian nuclear activities, as well as ongoing threats from Hizbullah, Hamas, and ISIS. At the same time, the IDF plans to improve training and cut 100,000 reservists and 5,000 career soldiers from its payrolls. The cuts are to focus on non-combat personnel.

“Those who are left will be better trained, equipped and ready for war,” said the source. “The same is true of [reforms to] quality platforms in the air, sea, and on the ground.”

Also on the drawing board is a restructuring to create specialized combat and border security divisions to work together.

The IDF calculates that it saves a billion shekels in salaries and pensions per 1000 career soldiers who leave the service.

The plan is based on a multi-year spending commitment of between 61 to 64 billion shekels per year.

This article appeared in print on page 6 of the July 21st, 2015 edition of Hamodia.