U.S. officials are considering pausing or slowing some arms shipments to Israel to convince the government to heed U.S. calls to scale back its military assault in Gaza.
Here’s the ugly truth: Israel doesn’t need U.S. weapons. Israel has plenty of their own weapons they can use and use them for a very long time. This is the way they’ve been stringing America along for decades. Begging for U.S. military aid because they’re so threatened while selling their own.
The defense industry of Israel is a strategically important sector and a large employer, as well as a major supplier of the Israel Defense Forces. The country is one of the world’s major exporters of military equipment, accounting for 10% of the world total in 2007. Three Israeli companies were listed on the 2017 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute index of the world’s top 100 arms-producing and military service companies: Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries and RAFAEL.[1][2] It is also a major player in the global arms market and is the 6th largest arms exporter in the world as of 2014.[3] Total arms transfer agreements topped $12.9 billion between 2004 and 2011.[4] There are over 150 active defense companies based in the country with combined revenues of more than $3.5 billion annually.[5] Israeli defense equipment exports reached $7 billion in 2012, making it a 20 percent increase from the amount of defense-related exports in 2011. With the war in Ukraine, arms exports reached $12.5 billion in 2022.
And their massive defense industry couldn’t produce those domestically somehow? I find that dubious if they’re the sixth largest arms exporter in the world, including one of the top 100 arms-producing aerospace companies. A top aerospace company can’t produce the right missiles for Israel? You expect me to buy that?
And if so, maybe Israel should have geared their defense industry towards arming themselves.
Complicated machines tend to depend on complicated global supply chains. It’s not at all surprising that a small country would rely on foreign sources for essential parts. I know the US tries to rely on only domestic supply chains for anything related to “national security”, but the US is also unique in the size of its military industrial complex. If I had to guess, I’d say China is probably the only other country that can fully equip its military without the help of allies.
Maybe they should have developed their own rocket motors with their 6th largest arms exporter in the world factories. Or are you now going to tell me that Israel couldn’t have nationalized those factories the minute the first rocket landed decades ago?
Here’s the ugly truth: Israel doesn’t need U.S. weapons. Israel has plenty of their own weapons they can use and use them for a very long time. This is the way they’ve been stringing America along for decades. Begging for U.S. military aid because they’re so threatened while selling their own.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_industry_of_Israel
There is absolutely no reason to send a single bullet to Israel. Biden must know that.
I wouldn’t doubt they need specific things. Like motors for Arrow missles for the Iron dome and 155 shells in case Hezbollah acts up.
And their massive defense industry couldn’t produce those domestically somehow? I find that dubious if they’re the sixth largest arms exporter in the world, including one of the top 100 arms-producing aerospace companies. A top aerospace company can’t produce the right missiles for Israel? You expect me to buy that?
And if so, maybe Israel should have geared their defense industry towards arming themselves.
Complicated machines tend to depend on complicated global supply chains. It’s not at all surprising that a small country would rely on foreign sources for essential parts. I know the US tries to rely on only domestic supply chains for anything related to “national security”, but the US is also unique in the size of its military industrial complex. If I had to guess, I’d say China is probably the only other country that can fully equip its military without the help of allies.
The rocket motors have always been supplied by the US. Other pieces of iron dome are supplied too. They build the rockets themselves.
Maybe they should have developed their own rocket motors with their 6th largest arms exporter in the world factories. Or are you now going to tell me that Israel couldn’t have nationalized those factories the minute the first rocket landed decades ago?
I hope you understand that they export light weapons.
Really? An aerospace company, one of the 100 largest in the world, exports light weapons?
Edit: Interesting what you call small arms- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Aerospace_Industries