Changes to the Israel Defense Forces after controversial budget cuts are “revolutionary,” and, in the end, will produce “a different IDF,” Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Thursday.
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon (R) looks into Syria on tour of Golan Heights – Photo: Ariel Hermoni, Defense Ministry spokesman
In a statement to the press, Ya’alon stated that the cuts are being made in light of regional threats, and have been pitted against advances in technology.
“Measures include investment in weapons and systems that will help the IDF continue to keep a dramatic technological gap between us and the countries and organizations around us,” Ya’alon stated.
The defense minister vowed to continue investing in technological reforms, including precision weaponry and unmanned platforms, and battling less-known threats such as cyber warfare, commenting that conflicts in the future may be resolved by the technological superiority of the military.
Giving an example of the changing arena of warfare, Ya’alon stated that battles of army against army, in the format seen 40 years ago during the Yom Kippur War are becoming “less and less relevant.”
Defending the budget cuts, Ya’alon stated that constraints have forced the IDF to take steps to diminish resources in advanced training programs for certain reserve battalions, but that such moves will not harm the military long-term.
View original Jerusalem Post publication at: http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Yaalon-IDF-cuts-revolutionary-will-produce-new-army-319510
Israeli New Shekel Exchange Rate