IDF's response to multi-front threat: More tanks, artillery, and soldiers - analysis

Efforts are underway in the IDF and Defense Ministry to promote the approval of a multi-year plan for dividing the defense budget in the army, taking into account various threats from the North and the South.

Among other things, the IDF aims to cancel the reduction in service length, establish an intelligence command for the Gaza Strip, and invest in an aerial and ground laser system.

Alongside the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, the IDF General Staff and heads of the Defense Ministry held discussions in recent days to advance the approval of the multi-year "Ma'alot" plan by the government to allocate the defense budget in the IDF.

The army wants to increase the quantity of Iron Dome batteries, cancel the service reduction, and invest in an aerial and ground laser system. The estimate is that the IDF will request billions more shekels from the government each year to be prepared for war on multiple fronts.

IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Herzi Halevi is leading the basic premise, according to which the IDF's power building for the next five years is derived from the army's attribution to the various threats on multiple fronts. 

"Gaza serves as a taste of a multi-front arena that the IDF will face in the future," said a source familiar with the details of the multi-year plan before its approval. "The principles of the plan are clear, essential updates are required. When the Houthis shoot at us, it only emphasizes the threat we face and the idea of warfare on multiple fronts."

IDF wants to increase Iron Dome, rocket defenses

The IDF is also seeking to increase the number of various missile interceptors and the number of Iron Dome batteries, reinforce troop numbers along the borders, expand the personnel in regular, permanent, and reserve duty, establish a new intelligence command for the Gaza Strip to assist forces in carrying out operations after the war and invest in an aerial and ground laser system for defense against rockets and missiles. 

Additionally, the IDF wishes to recommend to the political echelon to cancel the service reduction, returning to a 36-month service period, and change the conscription model.

At this stage, there is a disagreement within the security establishment on how to allocate the $8.7 billion in US aid funds to military components - defense or offense. It is reported that some are arguing to involve the Americans in the "blue and white” laser interception system in exchange for financial investment and joint development and production, while others claim that since the system has already reached technological breakthroughs, it is appropriate to leave it entirely in Israeli hands, despite the heavy costs. Security officials have raised the idea of asking the Americans to invest $1.2 billion.

"It is not clear how many laser systems we will need," explained a source familiar with the details of the plan. "The IDF and the Defense Ministry need to decide on the integration of existing systems with the laser system and the weather conditions to determine the budget issue. Only then will we understand the costs and how many systems of each type we want." 

The source also criticized the conscription model, stating that the IDF must acknowledge its mistakes. "The IDF must yield to the Treasury regarding annual pension coverage," he said and emphasized, "we must not throw the baby out with the bathwater. The IDF will continue to invest in intelligence and air support that will provide breathing space in war until the army recruits the entire reserve system."

The source emphasized, "The security perception of warning and deterrence in the terrorism issue has collapsed, so citizens need to see soldiers in a positive light. Therefore, we need to buy more artillery, more armored personnel carriers, more tanks, and more active defense like Iron Dome."