Acall for Updating Israel's National Security Concept
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TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY November 1998 BULLETIN Nos. 21-22 JAFFEE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES while the peace process may postpone threats, it does not eliminate them. He stated that the success of the Middle East peace process relies entirely on the strength of the IDF. Vilna’i also warned that while in the past the IDF was qualitatively superior to the armies of Israel’s Arab adversaries, today a decisive Israeli victory in the battlefield is not automatically ensured. He also mentioned that despite the fact that terror does not pose an immediate threat to the existence of the State of Israel, it does endanger individual citizens, and may become a strategic threat should it hold up the peace (l. to r.) Maj. Gen. Yom Tov Samia, Head of the IDF’s Southern Command, Henny process. Vilna’i characterized Israel’s Justman, representative of the Tshetshik family, Shai Feldman, Head of JCSS reactions to terrorism as “problematic,” and expressed his regret A Call for Updating Israel’s that the Israeli society does not react to acts National Security Concept of terror as a strong society should. The 1998 Tshetshik Prize for Strategic Forces lack a written military doctrine. Studies on Israel’s Security was He stressed the need to update Israel’s awarded to Maj. Gen. Yom Tov Samia national security doctrine and pointed (Head of the IDF’s Southern out that such an update has not been Command) for his research on “The conducted despite the many dramatic IDF Field Unit’s Organizational changes that have occurred in Israel’s Climate.” threat environment over the years. He At the award ceremony, Maj. Gen. warned that “without clear rules Matan Vilna’i delivered the keynote formulated in the language we [the address, focusing on Israel’s “security military] share with the political concept” towards the 21st century. echelon, we will wander off in disparate Vilna’i recently retired from the IDF directions.” Maj. Gen. (res.) Matan Vilna’i, former after a long and distinguished career Vilan’i also criticized the tendency Deputy Chief of Staff of the IDF, delivers that included three years as Deputy of the political establishment to the keynote address at the ceremony Chief of Staff. In his speech, Vilna’i approve military budget cuts as a result awarding the Tshetshik Prize for Strategic Studies. emphasized that the Israeli Defense of the peace process. He stressed that 2 JCSS Bulletin Inaugurating a new JCSS publication Strategic Assessment http://www.tau.ac.il/jcss/quarterly.html In April, the first issue of the new JCSS Jewish community and Israel, and publication, Strategic Assessment, Islamic terrorism in Egypt. Two was published in Hebrew and English significant developments of recent simultaneously. Its full text was also months provided the backdrop for two placed on the JCSS website. of the articles in the second issue Strategic Assessment is published in published in July - the Iraqi crisis of the framework of the Jaffee Center’s January-February 1998, and the new Outreach Program. It is short and nuclear testing in South Asia. The concise enough to be read by very busy article on the Iraqi crisis focused on people- only 16 pages. Each issue is the lessons for Israel, while the one intended to draw attention to 4-5 on the nuclear tests assessed the important issues. Its simultaneous implications of these tests for the Middle East, an analysis of the pros publication in Hebrew and English is Middle East. The second issue also and cons of concluding a defense treaty conditioned by the fact that it is included assessments of terrorist- between the U.S. and Israel, and an provided as a service to Israel’s policy related developments on the dynamics account of Israeli public opinion on and opinion making elite as well as the of confidence-destruction in Israeli- issues related to Israel’s nuclear policy. international professional community Palestinian relations, and the extent of Reactions to Strategic Assessment in defense affairs. the “information revolution” in the have been very favorable. Thus, Royal The first issue included articles on Middle East. United Services Institute for Defense the strategic significance of Russia’s The third issue, published in Studies (London) reprinted Emily efforts to reclaim a significant role in November, includes an assessment of Landau’s “Change in Israeli Nuclear the Middle East, Israel’s nuclear policy, the threat posed by Iran, an evaluation Policy?” (April 1998) in its Newsbrief the relationship between the American of the trends in oil production in the (18:6, June 1998). Prof. Shai Feldman, Head of JCSS BULLETIN Dr. Ephraim Kam, Deputy Head of JCSS JCSS INTERNATIONAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES: Chairman: Melvin Jaffee The JCSS Bulletin is published bi- Immediate Past Chairman: Joseph H. Sterlitz (d.) annually by the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, The Joseph Alexander Foundation, Ted Arison, Robert H. Arnow, Arnold Y. Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Aronoff, Milada Ayrton, Newton D. Becker, Jack Berlin, Harry Blumenthal, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. Henry Borenstein, Edgar M. Bronfman, Simon Chilewich, Bertram J. Cohn, Stewart M. Colton, Lester Crown, Danielle and Shimon Erem, Allan Fainbarg, The Bulletin may be obtained free of Dr.Gerald Falwell, Jacob Feldman, Arnold D. Feuerstein, David Furman, Guilford charge from the Center. Glazer, Burton E. Glazov, The Goldberg Family, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Eugene M. Grant, Vernon Green, Martin J. Gross, Michael M.H. Editors: Moshe Grundman Gross, Irving B. Harris, Betty Jaffee, Marvin Josephson, Philip M. Klutznick, Judy Emily Landau and Joel Knapp, Fred Kotek, Raymond Kulek, Max L. Kunianski, Mark Lambert, Tamar Malz Edward C. Levy, Peter A. Magowan, Judd D. Malkin, Stephen Meadow, Hermann Merkin, Milken Family Foundation, Milton J. Petrie, Gary P. Ratner, Reporter: Lesley Terris Raphael Recanati, Meshulam Riklis, Elihu Rose, Malcolm M. Rosenberg, Irving Schneider, Yochai Schneider, Marvin Simon, Ruth Sinaiko, Lillian Solomon, Ed Graphic Design: Michal Semo-Kovetz Stein, Walter P. Stern, Leonard R. Strelitz, Lawrence A. Tisch, Jack D. Weiler, Marvin A. Weiss, Martin J. Whitman, Emanuel A.Winston, Bert Wolstein, Photography: Michal Roche Ben-Ami Paul Yanowicz. November 1998 3 Syrkin Lecture Series Airpower on the Eve of the 21st Century Maj. Gen. Eitan Ben-Eliyahu, East. In order to meet this Commander of the Israeli Air challenge, Israel must acquire the Force, was this year’s speaker at means for both passive and active the memorial gathering held in defense, including the Arrow honor of the late Col. Simon missile system. Syrkin. Speaking on airpower on Also, Ben-Eliyahu stated that the the eve of the 21st century, Ben Israeli Air Force must adjust its Eliyahu referred first to the deep structure to the new global and changes that the US introduced regional circumstances, and into its security doctrine after the achieve the technological flexibility breakdown of the Soviet Union. He and capacity for immediate elaborated on the function of US response. In order to do so, Israel air power in the Gulf War, where is presently engaged in the real-time target intelligence played development of advanced space a crucial role. technologies, as well as of methods Ben-Eliyahu stated that the and devices to obtain real time most important change that has intelligence. taken place in the Middle East Maj. Gen. Eitan Ben-Eliyahu, Commander of strategic environment is the the Israeli Air Force. growing threat posed by ballistic missiles to Israel’s home front. Hostile states such as Syria, NEW JCSS BOOK Iran and Iraq are well on their way to acquiring new and improved ballistic missile capabilities. The range of these missiles will be greater, and will enable reaching Israel if Decade of Transition: launched from Northern Syria or Central Iraq. Hence, Israel must prepare itself to absorb missile attacks on its home Eisenhower, Kennedy, and front in the event that another war breaks out in the Middle the Origins of the American- Israeli Alliance JCSS Board Convenes by Abraham Ben-Zvi (Columbia University Press, 1998). How did the close cooperation between the United States and Israel evolve? Did the Kennedy Administration represent a radical departure from Eisenhower’s policies in the region as previously believed? Or did Ike lay the groundwork for the relationship that became a cornerstone of US foreign policy in the second half of the twentieth century? In this new book, resulting from extensive research conducted under the auspices of the Jaffee Center, JCSS Israeli Board of Trustees and Academic Advisory Committee convened on June for a joint session. At Abraham Ben-Zvi provides a significant reevaluation center, Israeli Board Chairman Mr. Melvin (Mel) Jaffee of the nature and origins of the American-Israeli alliance with TAU President, Yoram Dinstein. and the shaping of the modern Middle East. 4 JCSS Bulletin INTERNATIONA C hallenges to Global a Foundation) emphasized that Russian policy at the regional level aims to maintain stability and strengthen Russia’s position vis-a`-vis regimes that it perceives as crucial to its interests. Russian technology transfers are aimed at achieving this objective. Vladimir Orlov (PIR Center, Moscow) added that Russia is not the only potential source of nuclear proliferation. He stressed that problems of nuclear leakage to the Middle East exist from Western states as well. A West European perspective was presented by John Chipman (Director of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)), who argued that the managing of global (l. to r.) Ashton Carter, Harvard University, Shai Feldman, Head of JCSS, security today often entails intervening and. Amb. Robert Blackwill, Harvard University. in the domestic politics of other A successful and timely international threats to global and Middle East countries. This is complicated by the conference on Challenges to Global security and ways of addressing these “law of asymmetric interests,” which and Middle East Security was threats.