- There is a secret military agreement between the USA
and Israel by which Lsrael can use massive deposits of arms supplied by
Washington in the event of a Middle East war.
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- Over the years, Washington has supplied Israel with
millions
of tonnes of weaponry, currently 3 bn USD-worth a year, much of which is
stashed in underground bunkers, This huge cache of arms has munitions,
fuel and even a hospital and should Israel need to access it one day, there
is a secret military agreement with the USA which will allow them to do
so. The exact terms are unknown.
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- The military relationship between the two allies has
grown gradually, since when in the Yom Kippur War, in 1973, the Israeli
army was caught by an invasion of two fronts: Syria in the north and Egypt
to the south-west. Experiencing great difficulty in fighting simultaneously
on two fronts, there was a moment in this war when the Arab nations had
a clear advantage. However, one week into the war, President Richard Nixon
sent two aircraft carriers from the Sixth Fleet to unload supplies: 22,000
tonnes of the latest weaponry and munitions were enough to turn the war
in Israel's favour.
-
- Nowadays it is unlikely that Israel will be caught
wrong-footed
again. Apart from the awesome support it receives from Washington, Israel
has its own weapons programme, its F-15 and F-16 fighter jets having better
digital technology than the American aircraft, the same with its force
of around 4,000 tanks.
-
- As far as mobilisation is concerned, Israel has the
capacity
to call up reserves into active duty within a moment's notice, making it
the strongest army in the world in rapid deployment. Similarly, its Air
Force can fly 4,000 missions per day, every day, compared to the capacity
of the USAF, which can only guarantee 1,600 missions.
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- The exact size of the Israeli Armed Forces is secret.
However, it is estimated that the Air Force has precisely 459 combat
aircraft,
including 237 F-16s, 73 F-15s and 50 F-4e 2000, with 37,000 air crew. The
Navy has 53 patrol boats and 4 submarines, with 6,500 effective full-time
sailors. As for the cavalry, there are estimated to be some 3,800 combat
vehicles, including 1,100 Merkava I/II/III, 800 Centurions, 600 M-60A3,
400 Magach 7, 300 each M-60A1 and M-48A5. This force numbers some 130.000
men. The total, around 173,500 men, can be instantly boosted by 600,000
trained reservists.
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- The accumulation of materials and fuel will allow the
Israeli Armed Forces complete autonomy of action, without supplies, for
some four months' operational activity.
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