Israel Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Military=== {{Main|Israel Defense Forces|Israeli security forces}} {{Further|List of wars involving Israel|List of the Israel Defense Forces operations|Israel and weapons of mass destruction}} [[File:The_Southern_Lions._Squadron_116._I.jpg|thumb|[[F-35]] fighter jets of the [[Israeli Air Force]]]] The [[Israel Defense Forces]] (IDF) is the sole military wing of the [[Israeli security forces]] and is headed by its [[Chief of General Staff (Israel)|Chief of General Staff]], the ''Ramatkal'', subordinate to the [[Cabinet of Israel|Cabinet]]. The IDF consists of the [[GOC Army Headquarters|army]], [[Israeli Air Force|air force]] and [[Israeli Navy|navy]]. It was founded during the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]] by consolidating paramilitary organizations—chiefly the [[Haganah]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/about/History/40s/1948/default.htm |publisher=Israel Defense Forces |access-date=31 July 2007 |title=History: 1948 |year=2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080412082705/http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/about/History/40s/1948/default.htm |archive-date=12 April 2008 }}</ref> The IDF also draws upon the resources of the [[Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel)|Military Intelligence Directorate]] (''Aman'').{{sfn|Henderson|2003|p=97}} The IDF have been involved in several [[List of wars involving Israel|major wars]] and border conflicts, making it one of the most battle-trained armed forces in the world.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts+About+Israel/State/THE+STATE-+Israel+Defense+Forces+-IDF-.htm |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |title=The State: Israel Defense Forces (IDF) |access-date=9 August 2007 |date=13 March 2009 }}</ref> Most Israelis are [[Conscription in Israel|conscripted]] at age 18. Men serve two years and eight months and [[Women in the Israel Defense Forces|women]] two years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Facts%20About%20Israel/State/The%20Israel%20Defense%20Forces |title=The Israel Defense Forces |publisher=Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs |access-date=21 October 2006}}</ref> Following mandatory service, Israeli men join the reserve forces and usually do up to several weeks of [[Reserve duty (Israel)|reserve duty]] every year until their forties. Most women are exempt from reserve duty. [[Arab citizens of Israel]] (except the [[Druze in Israel|Druze]]) and those engaged in full-time religious studies are [[Exemption from military service in Israel|exempt]], although the [[Tal committee|exemption of yeshiva students]] has been a source of contention.{{sfn|Stendel|1997|pp=191–192}}<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.haaretz.com/news/cool-law-for-wrong-population-1.220687 |date=16 May 2007 |access-date=19 March 2012 |title=Cool law, for wrong population |last=Shtrasler |first=Nehemia |newspaper=Haaretz}}</ref> An alternative for those who receive exemptions on various grounds is ''[[Sherut Leumi]]'', or national service, which involves a programme of service in social welfare frameworks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nbn.org.il/aliyahpedia/army/585-sherut-leumi-national-service.html |publisher=Nefesh B'Nefesh |access-date=20 March 2012 |title=Sherut Leumi (National Service)}}</ref> A small minority of Israeli Arabs also volunteer in the army.<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 November 2016 |title=Israel's Arab soldiers who fight for the Jewish state |language=en-GB |publisher=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37895021}}</ref> As a result of its conscription programme, the IDF maintains approximately 176,500 active troops and 465,000 reservists, giving Israel one of the world's highest [[List of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel|percentage of citizens with military training]].<ref name=IISS_military>[[#IISS2018|IISS 2018]], pp. 339–340</ref> [[File:IDF_Air_Defense_fighters_during_Operation_Guardian_of_the_Walls,_May_2021._I.jpg|thumb|[[Iron Dome]] is the world's first operational anti-[[Rocket artillery|artillery rocket]] defense system.]] The military relies heavily on high-tech [[Military equipment of Israel|weapons]] systems [[Defense industry of Israel|designed and manufactured in Israel]] as well as some foreign imports. The [[Arrow (Israeli missile)|Arrow]] missile is one of the world's few operational [[anti-ballistic missile]] systems.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=56544 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |title=Arrow can fully protect against Iran |last=Katz |first=Yaakov |date=30 March 2007 |access-date=20 March 2012}}</ref> The [[Python (missile)|Python]] air-to-air missile series is often considered one of the most crucial weapons in its military history.<ref>''Israeli Mirage III and Nesher Aces'', By Shlomo Aloni, (Osprey 2004), p. 60</ref> Israel's [[Spike (missile)|Spike]] missile is one of the most widely exported [[anti-tank guided missile]]s in the world.<ref>[http://www.army-technology.com/projects/gill Spike Anti-Tank Missile, Israel] army-technology.com</ref> Israel's [[Iron Dome]] anti-missile air defense system gained worldwide acclaim after intercepting hundreds of [[Palestinian rocket attacks on Israel|rockets fired by Palestinian militants]] from the Gaza Strip.<ref name=Johnson>{{cite news|title=How Israel Developed Such A Shockingly Effective Rocket Defense System|author=Robert Johnson|work=Business Insider |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/how-israel-developed-the-iron-dome-2012-11?op=1#ixzz2Cme6aQn5|date=19 November 2012|access-date=20 November 2012}}</ref><ref name=Tory>{{cite news|title=A Missile-Defense System That Actually Works?|author=Sarah Tory |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2012/11/israel_iron_dome_defense_how_has_missile_defense_changed_battle_in_gaza.html|work=Slate|date=19 November 2012|access-date=20 November 2012}}</ref> Since the [[Yom Kippur War]], Israel has developed a network of [[reconnaissance satellites]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol44no5/html/v44i5a04p.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100426215752/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol44no5/html/v44i5a04p.htm |archive-date=26 April 2010 |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |title=Israel's Quest for Satellite Intelligence |last=Zorn |first=E.L. |date=8 May 2007 |access-date=19 March 2012}}</ref> The ''[[Ofeq]]'' programme has made Israel [[Timeline of first orbital launches by country|one of seven countries]] capable of launching such satellites.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=64499 |newspaper=The Jerusalem Post |title=Analysis: Eyes in the sky |last=Katz |first=Yaakov |date=11 June 2007 |access-date=20 March 2012}}</ref> Israel is widely believed to [[Nuclear weapons and Israel|possess nuclear weapons]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/transcripts/2004/alahram27072004.html |title=Transcript of the Director General's Interview with Al-Ahram News |first=Mohamed |last=ElBaradei |author-link=Mohamed ElBaradei |publisher=International Atomic Energy Agency |date=27 July 2004 |access-date=20 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418221656/http://www.iaea.org/newscenter/transcripts/2004/alahram27072004.html |archive-date=18 April 2012 }}</ref> and per a 1993 report, chemical and biological [[Israel and weapons of mass destruction|weapons of mass destruction]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vaccines.mil/documents/library/proliferation.pdf |title=Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: Assessing the Risks |publisher=Office of Technology Assessment |date=August 1993 |access-date=29 March 2012 |pages=65, 84 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120528155012/http://www.vaccines.mil/documents/library/proliferation.pdf |archive-date=28 May 2012 }}</ref>{{update after|2021|11}} Israel has not signed the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.un.org/en/conf/npt/2005/background.html |title=Background Information |date=27 May 2005 |website=2005 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) |publisher=United Nations |access-date=9 April 2012}}</ref> and maintains a [[policy of deliberate ambiguity]] toward its nuclear capabilities.<ref>Ziv, Guy, "To Disclose or Not to Disclose: The Impact of Nuclear Ambiguity on Israeli Security", Israel Studies Forum, Vol. 22, No. 2 (Winter 2007): 76–94</ref> The Israeli Navy's [[Dolphin-class submarine|Dolphin submarines]] are believed to be armed with nuclear missiles offering [[second strike|second-strike]] capability.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/nuke/guide/israel/missile/popeye-t.htm |title=Popeye Turbo |publisher=Federation of American Scientists |access-date=19 February 2011}}</ref> Since the [[Gulf War]] in 1991, all homes in Israel are required to have a reinforced security room, [[Merkhav Mugan]], impermeable to chemical and biological substances.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://israelhomeowner.brinkster.net/Glossary.asp |title=Glossary |publisher=Israel Homeowner |access-date=20 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517224030/http://israelhomeowner.brinkster.net/Glossary.asp |archive-date=17 May 2012 }}</ref> Since Israel's establishment, military expenditure constituted a significant portion of the country's [[gross domestic product]], with peak of 30.3% of GDP in 1975.<ref>{{cite report |date=29 May 2017 |title=Defence Expenditure in Israel, 1950–2015 |url=http://cbs.gov.il/publications17/1680/pdf/t04.pdf |publisher=Israel Central Bureau of Statistics |access-date=22 June 2017 |archive-date=19 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619053457/http://cbs.gov.il/publications17/1680/pdf/t04.pdf }}</ref> In 2021, Israel ranked 15th in the world [[List of countries by military expenditures|by total military expenditure]], with $24.3 billion, and 6th by defense spending as a percentage of GDP, with 5.2%.<ref>{{cite report |date=April 2022 |title=Trends in World Military Expenditure, 2021 |url=https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/fs_2204_milex_2021_0.pdf |publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |access-date=21 February 2023}}</ref> Since 1974, the United States has been a particularly notable contributor of [[Israel–United States military relations#Military aid and procurement|military aid]].<ref>{{cite report |last=Sharp |first=Jeremy M. |date=22 December 2016 |title=U.S. Foreign Aid to Israel |url=https://fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf |publisher=Congressional Research Service |page=36 |access-date=22 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150731092044/http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf |archive-date=31 July 2015 }}</ref> Under a [[memorandum of understanding]] signed in 2016, the U.S. is expected to provide the country with $3.8 billion per year, or around 20% of Israel's defense budget, from 2018 to 2028.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lake |first=Eli |date=15 September 2016 |title=The U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Misunderstanding |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-09-15/the-u-s-israel-memorandum-of-misunderstanding |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=17 March 2017}}</ref> Israel ranked 9th globally for [[Arms industry|arms exports]] in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/toplist.php |title=Top List TIV Tables |publisher=Stockholm International Peace Research Institute |access-date=18 April 2023 |archive-date=14 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214003447/http://armstrade.sipri.org/armstrade/page/toplist.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The majority of Israel's arms exports are unreported for security reasons.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.567693 Israel reveals more than $7 billion in arms sales, but few names] By Gili Cohen | 9 January 2014, Haaretz</ref> Israel is consistently rated low in the [[Global Peace Index]], ranking 134th out of 163 nations for peacefulness in 2022.<ref name=GPI>{{cite report |date=June 2022 |title=Global Peace Index 2022 |url=https://www.visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GPI-2022-web.pdf |publisher=Institute for Economics and Peace |page=11 |access-date=21 February 2023}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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