Israeli military announces five year plan

The commander of Israel's military on Monday approved a five year plan that includes the purchase of advanced fighter jets and missile defense means but focuses on training for ground forces, the army said in a statement.

Over the next five years, Israel will buy a fleet of F-35 fighter jets and hundreds of Striker armored personnel carriers as well as an undisclosed numbers of Arrow anti-missile defense batteries from the U.S., the statement said. Also, Israel will purchase two Dolphin-class submarines from Germany.

The Arrow is a joint U.S.-Israel project aimed primarily at stopping missiles fired from Iraq or Iran. Several batteries are operational in Israel.

The Israeli army is recovering from last year's inconclusive war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, and the plan reflects lessons from the conflict, military officials said. They estimated that the program would cost about $50 billion over the five-year period.

Hezbollah pummeled northern Israel with nearly 4,000 rockets during the war and managed to destroy Israeli Merkava tanks on the battlefield, causing many casualties.

Israeli soldiers complained they were under-trained and lacked proper equipment.

According to the plan, ground forces will undergo more training, and tanks will be upgraded with better armor.

"The plan will increase Israel's might and increase its ability to deal with the security challenges facing the country over the next five years," the military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, said in a statement.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/09/03/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Military.php