Von Geschäften mit Ländern der Dritten Welt bis hin zu dubiosen Mittelsmännern: Einblicke in das verdeckte Wettrüsten der IDF

A fascinating look into how the IDF has procured arms internationally throughout this war. Israel has gone all over the world in search of weapons and munitions to sustain its war effort. The IDF’s international shopping spree includes visits to all corners of the world, dealing with shady brokers, deals for high-tech weaponry in exchange for the basics, competition in the midst of the Ukraine war, and personal relationships between IDF and US officers. Most notably, this involves secret deals in unlikely places. In the words of one Israeli defense establishment official, “We go to countries you wouldn’t believe an Israeli has ever set foot in. Countries with whom we have no diplomatic relations, including Muslim states on all continents.” One thing that stands out is that while Israel may be developing cutting-edge technology, it suffered a critical lack of the basics. It needed bombs, shells, and explosive materials. This results in deals where Israel sells advanced tech such as UAVs in exchange for basic needs such as gunpowder and shells.

This along with the Ukraine war reveals that we have no magic high-tech solutions that will replace the need to produce a steady stream of war material. As it turns out, maintaining the capability to produce your own arms and munitions is critical. Israel is now expanding its defense industry to ensure it’s more prepared the next time around. Israel seems to have already made progress – the aerial attack in which Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated was conducted with Israeli-produced munitions – but there’s still a long way to go, especially as Israel seeks to boost the IDF’s firepower. This will surely have effects as although it will still be dependent on the United States, Israel’s dependence will somewhat shrink. And Israel will in all likelihood be an even more prominent player on the international arms market in the years to come. There’s a lesson here for any nation that may find itself at war. Domestic production capabilities are crucial.

It’s particularly fascinating to see that even countries nominally hostile to Israel will sell at the right price, while some Western nations maintain arms embargoes.