Israel has one of the largest armies in the world, especially in terms of military equipment. It relies on its huge military power in order to maintain its influence in the region, benefiting from significant American material and military support, and thus it spends billions to equip its army.
Military spending
In 2022, Israel spent more than $23.4 billion on the military and armaments, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. That is, it spent 4.5% of its gross domestic product on the army, which is the tenth highest percentage of military spending in the world.
In the past ten years, Israeli military exports began to exceed the volume of imports.
Israel exported to more than 35 countries, led by India, Azerbaijan, the Philippines, the United States, and Vietnam, worth $3.2 billion.
While between 2018 and 2022, it imported weapons worth $2.7 billion, three-quarters of which were from the United States and the rest from Germany.
American aid
Israel is the largest recipient of US military aid. From 1946 until today, it has received $263 billion.
The American and Israeli armies also cooperate in joint exercises, technology development programs, and defense projects.
In 2023, US military funding for Israel exceeded $3.8 billion as part of a record deal worth $38 billion over 10 years, signed during the era of former US President Barack Obama, in 2016.
Size of forces
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the number of Israeli regular soldiers in the army, navy and paramilitary forces is 169,500 people, in addition to 465,000 reserves.
Military service is compulsory in Israel for those who reach the age of 18. Males serve 36 months, and women serve 24 months.
Israel has huge and modern military equipment. She has:
- More than 2,200 tanks and 530 guns of various types and capabilities.
- 339 combat aircraft, including 309 ground attack combat aircraft distributed between F-16, F-15 and F-35, and helicopters, including Apache attack aircraft.
- 5 submarines, and 49 combat and maritime patrol ships.
- Iron Dome system to intercept and destroy short-range missiles, created with US assistance. This system was developed in 2006 after the war on Lebanon and Hezbollah’s launching of thousands of rockets towards Israel, and was deployed in 2011.
- Nuclear weapons: Although Israel does not admit it, it possesses Jericho nuclear missiles and aircraft capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
