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Israel Defence Force’s strength and funding

Israel has 169,500 active military personnel in the army, navy, and paramilitary forces, according to the IISS Military Balance 2023.

By Aditya Sachan 13 Oct 2023

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The Palestinian group Hamas started a deadly attack on Saturday in southern Israel. Israel is still bombarding the encircled Gaza Strip. On Sunday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the United States will send multiple military ships, including the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, as a show of force to its closest ally in the region. Maintaining Israel's regional military hegemony is a key component of US Middle East policy. This has been accomplished through US funding and an expanding Israeli military arsenal.

Israel’s military at a glance

Israel has a massive military apparatus. Israel has 169,500 active military personnel in the army, navy, and paramilitary forces, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Military Balance 2023. Its reserve forces number 465,000, and its paramilitary forces number 8,000. Citizens over the age of 18 are required to serve in the military; once enlisted, men are expected to serve for 32 months and women for 24 months.

Israel's military is one of the most powerful in the Middle East, with cutting-edge surveillance and weapons. Its extensive military arsenal includes the following weapons:
Personnel
• 169,500 active-duty military personnel
• 465,000 reserve personnel
• Over 2,200 tanks on the ground
• 530 pieces of artillery (SP, Towed, MRL, MOR)
Airpower consists of 339 combat-capable aircraft, including 309 fighter ground attack jets, 196 F-16 jets, 83 F-15 jets, 30 F-35 jets, 142 helicopters, and 43 Apache attack helicopters.
Navy
• 5 submarines
• 49 patrol and coastal combatants

Iron Dome is an Israeli mobile air defence system that uses radar technology to intercept and destroy short-range rockets. It was created in the aftermath of the 2006 war with Hezbollah, during which thousands of rockets were launched into Israel. The Iron Dome was launched in 2011 with the assistance of the United States, which is responsible for supplying parts for the system as well as setting aside more than $1.5 billion in missile defence for Israel in 2022.

According to the IISS, Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system intercepted more than 90% of rockets launched by Hamas and other Palestinian groups in 2021. According to the IISS, Israel is also believed to have nuclear capabilities, with Jericho missiles and aircraft capable of carrying nuclear warheads.

Money that Israel put into its military

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a conflict and armaments research institute, Israel spent $23.4 billion on its military in 2022.

Over the 2018–2022 period, this amounts to $2,535 per capita, making it the world's second-largest spender on military per capita after Qatar. In 2022, Israel will devote 4.5 per cent of its GDP to the military, the tenth-highest percentage in the world.

Countries that import Israeli weapons

Israel's weapons imports have historically far outweighed its exports. However, according to SIPRI data, exports have begun to consistently outnumber imports over the last decade.

Between 2018 and 2022, at least 35 countries imported $3.2 billion in weapons from Israel. 1.2 billion USD of Israel's military exports were to India. Since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, relations between Israel and India have blossomed. Azerbaijan ($295 million) was the second-largest buyer of Israeli weapons, preceded by the Philippines ($275 million), the United States ($217 million), and Vietnam ($180 million).

Between 2018 and 2022, Israel imported $2.7 billion in weapons from only two countries: the United States and Germany. The US and Israeli militaries work closely together on joint exercises, technology development programmes, and defence projects, with the latter receiving the most US military aid.

Military assistance Israel received from the United States

After the 1967 war, when Israel defeated neighbouring Arab armies and began occupying the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, military aid to Israel increased dramatically. Between 1946 and 2023, Israel received $263 billion in foreign aid from the United States. This is nearly double (1.7 times more) than Egypt, the second-highest recipient of US foreign aid over the last 77 years, which received $151.9 billion.

US legislators have long viewed Israel as an ally to help protect US strategic interests in the Middle East. US military funding to Israel will exceed $3.8 billion in 2023, as part of a record $38 billion 10-year deal signed in 2016 by former US President Barack Obama. Between 1946 and 2023, the United States provided Israel with a total of $124 billion in military and defence aid.

Half a billion dollars of Israel's $3.8 billion in military aid this year has gone towards missile defences. Washington has stated that it will supplement Israeli munitions used against Hamas in the most recent conflict. Hours after the deadly Hamas attack inside Israel, the Israeli government requested Iron Dome interceptors from the United States, with President Joe Biden stating that “Washington will be rapidly providing the Israel Defence Forces with additional equipment and resources, including munitions," which are expected to arrive within days.