Israel Must Bolster Military, Panel Warns

Army should shift from deterrence toward an attack posture.

- Carrie Keller-Lynn

TEL AVIV-Israel needs to boost military spending to strengthen its offensive capabilities, a government commission warned this week, as the country could continue fighting on several fronts for the foreseeable future.

The commission, headed by a former Israeli national-security adviser, on Monday recommended increasing military spending by an additional $30 billion over the next decade to prepare for Israel's future security challenges.

The funding would help Israel's military reorient itself toward an attack posture, which if enacted, would mark a shift away from Israel's longtime reliance on deterrence in the years before Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attacks shattered the country's perception of security.

In its report, the commission criticized Israel's prewar approach, which assumed the country could secure long periods of calm through deterrence, and instead said Israel must be ready to launch preemptive and preventive attacks, and even initiate war.

"Preventing enemy buildup, in all its forms, is more important than extended quiet," the report said."Israel's response to attempts to harm it must be as disproportionate as possible and must be continuously maintained."