JERUSALEM — Israeli Ministry of Defense Director General Eyal Zamir completed a working visit to the US this week, where he met with US government officials as well as defense contracting giants Lockheed Martin and Boeing, according to the Israeli MoD.
The visit, which wrapped Thursday, was part of a push by Jerusalem to acquire “advanced new agreements for the procurement of military armaments and advanced equipment,” the ministry said in a statement.
Readouts from both the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Pentagon were light on details, but Israeli reports suggested Zamir’s trip to Lockheed and Boeing were likely to highlight Israeli interest in finalizing previous plans to acquire more Lockheed-made F-35 and Boeing-made F-15 fighter aircraft. Reports also said Israel was interested in a new tranche of a dozen Apache attack helicopters also made by Boeing. Still, it’s expected to be years before the aircraft enter Israel’s arsenal.
The war in Gaza, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, led to the rushed procurement of other munitions, such as 155mm shells and also armored vehicles. More than 244 American cargo planes and 20 ships have delivered 10,000 tons of armaments to Israel.
The MoD’s Zamir was accompanied on his trip to the US by a number of key officials, including the head of the IDF Planning Directorate and the head of the Ministry’s procurement mission in the US. During his trip, Zamir met with counterparts from the US Department of Defense and Department of State, including Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker and Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency James Hursch, as well as other officials, Israel’s Ministry of Defense said.
The visit included discussions about procuring armaments, as well as “discussions also focused on plans for force build-up in the upcoming multi-year strategy, including the acquisition of advanced platforms and capabilities to maintain the IDF’s qualitative military edge and readiness for diverse scenarios,” the ministry said.
The statement from the ministry said that the discussions about procurement strategies relate to “lessons learned from the war.” The statement also noted that the visit related to “preparations for evolving combat scenarios.”
Israel says it is transitioning to a lower intensity type of fighting in Gaza after the first 100 days of war. However, Israeli officials also have recently been focused on the possibility of escalation in northern Israel due to threats from Hezbollah. In addition, Israel believes the war in Gaza will last many more months or years.
“In meetings with senior government officials, Director General Zamir addressed the current combat situation in Gaza and the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in the north. Additionally, discussions focused on countering Iranian aggression seeking to harm Israel and destabilize the Middle East,” Israel’s Ministry of Defense said.
For its part, the Pentagon said Zamir and the senior US officials “discussed an array of strategic priorities at the core of the US-Israel defense relationship and reaffirmed the US commitment to Israel’s security.” Baker and Zamir, the US Defense Department said, “reviewed the situation in Gaza, to include Israel’s transition to targeted operations,” and Baker “underscored the need to protect civilians during military operations in Gaza.”
During the trip Zamir also met with executives from Lockheed Martin and Boeing. “They discussed existing agreements as well as the Israel Ministry of Defense’s plan to advance new agreements for the procurement of military armaments and advanced equipment.” Israel already acquired 50 of the Lockheed Martin-made F-35 fifth generation aircraft, and the acquisition of a further 25 aircraft has been in the works for several years.
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Amid war, top Israeli defense official visits US, eyeing ‘advanced platforms and capabilities’
A senior Israeli official met with Pentagon acquisition officials and executives for American defense giants Boeing and Lockheed Martin, the Israeli Ministry of Defense said.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANon January 26, 2024 at 12:32 PM
An Israeli Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jet performs during a graduation ceremony of Israeli Air Force pilots at the Hatzerim base in the Negev desert, near the southern city of Beer Sheva, on June 24, 2021. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
JERUSALEM — Israeli Ministry of Defense Director General Eyal Zamir completed a working visit to the US this week, where he met with US government officials as well as defense contracting giants Lockheed Martin and Boeing, according to the Israeli MoD.
The visit, which wrapped Thursday, was part of a push by Jerusalem to acquire “advanced new agreements for the procurement of military armaments and advanced equipment,” the ministry said in a statement.
Readouts from both the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Pentagon were light on details, but Israeli reports suggested Zamir’s trip to Lockheed and Boeing were likely to highlight Israeli interest in finalizing previous plans to acquire more Lockheed-made F-35 and Boeing-made F-15 fighter aircraft. Reports also said Israel was interested in a new tranche of a dozen Apache attack helicopters also made by Boeing. Still, it’s expected to be years before the aircraft enter Israel’s arsenal.
The war in Gaza, which began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, led to the rushed procurement of other munitions, such as 155mm shells and also armored vehicles. More than 244 American cargo planes and 20 ships have delivered 10,000 tons of armaments to Israel.
The MoD’s Zamir was accompanied on his trip to the US by a number of key officials, including the head of the IDF Planning Directorate and the head of the Ministry’s procurement mission in the US. During his trip, Zamir met with counterparts from the US Department of Defense and Department of State, including Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante, Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker and Director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency James Hursch, as well as other officials, Israel’s Ministry of Defense said.
The visit included discussions about procuring armaments, as well as “discussions also focused on plans for force build-up in the upcoming multi-year strategy, including the acquisition of advanced platforms and capabilities to maintain the IDF’s qualitative military edge and readiness for diverse scenarios,” the ministry said.
The statement from the ministry said that the discussions about procurement strategies relate to “lessons learned from the war.” The statement also noted that the visit related to “preparations for evolving combat scenarios.”
Israel says it is transitioning to a lower intensity type of fighting in Gaza after the first 100 days of war. However, Israeli officials also have recently been focused on the possibility of escalation in northern Israel due to threats from Hezbollah. In addition, Israel believes the war in Gaza will last many more months or years.
“In meetings with senior government officials, Director General Zamir addressed the current combat situation in Gaza and the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah in the north. Additionally, discussions focused on countering Iranian aggression seeking to harm Israel and destabilize the Middle East,” Israel’s Ministry of Defense said.
For its part, the Pentagon said Zamir and the senior US officials “discussed an array of strategic priorities at the core of the US-Israel defense relationship and reaffirmed the US commitment to Israel’s security.” Baker and Zamir, the US Defense Department said, “reviewed the situation in Gaza, to include Israel’s transition to targeted operations,” and Baker “underscored the need to protect civilians during military operations in Gaza.”
During the trip Zamir also met with executives from Lockheed Martin and Boeing. “They discussed existing agreements as well as the Israel Ministry of Defense’s plan to advance new agreements for the procurement of military armaments and advanced equipment.” Israel already acquired 50 of the Lockheed Martin-made F-35 fifth generation aircraft, and the acquisition of a further 25 aircraft has been in the works for several years.
Israel has also eyed an additional 25 Boeing F-15 fighter jets. It’s unclear how Israel’s reported interest in Apaches could translate to airframes. Israeli media reported that US denied an Israeli request to acquire more of those helicopters in December.
Israel has used Apaches since 1990 and has two squadrons of the helicopters: the 113th operates the AH-64D and the 190th operates the AH-64A. They are based at Ramon air base in southern Israel.
On Oct. 7 there were only two Apache helicopters on standby for an emergency, and they were based in northern Israel at the Ramat David base. The lack of helos has added to the controversy in Israeli media regarding the response to the Oct. 7 attack and led to focus on the need for more combat helicopters.