Israeli Military Amazed, "Jealous" At U.S. War Against Iraq

World Tribune.com ^ | 04/14/2003 | Special to World Tribune

[Dirk McQuickly]

TEL AVIV — Israeli defense officials and military commanders have expressed amazement over the capture of one of the largest and most powerful Arab countries by what they say amounted to fewer than three U.S. Army divisions.

The officials said the U.S. strategy of avoiding enemy troop concentrations as well as exploiting combat air supremacy comprises methods far more advanced than those employed by the Israeli military.

"This has been a very strange and unprecedented war and it will take us awhile to learn what took place," Yuval Steinetz, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said. "We will have to learn from this war and draw the conclusions."

"I am jealous of them [U.S. military]," Maj. Gen. Dan Harel, head of the Israel military's C4 directorate, said. "They have advanced in areas that we were leading in only a few years ago. They have the ability to put everything together in command and control. Our navy and air force have systems. but we have to integrate them."

Officials and military commanders agreed that the U.S. war in Iraq overshadowed the 1967 Israeli victory over four Arab countries, including Iraq. They said the United States sustained about 100 casualties in three weeks of fighting that resulted in the capture of Baghdad and most Iraqi cities. In contrast, about 600 Israeli soldiers were killed in the six days of the 1967 war, most of them in the ground battle with Egypt in the Sinai Peninsula.

[PISANO]

I don't think I want to be around if the time ever comes where Isreal and Great Britan are our enemies.

[habs4ever]

Shock and Awe indeed!

Shock and Awe: The Aftershock

[shhrubbery!]

Israel is no stanger to shock and awe. They shocked and awe'ed the Arab world in six days, just 25 yrs ago.

Yes, but it is interesting to read what the article has to say about that:

Officials and military commanders agreed that the U.S. war in Iraq overshadowed the 1967 Israeli victory over four Arab countries, including Iraq. They said the United States sustained about 100 casualties in three weeks of fighting that resulted in the capture of Baghdad and most Iraqi cities. In contrast, about 600 Israeli soldiers were killed in the six days of the 1967 war

[truth_seeker]

"Within a year or two, after we've replenished our stocks of ammo and bombs...

Over and over, I hear that we use up a large fraction of our bombs.

We need a bigger standing inventory, and faster manufacturing capacity.

[Cuttnhorse]

Russia and China are undoubtadly intimidated by what they have seen of late by U.S. Military Primacy....they will be burning the candle 24 to relieve some of that personal insecurity.

No matter what the percieved strength of the Iraqi's, I'll bet there are a lot of Tums being consumed in Bejing and Moscow right now...and would be consumed in North Korea if they could afford to buy them.

What all the FReep analysts are forgetting in their generally great insight is that this was the most surgical 25-days of battle ever conducted in history. We could have been in Baghdad in 5-days if we weren't trying to limit collateral damage so much. This ability is what I find amazing!

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

You just referenced 99.9% of the worlds military forces that would do us harm.

[Cuttnhorse]

Nice profile page.

[polemikos]

That is the reason middle Eastern cultures are becoming smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror of the West.

Well...I'm not sure the metaphor works.
Actually, middle Eastern cultures are getting larger and larger -- literally -- because of birth rates. They will beat us, not on the battleground, but in the bedroom...so to speak. :-b

Western ambivalence to immigration is another issue. In the article FRANCE IS ALMOST FINISHED, radical muslims will gain the French heartland without firing a shot.

[eBelasco]

Which might have something to do with why the Western countries stopped fighting each other 50 years ago. Too dangerous. It's like if Mike Tyson had to fight himself, with no gloves, every time. A better analogy: Tyson vs Sugar Ray, no gloves. Tyson(or some other awesome heavyweight) would probably win, but Sugar Ray Leonard would get a few good pops in.

[The Other Harry]

the gist is responding so quickly that you get inside the enemies decision cycle, thus paralyzing them.

I heard this same interview. I found it intiguing. The concept (as I got it) was to move so fast that the enemy is unable to respond to what you are doing.

[Centurion2000]

It does now, in a manner of speaking. Unless there is another such war, the effects will wear off in about 20 years.

And 10 yaers ago we had Desert Storm ... 10 years from now we will probably be facing the Chinese.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

NK blabber mouths are trained by Baghdad Bob. I note we now have Damascus Sally blithering from Syria.

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

Poison pill anything sold, all it take is a virus in a vital chip(s) waiting to be electronically activated.

[denydenydeny]

Tell me more about the JASSMs if you would please.

http://www.jassm.com/

[jackbill]

I disagree. Field artillery is an easy target for the right munitions and is easily pin-pointed by counter-battery systems and RPVs and JOINTSTARS etc., etc. They would indeed inflict damage, but would die rapidly.

Those artillery pieces are not sitting out in the middle of the field. They are buried in caves and otherwise "hidden". Fire and move.

And, estimates are that the N. Koreans have 30,000 to 40,000 of them, within range of Seoul.

Sure, we would eventually get them, but at what cost to the residents of Seoul?

[Ursus arctos horribilis]

"...Our Patriot missiles can knock down a missile, but nothing could stop the artillery..." YET

[Cuttnhorse]

Well...I'm not sure the metaphor works. Actually, middle Eastern cultures are getting larger and larger...

Gee, I liked that metaphor, I "borrowed" it from Jonah Goldberg.

They may be getting larger in numbers, but culturally, they're going backward. They have not contributed anything to the global cultural bank in the way of medicine, art, literature, engineering, or music in a loooong time. They have become cultures of "honor"... their so-called "honor" is all they have. This is why they are constantly referencing "saving face" when dealing with others...they have nothing else.

[omega4412]

"Over and over, I hear that we use up a large fraction of our bombs. We need a bigger standing inventory, and faster manufacturing capacity."

Absolutely. To put fear into the hearts of tyrants and terrorists long-term, we ought to announce funding of new production lines for JDAMs and cruise missiles.