🛡️ DEFENSE MINISTRY WARNS OF DANGEROUS DELAYS TO ISRAEL'S MILITARY BUILDUP
⚠️ DEFENSE MINISTRY WARNS OF "DANGEROUS" DELAYS IN FORCE BUILD-UP: Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram warned that Israel's long-term military buildup is facing a "dangerous delay," saying prolonged budget disputes are preventing implementation of the IDF's ₪350 billion modernization plan approved by the Prime Minister and Defense Minister.
Baram criticized the Finance Ministry's Budget Department for treating the wartime reality as a "temporary accounting event," warning that after nearly three years of war, continued delays could become Israel's greatest risk to future military preparedness.
The warning comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a scheduled Sunday defense budget meeting after postponing an identical session last Thursday, with reports of "tens of billions" of shekels still separating the Defense and Finance ministries. According to N12, National Security Council Head Shmuel Ben Ezra is mediating the negotiations.
The Defense Ministry is seeking a 2026 budget of ₪188 billion, compared with a post-war benchmark of ₪143 billion and the original ₪112 billion baseline, while also requesting an immediate ₪40 billion increase as part of the broader ten-year ₪350 billion force buildup plan. Defense officials warn the impasse has forced procurement freezes.
The Finance Ministry argues the Defense Ministry's demands are excessive, saying some requested funding reflects legacy expenses unrelated to current combat operations against Iran and Hezbollah, including Reconstruction Division funding. Finance officials believe an agreement can be reached using existing defense system reserves without reopening the budget, provided the security situation does not deteriorate further and additional large-scale reserve mobilization is not required.
🇮🇷 WARNING ON IRAN: Baram cautioned that emerging international agreements could provide Iran with hundreds of billions of dollars, enabling it to rapidly rebuild and expand its military capabilities. He said Israel must accelerate its own force buildup while advancing a new regional security architecture with the United States and additional partners.
🇺🇸 U.S.-ISRAEL STRATEGIC RELATIONS: Baram said Israel should not interpret current U.S. policy as weakness, but as calculated risk management shaped by America's global priorities.
"We think Tehran; they think Taiwan," he said, explaining that while Iran is an existential threat to Israel, the United States views China and the Indo-Pacific as its primary strategic challenge.
Baram added that the next U.S.-Israel defense Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) should be built not only on shared values but also on shared strategic interests, with a strong and independent Israel enabling the U.S. to devote more resources to Asia.
🤝 REGIONAL SECURITY OPPORTUNITIES: Baram said the war has strengthened regional alignment against Iran, creating opportunities for broader cooperation stretching from India and the UAE to Greece and Cyprus, combining Israel's technological and operational strengths with Gulf financial resources.
🛡️ MISSILE DEFENSE PRODUCTION EXPANDED: Baram revealed that the Defense Ministry used emergency authorities to overcome production bottlenecks, secure critical raw materials, expand domestic manufacturing, and recruit additional personnel. As a result, Israel's stockpiles of Arrow, David's Sling, and Iron Dome interceptors continue to grow even while the war is ongoing, though he stressed the effort is far from complete.
🏥 REHABILITATION WARNING: Baram also warned that bureaucratic delays are slowing implementation of recommendations to improve rehabilitation for wounded IDF soldiers, saying Israeli society "cannot allow the rehabilitation system to collapse."
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