In
1952, as the Cold War got underway, U.S. Army Chief-of-Staff Omar
Bradley called for the integration of Israel into the Mediterranean
Basin area, in light of the country's location and unique
capabilities.
• In
1967, Israel defeated a radical Arab, pro-Soviet offensive, which
threatened to bring about the collapse of pro-American Arab regimes
and disrupt oil supply, thus severely undermining the American
standard of living. The U.S. gained valuable military information
from analysis of captured Soviet equipment, including SAM-2, SAM-12,
Mig-21 aircraft, and Soviet T-54 battle tanks. In fact, Israel gave
an entire squadron of MiG-21s to the U.S. which was dubbed the “Top
Gun” squadron and used by the U.S. Air and Naval forces for
training purposes. Since 1967, Israel transferred captured Soviet
weapons systems to the U.S. Pentagon after every conflict: 1967,
1967-70, 1973, 1982, 1990 (Scud remnants from the Gulf War), and 2006
(remnants of Iranian supplied missiles.
• In
the 1967-1970 1000 Day War of Attrition, the IDF, armed with American
aircraft successfully defeated a Soviet-supplied air defense system,
pointing out the deficiencies in Soviet air-defense doctrine to US
defense planners. Israel shared captured military equipment include
P-2 radar and Soviet tanks with the U.S. military.
• In
1970, Israel brought about the withdrawal of Syrian forces from
Jordan, at a time when the U.S. was tied up by wars in Vietnam, Laos,
and Cambodia, thus preventing the fall of the pro-American Hashemite
regime and the installation of a pro-Soviet radical Palestinian
terrorist regime.
• In
1973 – thanks to U.S. re-supply, but without U.S. forces, Israel
defeated Soviet-trained and equipped Egyptian and Syrian forces.
Israel again shared captured Soviet equipment, including T-62 battle
tanks with the U.S. Israel emerged as the only reliable ally where
U.S. troops could land, where U.S. equipment can be pre-positioned,
where the U.S. has friendly port facilities (in Haifa and Ashdod) in
the entire Middle East region. This too has saved the U.S. billions
of dollars.
• 1970s
- Joseph Sisco, a former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, assistant
to Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during the latter’s shuttle
diplomacy, told the Israeli author and military expert, Shmuel Katz:
“I want to assure you, Mr. Katz, that if we were not getting full
value for our money, you would not get a cent from us.”
• In
1981, Israel bombed the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak, delaying
Saddam Hussein’s quest for nuclear weapons. It thus provided the
U.S. with the option of engaging in conventional wars with Iraq in
1991 and 2003.
• The
vice president General Dynamics which produces the F16 fighter jets
has stated that Israel is responsible for 600 improvements in the
plane's systems, modifications estimated to be worth billions of
dollars, which spared dozens of research and development years.
• In
1982, Israel destroyed Soviet anti-aircraft batteries in Lebanon that
were considered immune to American weapons. Israel promptly shared
the operation's lessons, estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
• Former
Secretary of State and NATO forces commander Alexander Haig has
stated that he is pro-Israeli because Israel is the largest American
aircraft carrier in the world that cannot be sunk, does not carry
even one American soldier, and is located in a critical region for
American national security.
• During
the first Gulf War 1991, Israel provided invaluable intelligence, an
umbrella of air cover for military cargo, and had personnel planted
in the Iraqi desert to pick up downed American pilots.
• General
George Keegan, former head of U.S. Air Force Intelligence has
publicly declared that “Israel is worth five CIA’s.” He further
stated that between 1974 and 1990, Israel received $18.3 billion in
U.S. military grants. During the same period Israel provided the U.S.
with $50-80 billion in intelligence, research and development
savings, and Soviet weapons systems captured and transferred to the
U.S.
• In
2005, Israel provided America with the world's most extensive
experience in homeland defense and warfare against suicide bombers
and car bombs. American soldiers train in IDF facilities and
Israeli-made drones fly above the "Sunni Triangle" in Iraq,
as well as in Afghanistan, providing U.S. Marines with vital
intelligence.
• In
September 2007, the IAF destroyed a Syrian-North Korean nuclear
plant, extending the US’s strategic arm. It provided the US with
vital information on Russian air defense systems, which are also
employed by Iran. It bolstered the US posture of deterrence and
refuted the claim that US-Israel relations have been shaped by
political expediency.
• In
2009, Israel shares with the US its battle-tested experience in
combating Palestinian and Hizbullah terrorism, which are the role
model of anti-US Islamic terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan. US GIs
benefit from Israel’s battle tactics against car bombs, improvised
explosive devices and homicide bombing. An Israel-like ally in the
Persian Gulf would have spared the need to dispatch US troops to
Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
• Israel
has relayed to the U.S. lessons of battle (during the Cold War –
Soviet military doctrine) and counter-terrorism (including aircraft
security, homicide-suicide bombings) which reduce American losses in
Iraq and Afghanistan, prevent attacks on U.S. soil, upgrade American
weapons, and contribute to the U.S. economy. Without Israel, the U.S.
would have been forced to deploy tens of thousands of American troops
in the eastern Mediterranean Basin, at a cost of billions of dollars
a year.
• Senator
Daniel Inouye has recently (2005) argued Israeli information
regarding Soviet arms saved the U.S. billions of dollars. The
contribution made by Israeli intelligence to America is greater than
that provided by all NATO countries combined, he said.
• Israel's
utilization of American arms guarantees its existence, but at the
same time gives U.S. military industries, such as Boeing and General
Dynamics, a competitive edge compared to European industries, while
also boosting American military production, producing American jobs,
and improving America's national security. Japan and South Korea, for
example, preferred the "Hawkeye" spy plane and the MD-500
chopper, both purchased and upgraded by Israel, over comparable
British and French aircraft.
• The
American industries want U.S. aid to Israel to continue. The bulk of
the $1.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Israel must be spent
in the United States. That provides jobs for some 50,000 U.S.
workers. Virtually all of the $1.2 billion in annual economic aid
goes for repayment of debt to the United States, incurred from
military purchases dating back many years. This debt is now close to
being liquidated.
• Innovative
Israeli technologies have a similar effect on American civilian,
including computer-related industries and agricultural industries,
which view Israel as a successful research and development site.
• Members
of the U.S. Congress leaders, then Vice President Dick Cheney, and
then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld are aware of Israel's
unique contribution to U.S. interests. But, in fact, they all wonder
why the post-1993 Israel does not use its impressive contribution as
leverage, in sharp contrast to the pre-1993 Israel.
• In
contrast to our commitments to Korea, Japan, Germany and other parts
of the world, not a single American serviceperson needs to be
stationed in Israel. Considering that the cost of one serviceperson
per year – including backup and infrastructure – is estimated to
be about $200,000 per year, and assuming a minimum contingent of
25,000 troops, the cost savings to the United States on that score
alone are on the order of $5 billion a year.