Jersualem: In a move aimed at boosting defence forces, the Israeli Ministry of Defence has approved a major new procurement deal to acquire “hundreds” of new Joint Light Tactical Vehicles for the ground forces.
Israel has not specified how much each deal is worth, but in a statement described the packages (includes purchase of five missile ships) as a “multi-billion Shekel” expenditure.
The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 has led to the fast-tracking of a number of procurement deals, but this most recent announcement is the first to come from the Nagel Committee, a commission stood up in August. Chaired by Prof Jacob Nagel, the commission was established by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the goal of “formulating recommendations on the force building needs and the security budget in the coming decade.”
The Israel Military Procurement Ministerial Committee approved the two acquisitions. They will now be submitted to the Knesset’s Joint Committee for the Defence Budget; however, the government did not give a timeline for when the Knesset submission and subsequent vote will happen.
The new “next generation” advanced missile ships will be built by Israel Shipyards, and dubbed the Reshef-class, named after one of the older Sa’ar 4 class ships that have since been retired. The new Reshef-class frigates will replace the Sa’ar 4.5-class missile boats which Israel has used since the 1980s. These eight ships, which were launched between 1981 to 2003, are set to be decommissioned.
The Israeli navy has undergone a major expansion in the last decade, with four new Sa’ar 6 naval ships that began to be commissioned in 2022, as well as new submarines. The Israeli navy currently has four active Sa’ar 6 ships, which first saw action in the recent war against Hamas in Gaza. It also has three Sa’ar 5 corvettes as well as eight of the Sa’ar 4.5.
Meanwhile, the IDF held a naming ceremony for its sixth submarine in Germany on November 12. The Israeli navy was also bolstered by two new landing craft that began arriving in 2023.
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