Israel`s military power

Israel defeated the Arabs in a war that started June 5, 1967, involving 360,000 Arab soldiers and 70,000 Israeli troops. Ending on June 10 the same year, the conflict is called the “Six-Day War.” Polish reporter Ryszard Kapuscinski said, “While all Israelites fought in the war, the Arabs merely had soldiers.” All Israelis went to the frontlines whereas few Arab countries knew that the war had broken out at all even after the fighting had stopped. With Israel beginning to bomb the Gaza Strip last week, however, Arab countries stepped into mediate the situation.

In the Six-Day War, the cost of war per Israeli soldier was three times that of an Arab soldier. The gap in training, combat capability and gear was huge. Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, a New York University professor, said this marks the difference between democracy and dictatorship. Democratic countries invest to minimize risks to soldiers while dictatorships consider such spending a waste of resources. Last year, Israel traded one soldier kidnapped by Hamas for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners of war based on the principle that the value of one Israeli soldier`s life cannot be measured.

Israel requires its men and women aged 18 or older to serve in the military except for Arabs and Orthodox Jews. Children there are educated to hold their own opinions at home and school. This makes the Israeli military culture special in that it values quality and capability more than class, and entry-level officers and experienced soldiers have discretionary power. If soldiers dislike their commanders, they can complain. They can vote to remove an incompetent officer because they believe any mistrust among soldiers could lead to a failed operation.

Israel’s Ivy League is not a university but an elite military troop such as Talpiot and 8200. Talpiot, a brigade of special forces, selects talented recruits and lets them combine cutting-edge science and operations. Those who retire from an elite troop set up thousands of start-up companies using the technology and network that they built in the military. NASDAQ has more Israeli companies than those from Europe combined. Saul Singer, the author of “Start-up Nation” that describes the secrets behind Israel’s economic growth, says, “It is no coincidence that Israeli forces, the intelligence unit of the Air Force in particular, serve as an incubator of Israel’s high-tech ventures.”

Editorial Writer Lee Hyeong-sam (hans@donga.com)