Israel's Military, Strategy & the IDF - Doctrine, Mobilisation, and Recent Lessons

Description: Israeli Defence Force is arguably one of the more unique militaries around the world, combining a rapid mass mobilisation system with a strategy that prioritises a unique mix of offensive, defensive and industrial capabilities.

Now, with Israel mobilising those reserves and declaring a state of war, the capabilities of the IDF have taken on particularly pressing geopolitical significance, and so I thought it was time to take a closer look at the force, as we have previously for nations like Japan and the Republic of Korea.

In this video I look at the history of some major IDF operations, the development of Israeli strategy, doctrine, and capabilities and some initial observations arising out of the events of the last week.

I do want to say however, that as noted in the video, most of this presentation was prepared before the events of the last week in Israel and Gaza.

As a result, they focus on the IDF from a strategic and defence-industrial perspective with observations arising out of the recent escalation of open war between Hamas and Israel still being very much in their early, tentative stages.

I also want to stress that this video is not intended as a comprehensive study of the history of the region or Israeli-Palestinian relations. That does not mean that those issues or topics are unimportant – only that they are beyond the scope of this particular video.

Thank you for your continued support, and my best wishes to all civilians impacted by the recent and ongoing events.

Patreon:

Corrections & Caveats:
- All usual caveats and comments obviously apply, including but not limited to those specifically set out in this video.

- When talking about Israeli versions of the Mirage, the slide is in the correct order but I invert the names when discussing them. I should have said the Nesher is the original model, and the Kfir is the upgraded version.

- I would also again like to stress the intended limits of this video’s scope and reiterate that the absence of discussion on a point should not be taken as apathy with relation to it.

Reading and source notes:

Translation of IDF Strategy Document - 2016

US Integrated Country Strategy – Israel

Arms transfer and expenditure data per SIPRI

Platform and personnel figures per Military Balance 2022 (for reasons of consistency in method and source with other videos I’ve produced. These figures should not, in my view, be considered definitive)

Congressional Research Service Report on Israel (major issues and U.S Relations):
2023

2018 (featuring the quote on nuclear ambiguity)

Israel’s National Security Doctrine: The Report of the Committee on the Formulation of the National Security Doctrine Ten Years Later – Dan Meridor and Ron Eladi

Saudia Arabia freezing Israel normalisation process

Reporting on Israeli mobilisation

CSIS on the recent apparent intelligence failure

Putin Blaming USA for the present war

Featured Reuters article on mobilisation

Reporting on US sending aircraft carriers to the region

Israel receiving Italian cannons for the Sa’ar class ships as discussed

Timestamps:
00:00:00 — Israeli Defence Strategy & The IDF
00:00:48 — What Am I Talking About?
00:03:10 — What This Video Is Not
00:04:06 — History
00:13:51 — Strategic Position
00:20:23 — The IDF Today
00:26:27 — The War-peace Continuum
00:30:58 — The IDF, Mobilised
00:40:46 — Nuclear Ambiguity
00:45:17 — International Relations
00:51:19 — Budgets And Military Industrial Complex
00:57:41 — Events As Context
01:00:49 — Observations
01:05:42 — What Next?
01:09:59 — Conclusion
01:10:47 — Channel Update

[PerunAU]

I think we can all agree that one thing 2023 did not need is another war, but here we are. I had originally planned to release a video on the IDF in December, but after consulting my Patrons, decided that it might provide useful context for current events if it was released now. Please understand that while this video (like most of my work) focuses very heavily on military and industrial aspects, it should not be taken as apathy towards other important (particularly humanitarian issues).

Please note one small correction – when talking about Israeli versions of the Mirage, the slide is in the correct order but I invert the names when discussing them. I should have said the Nesher is the original model, and the Kfir is the upgraded version.

Thank you so much for your ongoing support, and for your always civil engagement in the comments section, and I will see you all again next week.

[dylanreynolds]

I have a feeling that Perun is one of the few content creators who can say “please keep it civil in the comments.” and people will respect that.

[rifroll]

Special thanks to Perun for carefully picking the specific topics he feels qualified to talk about and reminding the audience of any caveats or limitations to his analysis in every video. It’s a level of objective humility we never get anywhere else

[kylewhite]

Being the type of channel that doesn’t want to cover a situation until it stabilizes makes you one of the few people I trust to accurately cover developing events. Keep up the good work man.

[AnimarchyHistory]

Perun is not only an excellent professional. But a very VERY brave man.

[ChrischiTutorialLPs]

What does Israeli and Russian mobilization have in common?
Booked out flights to Tel Aviv

[IrishTechnicalThinker]

From someone who's from Belfast and knowing what sectarianism can do to communities, my heart goes out to all innocent people killed on both sides.

[MrGaky]

Im from israel, its amazing how many details you got correct, a lot of news people and youtube people usually get a lot of stuff related to the israeli military wrong, but you were spot on down to the age of the reservists. Very well done again you do not disappoint.

[mikeborsos]

Big compliment to you, @PerunAU. Having a similar background to you and combined military background, plus dealing with the Middle East since 25+ years, I have to say that you don’t disappoint. Hooked with your first videos in February / March 2022, I know what a high degree of effort, professionalism and transferable skills you put into your videos. They are well structured and easy to dissect. A hats up to you. Thank you to down under from Europe.

[jloiben]

I know Perun says it as a joke but the business of militaries is fascinating

[bro_dBow]

It should be noted that military training in Israel is like public education that is HUGE in carrior development and employment and society unity. The personnel testing is amazing in finding one’s best job in the military translates into civilian employment.

[okre]

My man's working overtime, it's difficult to keep up and be knowledgeable about every single conflict. Thanks for the effort, and keep the powerpoints coming!

[DingleberryWhite]

A few videos ago I wrote a comment asking for a video on the IDF. To my deep regret this topic got pushed forward due to the horrific events. I’m an Israeli and I was very uncertain about watching this video, since we are still in the midst of this whole nightmare, and I don’t have the capacity to handle what might be misinformation. Especially if it comes from a source I genuinely admire like Perun.
I decided to go ahead and watch it because I do trust this channel to paint an accurate picture with relevant information and to avoid contaminating it with personal opinions and unfounded claims.
Perun, you did not disappoint and I admire you all the more for it. This video was exceptional and you got so many small details exactly right.
Thank you for this video and keep up the amazing work!

[DutchSkeptic]

"No civilian anywhere should have to live in fear or terror." - Perun 2023
Truer words were never spoken.

[seangannon]

Videos like this are prime examples of why YouTube and independent, knowledgeable creators are the future of news, educational content and entertainment. The situation happened like a week ago and we’ve already got an extremely well researched and produced, informative hour long video on a very specific and niche subject. Top notch as always Perun.

[SatanicBunny]

So when this conflict started, I told a friend who's also a subscriber: "I have no idea where this is all headed, but I do know what Perun will be uploading next Sunday."

Thank you again for such an in-depth and topical video at a time where it is badly needed. Much appreciated and I'm looking forward to potential follow-ups as the situation evolves.

Sincerely,
The Nostradamus of Youtube

[amitnachman]

As an IDF reservist I have to say this is an amazingly well informed video.

[Steyr]

No military conflict is safe from the eyes of Perun 💀

[marcusott]

There was an Austrian emigree, that was one of the officers that built up IDF artillery in 1948.
He had started his career as a Fähnrich at the K&K Artillerie Schule, and went on to serve im WW1 on the Austrian side.
The stark contrast between the highly formalised imperial Austrian Army, and the early IDF must have been mind boggling.

[FLUFFYCAT_PNW]

It's wild that your channel has become the go to for current world conflict. You're so awesome at this stuff and I'm so glad you decided to create a YouTube channel. When this conflict broke out, I tried to watch some videos, looking for a Perun-like breakdown, but there is no substitute. You have a unique voice on this platform. Thanks for what you do.