Defense Minister Bennett approves IDF's Momentum multi-year plan

Defense Ministry: NIS 11.6 billion spent in 2019 on increasing IDF's lethality

By ANNA AHRONHEIM
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett during a recent visit to the Syrian border (photo credit: ARIEL HERMONI / DEFENSE MINISTRY)
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett during a recent visit to the Syrian border
(photo credit: ARIEL HERMONI / DEFENSE MINISTRY)
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett approved on Sunday the IDF’s multi-year Momentum Plan, formulated by Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi to make the military “more flexible, smarter and deadlier.”
The plan, which deals with the challenges facing the IDF in the coming decade, was presented to Bennett by Kochavi, Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, Planning Directorate head Maj.-Gen. Amir Abulafia and other senior officials.
Following Bennett’s endorsement, the security cabinet is expected to approve the plan at its upcoming meeting. It will then be presented to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
In the meantime, Bennett approved a series of decisions to increase the IDF’s readiness in various arenas, including purchasing weapons, developing new capabilities, improving training, organizational structure of the military, conditions in the IDF and others.
“At the heart of the plan is the principle of defeating the enemy quickly and powerfully, in the face of many complex arenas,” Bennett said.
He said the plan was drafted following a “sober review” of the challenges and risks facing the IDF, most notably, those posed by the Iranian threat.
“We will not flinch, on the contrary. We will continue to operate, anytime, anywhere,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry said Sunday that NIS 11.6 billion has been purchased from Israeli companies over the past year to increase the IDF’s lethality.
Hundreds of millions of shekels have been diverted to purchase weapon systems as part of the Momentum Plan, the Defense Ministry said.
Among the most prominent procurement projects carried out by the ministry over the past year include weapon systems for the new Sa’ar 6 missile ships, active protection systems for the Eitan armored personnel carrier, ammunition for infantry units, as well as technological projects for the IDF’s “digital army” program and more.
The majority of the acquisitions – NIS 3.8 billion – was for the military’s ground forces, NIS 2b. for communication and intelligence, followed by an estimated NIS 1.9b. for logistics and another NIS 1.9b. for the air force and navy.
“We’ve concluded a very challenging year with a successful bottom line for the Israeli economy,” said Avi Dadon, deputy CEO and head of procurement at the Defense Ministry. “We have succeeded, despite a long and financially complex period, in meeting most of the tasks and laying the foundations for the realization of the Momentum Plan and the changes that the IDF chief of staff is leading.”
The guiding principle for Momentum is to win any war as quickly as possible, and to see the military use new concepts and methods of warfare that have been adapted to the challenges of the urban battlefield.
Last week, Army Radio announced that Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Kochavi agreed that the IDF will receive an additional NIS 2b. to kick-start the Momentum Plan.
The amount was reportedly agreed upon Sunday after Kahlon, Kochavi, Bennett and Zamir met with Accountant-General Roni Hezekiah.