Weekly Commentary: Time To Launch Program For Independent Israeli Defense
Production
Dr. Aaron Lerner 2 May, 2021

There is no doubt that the downside of generous U.S. defense funding has
been its impact on Israel's own defense industry and choice of weapons.

Many of our forces remain armed with inferior M-16 assault rifles rather
than superior Israeli weapons because the M-16s were free.

Perhaps the best example of such a distortion was the choice to use American
made cluster bombs in the First Lebanon War. The inferior American product
left behind thousands of unexploded bomblets, this while Israel Military
Industries was already producing a cheap alternative ($10 a bomblet) which
left nearly no unexploded munitions.

We have even had the bizarre situation that critical development programs
were delayed from advancing between stages as we waited for funding from
Uncle Sam.

None of this is new.

What is new is a change in America whose ultimate impact cannot be
accurately assessed at this time.

I am not here to judge whether America should be inculcating various views
and beliefs in its educational system and academic world.

And I certainly am in no position to predict if this represents a permanent
development.

But it would be irresponsible to ignore the potential that this
unprecedented change in the U.S. could lead to the situation that we find
ourselves facing an America which fails to appreciate or understand us in
the future.

Even if it turns out that this is all just a passing fad, a move away from
U.S. defense funding can only serve to improve our relations.
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