# How is Israel's military so competent with such a low budget **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 22, 2025, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990 "2025-06-22T23:20:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/1 "2025-06-22T23:20:02Z")
Israel normally spends about $25 billion a year on military. It may have gone up since the war, I wouldn’t be surprised. But that’s about what they spent before the war. Israel’s economy is also on parity with western nations in PPP. Meaning, $25 billion a year in military spending is $25 billion. Meanwhile in Russia, where they spend about $110 billion a year on military, the economy in PPP is about 3.24x larger than the economy in nominal dollars. So wouldn’t that mean $110 billion in military spending is the equivalent of about $350 billion in PPP? So Russia is spending $110 billion in nominal dollars, $350 billion in PPP on military. Israel is spending $25 billion on military in both nominal dollars and PPP. Despite it, Israel has totally destroyed Iran’s air defenses and has air supremacy. They’ve heavily damaged Hamas and Hezbollah. So I’m assuming it basically comes down to a few things: - Generals promoted based on competence, not loyalty - Western military equipment is vastly superior to Russian military equipment (Iran is using Russian weapons) - Israel has a strong NCO group - Israeli soldiers are more motivated - Israeli soldiers are better trained - Israeli intelligence is better (I’m sure they’re getting intel from the US and other western nations in this operation) Any other reasons? Russians have to be watching this war, and seeing Israel gain air supremacy in ~3 days against a country 1000 miles away and have to wonder why Russia can’t gain air supremacy over a country on their border after 3 years. I’ve read Israeli’s military is so advanced that they will but equipment from the US, and then find ways to upgrade it. Making it even better than the stuff the US sends to them. Also, US military aid to Israel is usually about $4 billion a year. I have no idea if that is included in the $25 billion a year, or if that is on top of it. But either way, it doesn’t change the figures much. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/2 "2025-06-22T23:26:34Z")
One thing to consider is _developing_ military hardware vs. _buying_ it. The former costs a _ **lot** _ of money, and few countries (such as Russia and the U.S.) can afford to do it. Just a WAG, but I am guessing Israel buys most of it, and occasionally makes improvements on the stuff it buys. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/3 "2025-06-22T23:28:43Z")
In terms of the specific comparison to Russia I am absolutely certain the primary difference is corruption. Putin’s Russia is a famously corrupt place and much of its military budget is stolen or poorly spent. Israel is for the most part not a corrupt country and is rather strongly motivated to get maximum value from its defense budget. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/4 "2025-06-22T23:30:16Z")
Thats a good point, I forgot to include the role of corruption. Also Israel maintains their equipment better I’m certain. In Russia soldiers would just pretend to maintain the equipment while not actually doing it (which can be evidenced by the dry rot on the tires of a lot of russian vehicles in Ukraine). But thats also part of the corruption, the lack of maintenance. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/5 "2025-06-22T23:35:59Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > One thing to consider is _developing_ military hardware vs. _buying_ it. The former costs a _ **lot** _ of money, and few countries (such as Russia and the U.S.) can afford to do it. Just a WAG, but I am guessing Israel buys most of it, and occasionally makes improvements on the stuff it buys. Israel has a very robust domestic arms manufacturing and development infrastructure, in part because they cannot rely on allies to arm them and allies will impose embargoes. Israel is the worlds 9th largest arms exporter. Behind spain but ahead of south Korea. Israel designs and manufactures a lot of their own military hardware, then sells it overseas. > **[Arms industry | World's largest arms exporters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_industry#World's_largest_arms_exporters)** > > The following are estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute's Arms Transfers Database. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/6 "2025-06-22T23:47:34Z")
From my (very limited) understanding, it’s not just that Israel has always been unusually cunning and innovative out of necessity, but also that Arab culture really, really sucks. This 1999 article is an excellent read. The Arabic military culture was (and perhaps is) one that stifles any innovation, is rife with nepotism, greed, infighting and corruption, and promotes a rigid ineffective mindset. > **[Why Arabs Lose Wars](https://www.meforum.org/middle-east-quarterly/why-arabs-lose-wars)** > > Arabic-speaking armies have been generally ineffective in the modern era. Egyptian regular forces did poorly against Yemeni irregulars in the 1960s.1 Syrians could only impose their will in Lebanon during the mid-1970s by the use of overwhelming One of the best examples was the 1982 Bekaa Valley aerial war. The Israelis flew more freewheeling (for lack of a better term) with their F-15s while the Syrian MiGs flew in rigid formation style and ended up being devastated by the IAF to the tune of 82 losses and no kills. So it’s not just that Israel does great, but also that its opponents keep shooting themselves in the foot, and thus the IDF wins so handily. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/7 "2025-06-22T23:52:57Z")
Iranian military budget: $15.8 billion. Ukrainian military budget: $53.7 billion. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/8 "2025-06-22T23:53:16Z")
I’d also add universal conscription. Except for a few very narrow exceptions, everyone in Israel does some military service. Which means, if push comes to shove, Israel can draw on almost the whole population to become reasonably effective troops in short order. Men and women both. And it is cheap. They are not paid military but there if needed. ---
**Author:** ![Xocomil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xocomil/32/14927_2.png) [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2025, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/9 "2025-06-22T23:57:49Z")
I’ll just add that it’s insulting to the Ukraine armed forces to compare them to the Iranian military. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/10 "2025-06-23T00:01:57Z")
Though I think both the Israelis and Ukrainians see themselves in an existential fight. That helps to motivate them. The Soviets were similarly motivated in Second World War. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/11 "2025-06-23T00:21:54Z")
> [@Xocomil](#): > > Iranian military budget: $15.8 billion. > > Ukrainian military budget: $53.7 billion. Damn, thats way lower than I thought it would be. I should’ve researched the Iranian military budget. > **[Military budget of Iran](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_Iran)** > > .mw-parser-output .smooth-pie{display:none;position:relative;width:100px;height:100px;border-radius:50%;background-color:#333;color:black;border:1px solid black}.mw-parser-output .smooth-pie div{position:absolute;transform-origin:left bottom;background-color:#655;color:black;top:0;left:50%;width:50%;height:50%;border-radius:0 500%0 0}.mw-parser-output .smooth-pie div.pie50{transform-origin:left center;height:100%;border-radius:0 100%100%0/50%}.mw-parser-output .smooth-pie .pie12-5{clip-path:pol... Even of the budget, only 13% goes to the actual military. The majority of the military budget goes to internal suppression or ‘social security’ (whatever that means). Also Ukraine gets about 50 billion in military aid from NATO too on top of their domestic budget. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/12 "2025-06-23T00:25:22Z")
It surprises me that Iran had such weak defenses against missiles and airborne attacks. What’s the point of having a large ground force if you can’t defend the population in your cities? I realize Israel has taken out a lot of Iran’s air defenses, but the US attack today was met with virtually no resistance from Iran’s air-force. Is Iran really just a paper tiger? ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/13 "2025-06-23T00:30:36Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Any other reasons? Israel is 1.5% the size of Russia. There is a lot less area to defend. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/14 "2025-06-23T00:32:36Z")
Russia isn’t really on the defense, they’re on the offense, just like Israel is on the offense. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/15 "2025-06-23T00:44:21Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Though I think both the Israelis and Ukrainians see themselves in an existential fight. That helps to motivate them. This is definitely a factor. How many times has Israel come under direct attack in the last 60 years or so? Since WWII, Russia itself wasn’t bombed until they picked a fight with Ukraine. All their military affairs have been them bombing other places. That has an effect on people’s motivations. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/16 "2025-06-23T00:56:33Z")
Because they’re fighting Arab armies. Israel’s opponents choose officers for blind loyalty, not competence. Non-Coms are not a special group, just barely more trustworthy than Privates. Privates are starved, beaten, robbed, & often sexually assaulted by their “superiors”. Information vital to success **is not** shared, it is horded. Nobody trusts anybody. So, of course, the Israelis win wars. Look at what they are up against. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/17 "2025-06-23T01:04:41Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > In terms of the specific comparison to Russia I am absolutely certain the primary difference is corruption. Putin’s Russia is a famously corrupt place and much of its military budget is stolen or poorly spen Yep, good point. Also Israel gets military aid- USA, Germany, Italy the Uk and others. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/18 "2025-06-23T01:07:25Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > This is definitely a factor. How many times has Israel come under direct attack in the last 60 years or so? Yeah, this ties to another important point, which is that the IDF is the most battle-experience and battle-tested fighting force in the world. No other military has, as a whole, been so involved in consistent regular combat over the past 70 years. Even the U.S. military isn’t so battle experienced because the US military is so large that many elements of it can go without any direct war involvement while the IDF, being so small, has to be much more involved. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/19 "2025-06-23T01:10:20Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > One thing to consider is _developing_ military hardware vs. _buying_ it. The former costs a _ **lot** _ of money, and few countries (such as Russia and the U.S.) can afford to do it. Just a WAG, but I am guessing Israel buys most of it, and occasionally makes improvements on the stuff it buys. Israel has engaged in weapons development, usually as a joint enterprise with the US. The anti-missile technology, for example, is the product of joint development between US and Israel. One thing to consider is that Israel is, and has been for decades, a country under siege. The threat is real and does not need to be explained or propagandized to the average Israeli. This provides a level of motivation not seen in, for example, US recruits joining the military primarily for job or college benefits. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2025, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990/20 "2025-06-23T01:11:53Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Also, US military aid to Israel is usually about $4 billion a year. I have no idea if that is included in the $25 billion a year, or if that is on top of it. But either way, it doesn’t change the figures much. That’s 16% of their annual budget. Which they get as direct credits to buy already developed hardware from US defense industries, including systems that the US will not sell to anyone who could even potentially be an adversary of Israel, i.e. everyone else in the Middle East who the US sells (not gives credits) weapons to. And gets high priority on deliveries of, for example Israel has taken delivery of more F-35s than either Italy or Japan, alphabetically adjacent users, one of whom is a NATO member and the other who has a Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security with the US, despite Israel ordering fewer than either of them. And that 16% of the budget is spent entirely on military hardware, not personnel, operations and maintenance, family housing, military construction or the myriads of other things that probably make up more of nation’s defense budgets than you’d imagine. For example, [this is the US defense budget for FY 2019](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_budget_of_the_United_States#Budget_for_FY2019), in millions of dollars: | Military personnel (without MERHFC) | $143,198 | | --- | --- | | Operations and maintenance | $278,803 | | Procurement | $147,287 | So, while I’d be tempted to say it’s like getting 1/6th of your tanks, aircraft, etc. for free, the actual effect is even greater than that. Passing it off as not changing things much is just flatly wrong. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-israels-military-so-competent-with-such-a-low-budget/1019990.md?page=2)