opinion
‘Foreign Aid’ to Israel a
Billion-dollar Bonanza for the US
BY YORAM ETTINGER
he U.S. does not give foreign aid to Israel —
the U.S. makes an annual investment in Israel,
one that provides the American taxpayer a return
on investment of several hundred percent.

Is that a valid statement?
While Israel is a grateful recipient of several
hundred U.S. military systems, it also serves as a
battle-tested, cost-effective laboratory for the U.S.

defense and aerospace industries, which employ
— directly and indirectly — 3.5 million Americans.

Moreover, the Israel Defense Forces serve as
a laboratory for the U.S. military itself, which
enhances U.S. performance on the battlefield.

By serving as such a laboratory, Israel enhances
the economy, national security and homeland
security of the United States.

For example, the Israeli Air Force flies the U.S.

company Lockheed-Martin’s F-16 and F-35 com-
bat aircraft. This provides both Lockheed-Martin
and the U.S. Air Force with invaluable information
on operations, maintenance and repairs. This
information is then used to manufacture a multi-
tude of upgrades for next-generation aircraft.

The F-16 itself has been improved by several
hundred Israeli-driven upgrades, including to the
cockpit, fire control, wings and fuel tanks. This has
spared Lockheed-Martin 10-20 years of research
and development — which would have cost bil-
lions of dollars. It also enhances the company’s
global competitiveness, increases its multi-bil-
lion-dollar exports and expands its employment
base. Similar advantages are enjoyed by Boeing,
the manufacturer of the F-15, which is also flown
and upgraded by the Israeli Air Force.

Indeed, Israel is the Triple-A store for Lockheed-
Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, G.D., Northrop
Grumman, L3Harris Technologies, G.E., Oshkosh,
Honeywell and many other U.S. defense and
aerospace companies. This enhances the image
of these companies abroad and multiplies their
export markets because other countries assume
that if Israel — with its unique national security
challenges — uses these companies’ products,
they must be of high quality.

Furthermore, Israel shares its battle tactics
with the U.S. Since the two countries face mutual
threats from conventional forces and terrorists —
who are often equipped with Russian, Chinese
and Iranian military systems — this is of great
importance. Indeed, many U.S. battle tactics
have been formulated based on Israeli combat
experience. 16
JUNE 9, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
For example, U.S. special operations units and
urban warfare specialists are trained by Israeli
experts in neutralizing car bombs, improvised
explosive devices and suicide bombers. U.S. com-
bat pilots benefit greatly from joint maneuvers
with highly-experienced Israeli combat pilots, who
always fly in a do-or-die state of mind and are
thus forced to employ creativity and audacity, fully
exploiting the capabilities of U.S.-made combat
aircraft. These benefits extend to the realm of intelli-
gence. According to a former head of U.S. Air
Force Intelligence, Gen. George Keegan, the U.S.

would have to establish five CIAs to procure the
intelligence provided by Israel. The annual budget
of the CIA is around $15 billion.

According to the late Sen. Daniel Inouye,
who was chairman of the House Appropriations
Committee and Intelligence Committee, the
scope of Israeli intelligence shared with the U.S.

exceeded the intelligence provided by all NATO
countries combined. Israeli intelligence helped foil
terrorist, kidnapping and bombing plots against
the U.S., secured airliners and airports and pro-
vided vital data on advanced Soviet/Russian mil-
itary systems.

Israel is a unique force multiplier for the United
States, helping to extend America’s strategic
reach, so it can secure vulnerable pro-U.S. Arab
oil-producing regimes and deter conventional
wars and terrorism. With Israel’s help, the United
States can do this without the deployment of U.S.

troops, which is not the case with countries like
Japan and South Korea.

The late Gen. Alexander Haig, who served as
NATO’s Supreme Commander and U.S. Secretary
of State, and Adm. Elmo Zumwalt once stated:
“Israel is the largest U.S. aircraft carrier, which
does not require American soldiers on board,
cannot be sunk and is deployed in a most critical
region (between Europe-Asia-Africa and between
the Mediterranean-Red Sea-Indian Ocean-Persian
Gulf), sparing the U.S. the need to manufacture,
deploy and maintain a few more real aircraft carri-
ers and additional ground divisions, which would
cost the U.S. taxpayer some $15 billion annually.”
Israel is also an asset to the U.S. tech sector.

More than 200 top American high-tech compa-
nies — such as Intel, Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Apple,
Johnson & Johnson, Google and Facebook —
which employ several million Americans, have
established research and development centers
in Israel. They use Israel’s brainpower to increase
U.S. production and expand U.S. exports and
employment. U.S. commercial industries, like
defense industries, have realized that Israel is a
critical partner in sustaining their edge over China,
Russia, Europe and Japan in the development and
manufacture of game-changing commercial and
military technologies.

In conclusion, the U.S.-Israel strategic relation-
ship constitutes a classic case of a mutually-ben-
eficial two-way street, one that enhances the
economies and defense of both countries and
benefits Israeli and American taxpayers alike. JE
Yoram Ettinger is a former ambassador and head
of Second Thought: A U.S.-Israel Initiative. This
article was originally published by The Ettinger
Report. nzfhatipoglu / iStock / Getty Images Plus
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