Will Israel become a regional maritime power?

On Tuesday, February 4, a special Knesset commission approved the country's defense budget for the current year. After hearing a report by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Ministry Director General Dan Arel and Chief of the General Staff Benny Gantz, the deputies called on the government to find an additional 750 million shekels - funds that the army lacks in 2014.

It is possible that the decision of the deputies was also influenced by the fact that it was on Tuesday that the Israeli concern showed to the aerospace industry for the first time that it created an improved combat ship controlled by an automatic navigator without the need for human presence.

A self-guided patrol and combat vessel, called the "Katana", is able to recognize near and far targets, shoot down missiles, collect data and transfer them to the analytical center. In addition to the autonomous mode, the Katana can function as an ordinary warship with people on board. Able to patrol both in deep waters and off the coast, it is designed to protect the sea space of Israel, as well as strategic facilities located in both territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone adjacent to them, including ports, oil pipelines and gas producing wells.

Marine UAV is not the only innovation that the army hopes to equip the Navy in the near future. Last week, the Minister of Defense took part in the Munich Security Conference, using the visit also to meet with leaders of the German Defense Ministry, including his German counterpart Ursula von der Leyen, who only recently began his duties, in order to discuss the acquisition of new frigates planned for the 2014 defense budget. According to media reports, Israel is planning to purchase an 3-4 frigate of the Saxony-type F124. The cost of the transaction is estimated at about a billion euros.

In addition, the army intends to expand the capabilities of high-speed patrol boats Shaldag and Super Yard Mark III, ordering three more additional vessels of this type from the Israeli aerospace concern.In addition, the Saar 5 corvettes and the Saar 4.5 missile boats, which were equipped with the latest radars, electronic warfare systems, air defense and anti-missile defense systems, were upgraded.

In parallel, at the country's largest shipbuilding enterprise, Israel Shipyards, a new class of Saar S-72 corvettes was developed, the first of which will enter service next year, probably intended to gradually replace the Saar 4.5 boats.

Finally, in the coming years, three more “Dolphin” German-made submarines of the German production will be supplied to Germany by the Israeli navy. Being the most expensive combat systems in the Israeli armed forces (about 700 million dollars each) and equipped with cruise missiles, supposedly capable of carrying nuclear warheads, the Dolphin submarines ensure the superiority of the Israeli Navy over the naval forces of the Islamic states of the Near and Middle East . Thus, the country is now in the process of creating the most modern fleet in the eastern Mediterranean.

The fleet modernization and restructuring strategy is determined by new threats associated with the missile arsenal of neighboring states and terrorist groups surrounding Israel. First of all, we are talking about the necessary maneuverability of warships and their ability to avoid defeat with anti-ship missiles.

The most dangerous are the Russian-made Onyx missiles (known by their export name Yakhont), which Syria possesses, and apparently also Hezbollah. Able to move almost above the surface of the water and reach a speed of more than twice the speed of sound, the Yakhont missiles have high accuracy and can hit targets at a distance of more than 300 kilometers.

No less dangerous are Chinese-made rockets, somewhat inferior to those of Russia, but also available in the arsenal of Hezbollah terrorists. So in July 2006, during the Second Lebanon War, the Israeli corvette Hanit was hit by the Chinese anti-ship missile Inji-82 (C-802), launched by Hezbollah militants. As a result of hitting, four members of the crew were killed, and the corvette could only return a month later.

Another serious threat is the danger of a massive rocket attack on the country’s territory, including ports and naval bases. As the head of military intelligence, General Aviv Kokhavi, told at the conference of the National Security Studies Institute in Tel Aviv, held in late January, about 170 thousands of missiles are aimed at Israel. This means that the ships of the Israeli Navy may for a long time be prevented from returning to the bases and should be able to act independently.

Presumably, the provision of the doctrine of guaranteed retribution in the event of an attack on Israel using weapons of mass destruction is one of the most important functions of the new submarines.

The concept of intensive development of the Navy is also influenced by new challenges facing the Israel Defense Forces. In recent years, the number of long-range operations related to the interception of weapons in the Indian Ocean in the Sudan and Somalia, as well as in the vicinity of Iran, has increased dramatically. Performing these tasks also requires the creation of small groups of ships capable of autonomous activity.

However, the most important of the current tasks of the Israeli Navy, apparently, in the near future will be the protection of the country's energy resources, discovered in recent years in the coastal shelf and in the exclusive economic zone.

It is possible that the army, which is missing in the defense budget of the army, expects to receive just from a special budget allocated for the protection of gas fields.

The discovery of hundreds of billions (and by some estimates of nearly a trillion) cubic meters of gas on the Mediterranean shelf has become for Israel at the same time the key to economic success and serious concern. In a troubled Middle Eastern region, the threat comes not only from terrorists, but also from neighboring states that lack energy resources and are capable of encroaching on Israeli fields.

Lebanon has repeatedly filed claims for Israeli gas wells, and in the fall published tenders for geological exploration in its territorial waters, including part of the exclusive economic zone of Israel. Providing foreign firms with such licenses that violate Israeli rights may well be the reason for the outbreak of war. The Lebanese army is significantly inferior to the Israeli. At the same time, guarantees for 3 billion dollars, provided to Lebanon in December last year by Saudi Arabia, for rearming the army, can make the possible opposition more real.

Moreover, in the event of a confrontation with Lebanon, Israel will have to confront Hezbollah, which has powerful missile resources. The same "Yakhont" can be used not only to destroy ships, but also to cause damage to ground targets or gas-producing stations. Hezbollah, which has undermined its authority in the Arab world by participating in the Syrian war, is able to take advantage of the situation to attack Israel under the pretext of protecting Lebanese interests, to try to regain the disposition of the Sunni masses.

Syria, immersed in the war is hardly a serious danger at the moment. However, its weapons arsenals may also be in the hands of Hezbollah’s terrorists.

Hamas, having quarreled with the new government in Egypt and failed to fully restore relations with Iran, has far fewer opportunities for attack. At the same time, the Hamas government has the support of Turkey, which is also ruled by the Muslim Brotherhood regime.

Turkey is experiencing a serious shortage of energy resources. One of the results of which was the multibillion-dollar shadow deals with Iran, discovered during the last political scandal in the country, in exchange of Iranian gas for gold, smuggled from Turkey to an Islamic republic. The government of Erdogan is extremely interested in starting the development of deposits near the coast of Northern Cyprus, occupied by Turkey with 1974.

This may lead to confrontation with Cyprus and Greece, however, the Turkish leader, not notable for adequacy, is rapidly losing political and economic stability in the country, is fully capable of trying to use war as a means to consolidate power. And the degradation of the officer corps emasculated by Erdogan in recent years and the insufficient military experience of new generals only increase the potential threat of conflict.

Israel may also be drawn into this conflict, intending to sell its gas both to the East and to Jordan, and to Europe, and therefore is actively developing economic relations and military contacts with Greece and Cyprus.

The situation is complicated by the fact that for many years the United States, acting as a guarantor of the stability of the Middle East, virtually withdrawn from the region, leaving it to Russia. It is not yet clear how Russia will behave, regaining influence in the Eastern Mediterranean, retaining a military base in Tartus in Syria, receiving the right from Cyprus to use its ports for its warships and having extensive economic interests in the region.

Israel cannot afford to rely on Russia's ability or desire to curb Hezbollah, Hamas, Lebanon, or Turkey. Therefore, the Jewish state creates a powerful fleet in the Eastern Mediterranean region, which is likely to become the most reliable guarantor of peace and peace in the region.

Author - Alexander NEPOMNYASCHY