The Role of the ‘Campaign between Wars’ in the Israeli Military Strategy

Abstract

The changed Middle Eastern regional order has caused a significant restructuring of the Israeli military strategy, in its planning and weapons systems. Between the former conflict phases of “war for existence” and “routine security” the “Campaign between Wars” stage was developed. The Israeli concept aims at deterring its enemies and destroy their military assets through covert operations and open military strikes, based on novel combination of national security and conventional military abilities. The paper presents the role of the Campaign between Wars strategy in Israeli military strategy and in the Middle Eastern balance of power. Furthermore, it analyses its lessons for other states both in terms of direct adaptation and the evaluation and forecasting of Israeli actions.