(Via Milinet)
Inside The Navy
July 10, 2000
Marine Corps To Formalize Relations With Israeli Ground Forces
As President Clinton seeks to broker lasting peace between
Israeli
and Palestinian leaders, the Marine Corps is planning to sign an
agreement next month with Israel, cementing an already friendly
relationship with that nation's military ground forces.
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Marine Corps
and
the Israeli Defense Force has been in the works for months.
Broad and
general in scope, it would address future cooperation in
military
exercises and acquisition programs. Marine Corps Commandant Gen.
James Jones traveled to Israel between May 30 and June 3 to pave
the
way for the agreement, according to a message he distributed to
top
service officials after the trip. There, Jones met with top
Israeli
military and intelligence officials.
"The visit to Israel was intended to demonstrate my personal
interest
in, and commitment to, bilateral activities with the Israel
Defense
Forces (IDF), and to add to my knowledge of the current
situation,
especially in light of recent developments," Jones writes.
"Although
short, this trip accomplished these goals fully."
At the Pentagon, service officials characterize the MOU as a
move to
formalize existing friendly relations.
The Israelis have requested help from the Marine Corps in
several
specific areas, including identifying equipment, concepts and
doctrine to support a lighter and more flexible force, Jones
writes.
Other such areas include improving integration of air and ground
forces, developing a new training model to prepare forces for a
broad
range of missions, and
building a more versatile junior officer corps and a
non-commissioned
officer corps.
Brig. Gen. Chris Cortez, assistant deputy chief of staff for
plans,
policies and operations, took a delegation of Marines to Israel
in
February to work out the framework of the MOU. A draft has been
circulated to most major commands and Jones expects staffing of
the
document through the Joint Staff and the Office of the Secretary
of
Defense will be complete by the end of the month. In August,
Jones
hopes to sign the MOU with his Israeli counterpart, Maj. Gen.
Moshe
Evry Sukenik.
"However, we are not waiting for the formal conclusion of the
MOU to
increase our activities with the Israelis," Jones writes. This
year's
Noble Shirley exercise, scheduled for late June and early July,
"will
benefit from increased access to landing and training areas,"
Jones
writes. Also, the Israelis have sent numerous visitors to
various
Marine Corps commands over the past several months, the
general's
message states. "I ask you to continue to support these visits
and
strengthen this close and important relationship," Jones writes,
noting the formalized partnership is expected to benefit both
parties.
Noble Shirley is a biannual exercise conducted in Israel aimed
at
sustaining combat readiness for Marine Expeditionary Units. The
exercise includes some live-fire activities and limited
bilateral
training with the IDF and its air forces. Now underway, Noble
Shirley
includes some aviation and ground training; the exercise will
finish
up around July 16. The Wasp (LHD-1) Amphibious Ready Group and
the
24th Marine Expeditionary Unit are participating.
"From time to time, U.S. amphibious ships in the eastern
[Mediterranean] make port visits to Israel and in conjunction
with
these port visits we take the opportunity" to unload U.S.
Marines,
vehicles, equipment, and personnel, in order to perform required
training that cannot be done aboard ship, said Cmdr. Curry
Graham,
6th Fleet spokesman. "As a matter
of policy we cannot comment further on the details of any of
their
activities in Israel."
Training conducted in Israel several years ago included
limitations
and restrictions on landings, movement, and training, but the
commandant sees those obstacles fading.
"We now have the opportunity to conduct [Marine Expeditionary
Unit]-level amphibious landing exercises under tactical
conditions,"
writes Jones. "This is a tremendous step forward for the
sustainment
training and readiness of our deployed forces, and it is unique
in
the Mediterranean."
Another key development, Jones says, is the increasing
willingness of
the Israeli ground force commander to conduct combined training
with
the Marine Corps, which the commandant expects will lead to
"some
valuable force-on-force exercises" and "cross-pollination,"
especially in the areas of urban warfare and mechanized
operations.
Some Israeli weapons and equipment also caught the eye of Jones,
who
describes in his message, "some very interesting new equipment
and
weapons," citing night vision and unmanned aerial vehicle
improvements and new ballistic goggles and helmets.
Jones writes that his most substantive and valuable talks were
with
Sukenik, his counterpart and host for the visit to Israel.
Sukenik is "currently faced with immense challenges," states the
commandant's message, which refers to redeployment from
long-held
positions in South Lebanon; the constant threat of terrorist
activity
from Lebanon, Syria, or within the Palestinian Authority; a
shift
from complete reliance on conscript forces to a heavier emphasis
on
professional soldiers; and a reorganization and modernization of
Israeli ground forces.
Sukenik sees similarities in philosophy and combined-arms
organization between the Marine Corps and his Ground Forces
Command
(GFC), and he is eager to work closely with the Marine Corps,
Jones
writes.
"He correctly noted that we could each benefit from studying the
other's doctrine and procedures and economize (in terms of both
time
and money) in development of new concepts, weapons, and
equipment,"
Jones writes. Sukenik stressed that he wants to ensure that both
parties derive benefit from the relationship, the letter states.
Jones' letter indicates he too sees great potential benefits to
expanded relations with Israeli military forces.
"I was impressed with the fact that the Marine Corps and the
[Israeli
Defense Force] share much in common: the highest esprit de
corps,
traditions of excellence in battle, and a proven record of
accomplishing missions against great odds and with minimal
resources," Jones writes. "I took away some notes on future
areas of
cooperation, many of which came
from office calls and informal discussions with the senior
Israeli
leadership."
-- Christopher J. Castelli
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