ISRAEL'S MILITARY STRENGHT DOWN 30%

Israel's military strength declines '30 percent' (World Tribune)
TEL AVIV — Israel's military, hampered by a budget shortfull, has suspended major programs in the army and navy.

"With the [current] defense budget, we are scratching the bottom," former Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh, a Labor Party Knesset member, said. "Our [military] strength over the last three to four years has declined by 30 percent as a result of cuts in the budget. If we don't preserve our military superiority, we won't be here."

Officials and industry sources said the Israel Defense Forces has blocked approval of major procurement projects required for the war against the Palestinian Authority and Hizbullah, Middle East Newsline reported. They said that virtually every project not financed by U.S. military aid has been affected.