Flexible responsiveness and military strategy: The case of the Israeli army

Abstract

The mode of operation and military strategy of the Israeli army provide an example of an effective utilization of the potential military advantage of a relatively modernized society over a less modernized rival. The Israeli command communication and control system is characterized by a built in operational flexibility in attaining its objectives.

Each component formation has the capacity for ‘on the spot’ utilization of feedbacks in responding to emergent situations while coordination is ensured by optional headquarters control. The effect of superior flexible responsiveness is maximized by the adoption of military strategies which are likely to result in increasing the complexity and uncertainty of battlefield conditions such as ‘blitzkrieg’ and ‘indirect approach’. The rationalle of such a strategic approach lies in the assumption that, given the approximately ‘zero sum’ characteristics of warfare, the more flexible of two rival military command systems is likely to benefit from an extra pressure put on both.