| rdfs:comment | - The Israeli Defence Force. Formed in 1948 from the various La Résistance factions of the time, involved in at least one war per decade, usually against numerically superior Arab forces, all won or tied, except for the 2006 invasion of Lebanon, which it debatably lost. In terms of flying skills (as measured in tactical exercises vs American and NATO forces) the IDF has some of the best pilots in the world. This is also evidenced by their very good record against Arab aircraft, even if said aircraft are downgraded export versions of Soviet stuff- look up "Bekaa Valley turkey shoot" for an idea. (even though Israel is partly able to make up for it with superior mobilization, this can be considered a real life example of Conservation of Ninjutsu). As a result, if you're looking for an Ace Pilo
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| abstract | - The Israeli Defence Force. Formed in 1948 from the various La Résistance factions of the time, involved in at least one war per decade, usually against numerically superior Arab forces, all won or tied, except for the 2006 invasion of Lebanon, which it debatably lost. In terms of flying skills (as measured in tactical exercises vs American and NATO forces) the IDF has some of the best pilots in the world. This is also evidenced by their very good record against Arab aircraft, even if said aircraft are downgraded export versions of Soviet stuff- look up "Bekaa Valley turkey shoot" for an idea. (even though Israel is partly able to make up for it with superior mobilization, this can be considered a real life example of Conservation of Ninjutsu). As a result, if you're looking for an Ace Pilot post WWII, Israel (or Pakistan) should be the first place you check. The State of Israel uses universal conscription of both sexes. This has resulted in the IDF gaining a reputation for hot female soldiers. Israel's principal military supplier until the early 1960s was France. The United States became Israel's major supplier after the Six Day War and remains so until the present day. However, over the decades Israel has developed its own defense industry, developing, among others, a number of local aircraft, an indigenously developed series of main battle tanks and APCs, several types of missile boats, various firearms, rocket and missile systems, combat related robots, electronic warfare systems and a wide range of UAVs. Despite this, what most people would probably say when asked what weapon was made in Israel, would probably be"the Uzi". Israel was also the first export customer for the F-15 Eagle and first to use it, as well as the F-16 Fighting Falcon, in combat. The Israeli air force is still responsible for over half the air to air kills for both fighters to this day. Israel has nuclear weapons (created during the time Israel collaborated with the French, with mutual assistance regarding nuclear programs) but official sources will neither confirm nor deny such weapons existence when asked. Any speculation you may hear about quality and quantity of such weapons is likely just that - speculation, although Israeli officials have on several occasions openly admitted to it before retracting the statement. Israel's nuclear arsenal is sometimes called "the worst-kept secret in the Middle East". According to historians and biographers of Israeli figureheads, this is completely intentional--the nuclear arsenal's purpose is to deter, not to be used. Due to Israel's universal conscription, it is often assumed that all Israeli adults have military training, and are therefore combat capable. This is not entirely true, as both Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews (but not Druze or Circassians) are exempt from conscription, and usually do not serve. Also a non-negligible percentage of the population that does need to serve avoids it anyway. So not all Israelis have military training... just most of them. It's also important to note that most of the IDF's personnel are non-combat soldiers that have only a very basic combat training. Related to this is the Israeli intelligence service. The Mossad (the Israeli counterpart to the CIA) is infamous for carrying out assassinations, as well as being very good at their job in general. PS - "IDF" is the English translation. If you're ever in the area, you might refer to the Israeli army as "Tzahal" (the short version of the Hebrew name, Tzva HaHaganah LeYisra'el, literally "Defense Army for Israel",צה"ל, צבא הגנה לישראל). See also: Arab-Israeli Conflict.
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