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The Art of Military Innovation: Lessons from the Israel Defense Forces
A world-leading military strategist and an IDF insider explain the improbable success of the Israeli armed forces.
When the Israel Defense Forces was established in May 1948, it was small, poorly equipped, and already at war. Lacking sufficient weaponry or the domestic industrial base to produce it, the newborn military was forced to make do with whatever it could get its hands on. That spirit of improvisation carried the IDF to a decisive victory in the First Arab-Israeli War.
Today the same spirit has made the IDF the most powerful military in the Middle East and among the most capable in the world. In The Art of Military Innovation , Edward N. Luttwak and Eitan Shamir trace the roots of this astounding success. What sets the IDF apart, they argue, is its singular organizational structure. From its inception, it has been the world’s only one-service military, encompassing air, naval, and land forces in a single institutional body. This unique structure, coupled with a young officer corps, allows for initiative from below. The result is a nimble organization inclined toward change rather than beholden to tradition.
The IDF has fostered some of the most significant advances in military technology of the past seventy years, from the first wartime use of drones to the famed Iron Dome missile defense system, and now the first laser weapon, Iron Beam. Less-heralded innovations in training, logistics, and human resources have been equally important. Sharing rich insights and compelling stories, Luttwak and Shamir reveal just what makes the IDF so agile and effective.
When the Israel Defense Forces was established in May 1948, it was small, poorly equipped, and already at war. Lacking sufficient weaponry or the domestic industrial base to produce it, the newborn military was forced to make do with whatever it could get its hands on. That spirit of improvisation carried the IDF to a decisive victory in the First Arab-Israeli War.
Today the same spirit has made the IDF the most powerful military in the Middle East and among the most capable in the world. In The Art of Military Innovation , Edward N. Luttwak and Eitan Shamir trace the roots of this astounding success. What sets the IDF apart, they argue, is its singular organizational structure. From its inception, it has been the world’s only one-service military, encompassing air, naval, and land forces in a single institutional body. This unique structure, coupled with a young officer corps, allows for initiative from below. The result is a nimble organization inclined toward change rather than beholden to tradition.
The IDF has fostered some of the most significant advances in military technology of the past seventy years, from the first wartime use of drones to the famed Iron Dome missile defense system, and now the first laser weapon, Iron Beam. Less-heralded innovations in training, logistics, and human resources have been equally important. Sharing rich insights and compelling stories, Luttwak and Shamir reveal just what makes the IDF so agile and effective.
- GenresHistory
288 pages, Hardcover
Published October 10, 2023
30 people are currently reading
212 people want to read
About the author
Edward N. Luttwak
60 books208 followersEdward Nicolae Luttwak is a military strategist, political scientist and historian who has published works on military strategy, history, and international relations. Born in Arad, Romania, he studied in Palermo, Sicily, in England, LSE (BSc) & at Johns Hopkins (PhD). He speaks five languages. He serves or has served as a consultant to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the National Security Council, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force; he is/has been an adviser to Treaty Allies of the United States. He is chairman of the board of Aircraft Purchase Fleet Limited (APFL), an aviation lessor, and he founded and directs a conservation cattle ranch in the Bolivian Amazon. He is the author of various
books and more articles including: The Rise of China vs the Logic of Strategy, Coup d'Etat: a practical handbook, Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, The Endangered American Dream, and Turbo-Capitalism: Winners and Losers in the Global Economy. His books are also published in: Arabic, Chinese (both Beijing simplified and Taipei traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian (Bahasa), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (and Brazilian Portuguese) Romanian, Russian, Spanish (Castilian, Spain, in Argentina and in Venezuela), Swedish, and Turkish. Before ever writing of strategy and war, he was combat-trained (Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry) and fought as a volunteer or a contractor in several countries on two continents. He likes Hebrew songs and the Greek & Latin classics. His best article is "Homer Inc." in the London Review of Books.
books and more articles including: The Rise of China vs the Logic of Strategy, Coup d'Etat: a practical handbook, Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace, The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire, The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire, The Endangered American Dream, and Turbo-Capitalism: Winners and Losers in the Global Economy. His books are also published in: Arabic, Chinese (both Beijing simplified and Taipei traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian (Bahasa), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (and Brazilian Portuguese) Romanian, Russian, Spanish (Castilian, Spain, in Argentina and in Venezuela), Swedish, and Turkish. Before ever writing of strategy and war, he was combat-trained (Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Light Infantry) and fought as a volunteer or a contractor in several countries on two continents. He likes Hebrew songs and the Greek & Latin classics. His best article is "Homer Inc." in the London Review of Books.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 7, 2024
Luttwak, un estimado historiador militar, ofrece un análisis original de las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel. Shamir, exjefe del Departamento de Doctrina de Seguridad Nacional del Ministerio de Asuntos Estratégicos de Israel, aporta una perspectiva única y profunda tanto a la comprensión de los desafíos militares contemporáneos como a la burocracia que ciñe la defensa israelí. Juntos brindan una mirada concisa y convincente a lo que diferencia a las FDI de otros ejércitos.
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February 8, 2024
El libro supone un recorrido bastante extenso desde la creación de las Fuerzas Armadas israelíes hasta el día de hoy.
Aunque en ciertos pasajes se extiende en exceso con datos, fechas y ejemplo, el tono general es bastante ameno.
Su punto fuerte es, a mi parecer, que consigue resaltar los rasgos diferenciales de las unidades, como contrapunto a sus homólogas extranjeras.
Aunque en ciertos pasajes se extiende en exceso con datos, fechas y ejemplo, el tono general es bastante ameno.
Su punto fuerte es, a mi parecer, que consigue resaltar los rasgos diferenciales de las unidades, como contrapunto a sus homólogas extranjeras.
September 25, 2024
Un libro muy interesante sobre la capacidad de adaptación e innovación del ejército Israelí. Es cierto que algún capítulo es excesivamente largo, pero me ha parecido una lectura muy recomendable.
April 10, 2025
Resulta tremendamente árido y repetitivo , aunque no lo es el armamento que describe ni su desarrollo. A mí me cansa como si estuviera otra vez en el servicio militar. Uno se pregunta cuándo va a terminar ese continuo avance y lucha entre armas ofensivas y defensivas que no sé si ya en el año 2025 lleva a alguna parte o es una dinámica de la que no podemos deshacernos, como el morfinómano de su droga. Entiendo que los chips y la electrónica que incorporan esos cohetes debe ser muy útil en asuntos civiles, sanidad y construcción, pero para matarnos basta un cuchillo de cocina.
April 3, 2025
The wonder that is Israeli Defence Forces and how they managed to achieve so much with so little. A must read
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews