News Brief

(IsraelNN.com) Israel’s new Defense Minister, Ehud Barak ,warned that the IDF is under-manned, under-equipped and under-trained for deterring or winning wars. At a news conference Monday, Barak said he was astounded by the state of the IDF upon taking office two months ago and said the IDF needs to be bigger and much better equipped.

Critics say the military’s lack of preparedness is derived from 13 years of systematic defense budget cuts by one government after another, including one which the Barak himself initiated.

Among his proposals, Barak wants to reconstitute two disbanded reservist divisions, improve tank armor against missiles and install an active missile interception system to protect the population against enemy rocket attacks.

Barak has been widely criticized for retreating from the northern security zone six years ago which allowed the Hizbullah to set up a base there from which they initated last year's war.