A report released this afternoon (Tuesday) by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman concludes that Israel has no organized or binding national security doctrine, a gap that undermines coordination, budgeting, and long-term strategic planning.
According to the report, despite multiple attempts over the decades, no Israeli government has ever adopted or formally approved a comprehensive national security doctrine to serve as the foundation for the work of the IDF and other security agencies.
In practice, Israel’s defense policy continues to rely on the doctrine formulated by David Ben-Gurion in the 1950s, centered on the principles of deterrence, early warning, and decisive victory. However, this doctrine has never been codified into an official policy document or approved by the government.
The comptroller warned that the absence of a binding framework has led to a lack of coordination among security agencies, budgetary gaps, confusion in defining threats, and strategic decisions made without a unified compass.
The report further notes that, at times, defense bodies act based on ad hoc statements from political leaders, without a clear understanding of an overall policy or coordination between the different security branches.
Englman urged the government to act without delay to formulate a clear and updated national security doctrine, one that reflects Israel’s current geo-strategic reality.
He also recommended establishing a regular process for periodic review and updates of the doctrine, based on changing circumstances and lessons learned.
“The very existence of such a process would help sustain strategic thinking, define objectives, allocate resources, and build effective deterrence-grounded in strength, national unity, and international partnerships,” the report states.