Paratroopers.

Should Israel maintain it's Paratroopers?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

SHERMAN

Active member
Ok. Israel maintains a large force of paratroopers. My question to you is do we need them? Paratrooper training is expensive, and the last major scale drop the IDF paratroopers preformed was at 1956(Sinai war/Kadesh).....I think that is also the last large one in the entire world(might be wrong on that...). So should we maintain this abilty or not?
 
Can you tell us a little more about their mission? What exactly are they trained to do/do they do?
 
well

Well, they are preety much like other airborne troops around the world....They are made up of only volunteers(You have to ask for paratroopers, they cant make you...), trained to the highest level of infantry training(not SF, but real good GIs...), and have paratrooper training. Since 1956 they were usually used as storm troopers, to lead the IDF....on the ground though, not in drops...
 
What training are you talking about cutting out? Just the jump portion or all of the extras (beyond standard IN)?
 
well

If you cut the Paratrooper training(which is what i mean), they are pretty much similar to other class A brigades in the IDF(NACHAL, Golani, Givati)
 
Based solely off the information you have provided, I don't believe it is necessary to have a large number of Paratroopers (how many are there?). Is there a question of their being eliminated or is this just something that you yourself were wondering?
 
Paratroopers and airborne assault units are very valuable, yet it is not necessary to have alot of them. Not now-a-days anyway...
 
lol

Well, according to forighen sources(i love saying that), 1 regular brigade, and 1 reserve division.

As to it being on the table, well theyve been talking about it constantly, but very carefully,since our last 4 Chiefs-of-the-General-Staff were Paratroopers...
 
In what kind of situation would you have use for the para-capability? In large amounts I'd say it would have to be for an offensive, maybe even an invasion. I think defence is the mean mission for the IDF, so it wouldn't be strange to stop the training. But it's always hard to give up a capability.
 
lol

Well 1217, the Israeli Defence Forces defend a country theat has no stratigical depth. So the IDF is expected to launcha preemptive strike and transfer the fighting into the enemys homeland. The IDF is a very agressive defence force to say the least...
 
I mean the IDF will probably not launch a full frontal attack on another country. If they would, they could loose the support from the US. And even though I have the utmost respect for the men and women serving in the IDF, I’m afraid they wouldn’t be able to defend Israel from the rest of the middle east in a full out war without help.
 
lol

lol. Well 1217, your wrong. We did it in 1948, we did in 1967, we did it in 1973. We are cpable of fighting in 3 fronts, attacking on 1 and defending the other 2. We can beat any arab statwe to apulp on it's own, and if we have 2 attacking us at the same time, we can still manage easily. Besides 1956, Israel never had any assistance in the actuall fighting. We get ammo form the US, but thats it...
 
Re: lol

sherman105 said:
lol. Well 1217, your wrong.
Well, that happens sometimes. ;)
But about the US support, I don't mean they sent troops, or did so in the past, but most countries won't take a chance attacking a US ally.
(BTW, are nukes considered 'ammo' to? :lol: )
 
I think some of the real issues are being missed here. First, Airborne operation in a conventional sense generally rely on getting fighting soldiers behind the enemy (thus, they are typically light fighters) or in extreme cases, in front of the enemy as a temp blocking force, flanking etc...Some consider Airborne obsolete....I do not.
Second, while the "need" of Airborne can be debated, it is usually true that Airborne Units have excellent morale. They do consider themselves "elite". (God, I do HATE that word) Thus, they usually perform well in battle because of their belief that they are good. It's a mind thing.
Last but not least. IDF are a formidable foe. 90% defensive in design, extremely well trained, committed to what they do, and excellent fighters. While they do use US technology to some degree, you will almost ALWAYS find an IDF modification to it. They take a good idea and modify it to fit. Smart fighters, they dont have the luxary of making big mistakes and surviving.
Thier Airborne Units....both conventional and SpecOps are, in my opinion, as good as any. Depth is the weakness....(see SMART above.)
 
I think the similarities end once they leave the plane. USAF (Excluding Para-Rescue) Airborne Op's are primarily in support of ground operations with units requiring Tac-Air, CCCT, ect...Im not aware of anyother jump status personnel in the AF with the exception of my exception. Pilots, but their jumps are not for anything other than survival.
I think most of the IDF Airborne are Airborne Infantry with various degrees of specialty.
 
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