by Josh Wilde

Created on: February 19, 2008   Last Updated: February 22, 2008

Imagine, if you would, the United States military giving up saluting; paying very little attention to uniforms; putting all members on a first name basis to each other (including privates addressing generals); allowing every soldier to debate any order he gets (outside of combat situations); and setting up an MP corps which consists not of burly members but, for the most part, attractive young women.

Impossible, you say? Discipline would collapse and the fighting spirit would evaporate. You are probably right - but that is exactly the way the Israeli Army works, while a U.S.-style military would most likely result in a complete collapse of morale in the Jewish state's forces.

The mentality of both the two countries and their militaries is so different that the system which works so well in one country would be a failure in the other. I speak from experience when I say this; I served in both armies.

The Israeli military is an army of, by, and for, the people of its country. A soldier on the front lines knows that if his unit doesn't hold the enemy will be in civilian homes - often his very own house - literally within minutes. That puts him in a very different situation than an American fighting thousands of miles away in Iraq, in Vietnam, or even on the shores of Normandy.

This immediate threat gives the Israeli soldier all the motivation he needs and makes strict discipline unnecessary.

On the other hand, because the stakes are so high for him, he has to have much more faith in his superiors than an American soldier does. It is not sufficient to tell an Israeli to "respect the uniform, not the man wearing it." The Israeli Army recognizes this and chooses its officers and NCOs with that in mind.

Every Israeli officer, no matter how high his rank is today, started out as a buck private. In most cases, he is serving in the same unit where he did his basic training. He knows the men under his command and, perhaps more importantly, they know him.

There is an (almost) universal draft in Israel, both for men and for women. Before a young Israeli is enlisted, he has discussions about what he will do in the service. Based on his aptitude tests, his desires, his physical condition, and the military's needs, a plan is worked out for him which both sides hope will succeed.

Combat units, and what Americans call combat "MOS"s (Military Occupation Specialties) are considered the elite. Infantry units (especially the paratroopers) are on the top of the scale, followed by

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