The United States Navy and Israeli Navy – Background, current issues, scenarios, and prospects

This paper examines the past, present, and future of the relationship between the United States Navy (USN) and its Israeli counterpart. Understanding the USN-Israeli Navy (IN) relationship requires an appreciation of the historical context in which it has unfolded. The first part of the paper begins with the 1967 Six Day War and traces the development of the IN into the twenty-first century. Throughout this narrative, key topics in USN-IN relations are explored. These include the impact of Israel’s sinking of the USS Liberty during the 1967 conflict; the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which marked the beginning of closer USN-IN relations, as well as a strengthening of broader U.S.-Israeli ties; and the United States’ role in Israel’s naval modernization program during the early 1980s.

The second section of the paper assesses the current state of the USN-IN relationship and identifies developments in the security environment that could have significant consequences for relations between the two services. These include American and Israeli tensions with Iran; ongoing Israeli friction with Turkey; uncertainty about the future of Egyptian-Israeli relations in the post-Mubarak era; and Israel’s growing cooperation with India.