Israeli Operational Art: The Six Day War -- How the Israeli Defense Forces Achieved Overwhelming Success Against Overwhelming Odds

Abstract

Outnumbered almost 3 to 1, fighting on three fronts, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) handed its Arab adversaries a significant defeat from 5 to 11 June, 1967. The resulting destruction of Arab militaries and Israeli control of significant terrain provided Israel valuable strategic depth in the following years. In the course of the one-sided war, the IDF demonstrated superior tactics while Arab forces suffered for lack of competent leadership. However, the main reason for such a quick victory was the development of superior operational plans. The IDF expertly balanced the operational factors of time, space, and force to attack the Arab center of gravity and achieve specific operational objectives, all of which contributed to the national goal: to ensure the survival of Israel.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 04, 2012
Accession Number
ADA564040

Entities

People

  • Mike Obadal

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

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  • Air Platforms
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  • Weapons Technologies

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  • Aerial Warfare
  • Air Force
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