Defense Policy

Defense Policy

Analyzing the process of the strategic plans of the Chiefs of Staff of IDF from 2000 to 2023 and the future study of these documents in the horizon of 2025

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Ph.D. in Political Science (Political Thought), Faculty of Islamic Studies and Political Science, Imam Sadiq University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Supreme National Defense University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Israel, due to suffering from a geostrategic nightmare stemming from a lack of strategic depth, an incongruous environment, and a shortage of human resources, is constantly seeking solutions for its survival in the occupied territories of Palestine and its acceptance in West Asia. Israel has undertaken a series of strategic documents over the past three decades to adapt to the conditions or threats arising from the ever-fluid environment of the occupied territories. These documents have been updated by the Chiefs of Staff of IDF and aim to provide solutions for better implementation of operational art and to eliminate the gap between strategy and tactics in the Israeli army. The plans 2000, 2006, Tefen, 2013, Gideon, and Tenufa are examples of this. According to findings based on the ATLAS.TI text mining method, all these documents share commonalities in enhancing based on the lessons of previous wars and are produced through knowledge development processes in IDF, although they also have distinguishing features such as prioritizing air power or military intelligence in advancing short-term goals. It seems that in the near future, with the latest updates to the IDF strategic documents, we may witness proposals regarding the redefinition of deterrence rules between Israel and the resistance axis, rewriting the red lines of the campaign between wars, multilayering this strategy in the gray area and attracting the attention of the United States to return to West Asia instead of focusing on Indo-Pacific challenges (countering the rise of China as a superpower).
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Volume 35, Issue 134 - Serial Number 1
Spring 2026
Spring 2026
Pages 139-163

  • Receive Date 01 December 2025
  • Accept Date 27 May 2026