Despite ongoing allegations of corruption against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some of his associates involving the acquisition of new submarines from Germany, a document obtained by Israel Hayom indicates that Israel never intended to maintain an order of battle of more than six submarines.
The document in question is a working paper prepared by top-level officials in the National Security council and the Defense Ministry ahead of a meeting Netanyahu held with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Oct. 21, 2015.
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The paper served as a basis for a draft of a memorandum of understanding with the Germans that was presented to Merkel and her defense advisor Christoph Heusgen during another visit Netanyahu made to Berlin at the end of February 2016.
That draft was sent to the "red fax" in the Defense Ministry director-general's office, and the top ministry staff looked at it with "total amazement," as described in Ronen Bergman's investigative report on the affair in Yedioth Ahronoth.
The paper, which was recently cleared for publication, details the background for the understandings between Israel and Germany for the acquisition of submarines in the last few years and a few years to tome.
"The submarines make a very large contribution to Israel's security. The Israeli government puts great importance on ongoing security cooperation in the region, the goal being to keep the production lines in Germany and the number of submarines the same in the coming decades," the paper states.
Later, it reads: "The German government has supplied the Israeli government with six submarines (five already supplied, one in the future)."
The submarines cited in the paper include three Dolphin-class submarines, the oldest of which is slated to be decommissioned in 2028; two more of the most advanced Dolphin model, AIP, which were commissioned in 2014 and 2016; and a sixth submarine, which was originally scheduled to be delivered last year, but is now expected to enter use in 2023.
According to the second section of the paper, Israel and Germany would "sign an agreement for the supply of three additional submarines (a seventh, eighth, and ninth one) that would be sent from Germany to Israel between 2027 and 2031."
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A sketch at the end of the paper makes it clear that submarine numbers seven, eight, and nine are not intended to be added to Israel's fleet, but rather to replace three of the submarines it already owns. For example, the oldest submarine, which is scheduled to be decommissioned eight years from now (in 2028) is slated to be replaced that same year by the first of the three submarines Germany has promised to supply. One will come in, and the other will go out. Every new submarine commissioned will replace an old one that is decommissioned. The two next-oldest submarines were scheduled to be replaced in 2030 and 2032.
All this means that at any one time, Israel would maintain a fleet of no more than six submarines.
When Israel Hayom asked for a response, former head of the National Security Council Brig. Gen. (res.) Jacob Nagel denied claims that the paper had been prepared secretly.
According to Nagel, the work on the paper was carried out in full cooperation with the Defense Ministry official in charge of submarines, whose identity is classified.
Nagel also said that prior to Netanyahu's visit to Germany, the draft MoU that was presented to Merkel and her staff had been approved by then-Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and Defense Ministry Director-General Dan Harel, and that the changes they requested were included in the draft Netanyahu carried to Merkel.
Ya'alon and Harel, as well as other high-ranking defense officials, are claiming that they witnessed improper conduct that demands that the submarines deal be investigated, and Ya'alon is even making claims about "massive corruption."
In effect, the working paper reported here would appear to dismantle many of the allegations of corruption directed against the submarines acquisition deal. First of all, it was prepared before the first meeting between Netanyahu and Merkel in October 2015, a full four months before Ya'alon "discovered by chance," as he put it, that Netanyahu was about to make a second trip to Berlin to discuss the submarines; and second, it states clearly that Israel would maintain a fleet of no more than six submarines at any one time.
Rather than acquiring "three more submarines" and expanding the fleet to nine, as Ya'alon claimed the deal was intended to do, the three new submarines would replace three that would be decommissioned.
