Israel and Germany signed a contract purchasing a submarine today, Wednesday (March 21). This will be the Israeli Navy’s sixth submarine. Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Defense Ministry CEO, Maj. Gen. (res.) Udi Shani and secretary of state of the German Federal Defense Ministry, Wolf Rudiger attended the signing ceremony the purchase.
Navy Commander, Maj. Gen. Ram Rothberg addressed the purchase of the new submarine while speaking at the naval officers’ graduation ceremony. “Strategically, especially today, I am pleased with the approval and signing of a contract purchasing the Navy’s sixth submarine, 54 years after submarines were first put into use in the Israeli Navy. The strength of IDF and the State of Israel, and its operational flexibility, will grow ten folds,” said Maj. Gen. Rothberg.
Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, said today that “the sixth submarine multiplies the force and capability of the IDF and the State of Israel in the face of the growing challenges. The agreement indicates out cooperation with Germany and the German government’s obligation to the security of Israel.
Barak stressed that “the Israeli Navy has been undergoing strategic changes over the past few years, placing it at the helm of Israel’s security and the extent of the IDF’s capabilities.”
