Amid growing concern that Washington could one day restrict arms supplies, Israeli defense-tech leaders say full strategic independence is unrealistic but a much higher level of self-reliance is now essential. The debate comes as Israel faces the possibility, for the first time in decades, of U.S. weapons limits or even an embargo, a scenario the article says no longer seems extreme.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Gabi Shahar, former commander of Palmachim base and now an adviser to Massivit, said Israel and the United States used tens of thousands, perhaps close to 100,000, munitions of different kinds in the recent confrontation with Iran, which lasted just over 40 days. He warned that no modern army can afford a five-year replenishment cycle and said Israel is strong in development but weaker in mass procurement. “Israel will never reach 100% security independence,” he said, “but there is a big difference between 80% and 30%.”
Several executives pointed to autonomous operations, flexible supply chains and mass production as the answer. Udi Oester, CEO of IsraTop, said the October 7 attack proved militaries need rapid, impactful solutions and systems that can keep working if one supplier or one drone model is cut off. Lital Leshem of Protego said global military spending hit nearly $2.9 trillion in 2025, its 12th straight year of growth, and argued that Israel must build domestic capabilities because supply chains can be blocked. She cited Extend, a portfolio company with contracts worth more than $100 million in 32 countries and an estimated value of up to $1.5 billion before a Nasdaq IPO.
Shahar highlighted Anduril as a model, saying its Ohio plant can quickly switch production lines between different weapons and uses mostly off-the-shelf parts, enabling cheaper mass output. He said Massivit’s Rapid Wings can make carbon-fiber and composite components up to ten times faster, while Shachaf PY’s Ran Carmi said 3D printing can reduce dependence on overseas suppliers for both hardware and infrastructure. CodeValue’s Tali Sham Tov argued that Israel’s real independence is in software, where AI and navigation layers can turn simple commercial hardware into effective weapons. Value Gateway’s Bar Clara Mendes McConnon said global investors increasingly see Israel as the world’s second most important security ecosystem after the United States, and the article closes with lessons from Ukraine, where huge-scale drone production and short supply chains have become central to wartime resilience.
