If you are good enough to make the cut and wish to be among the few who can serve on an Israel Navy submarine you cannot maintain dual citizenship. This is not entirely unique, for members of certain elite military units in the past have been told that in order to gain acceptance, they have to forfeit their dual citizenship, part of the security precautions set in place for these specialized units as part of meeting security clearance. This is now the case for those qualifying to serve on a submarine.
Therefore, if one joins the basic training for such a unit and fails to complete the course for one reason or another, and not everyone who begins training graduates, then one has forfeited one’s foreign citizenship nonetheless.
While this regulation suits the military decision makers, Ynet reports submarine commanders are less than enthused, realizing this will limit the number of qualified applicants significantly. Statistics confirm this to have been the case in such units over recent years.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Hidush here?
Submarines in modern warfare play a major role in having a “second strike” capability, such as in destroying the enemy after they’ve destroyed your country. It is logical that someone with an option of moving the USA might not be the person you want on a submarine in that situation.
akuperma…your quote references the strategic capabilities of SSBNs…not diesel attack boats. And in the USN any citizen can serve…higher level security is reserved only for the nuclear engine spaces (where a cleared NCO can have access, but the boats senior officers may not)and certain weapons areas.