Today the same spirit has made the IDF the most powerful military in the Middle East and among the most capable in the world. In The Art of Military Innovation, Edward N. Luttwak and Eitan Shamir trace the roots of this astounding success. What sets the IDF apart, they argue, is its singular organizational structure. From its in-ception, it has been the world's only one-service military, encompassing air, naval, and land forces in a single institutional body. This unique struc-ture, coupled with a young officer corps, allows for initiative from below. The result is a nimble organization inclined toward change rather than beholden to tradition.

The IDF has fostered some of the most signif-icant advances in military technology of the past seventy years, from the first wartime use of drones to the famed Iron Dome missile defense sys-tem, and now the first laser weapon, Iron Beam. Less-heralded innovations in training, logistics, and human resources have been equally import-ant. Sharing rich insights and compelling stories, Luttwak and Shamir reveal just what makes the IDF so agile and effective.