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Daniel Houten is in basic training to become an infantryman in the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, Ga. Nothing unusual about another 11 Bravo except that he recently finished an 18-month tour with the Israeli Defence Forces. The heck with generals and colonels weighing each armys pluses and minuses lets talk to someone who really knows the differences between two of the worlds finest fighting forces.
He may be singing to the choir here, but Private Houten, 20, says the U.S. Army has better food, boots and uniforms than the Israel army he left in June. The food is better here, he says. Americans in general have better equipment, newer equipment. And he says the Israeli army is a more relaxed, less disciplined outfit than his new employer.
One of the biggest differences is the Israeli military is less focused on discipline things are more relaxed over there, Houten says. Rank structure absolutely exists, but at the same time all enlisted ranks are more of less equal 90% of the time when youre on a base and youre dealing with your commanders up to a lieutenant, or even sometimes a captain as long as youre not in a frontline combat unit where everything is a little more rigid theres a good chance that within a few months youre going to be addressing him on a first name basis.
Such slack, he thinks, wouldnt work in the U.S. Army. The U.S. is a very different system, Houten says, adding diplomatically: Each system works better for the military that they are a part of.
Israel, he adds, is a compact country where many soldiers know one anothers families or friends. The mentality in Israel is that theyve been fighting for their survival since day one, he says. Service is compulsory, so the average soldier by the end of his service is kind of ticking off the days on his calendar.
The Israeli armys smaller size makes it less institutional than the far larger U.S. Army. With a small population like that, theres a good chance that someone in your family is going to know someone on your base and when everythings less formal it sort of gives them a chance to connect in a certain way, Houten says. The disadvantages of having a system like that over here would be because everyone doesnt have a certain degree of familiarity outside of the military I think it would just lead to insubordination. Because people would feel: well, I know this officer, and I can speak to him on a first-name basis so when he tells me to do something why should I listen to him?
Houten doesnt hesitate when asked who fields the worlds best army. All in all, at the end of the day, its going to be the U.S., he says. We have the technology, we have the size, and we have our Army values to live by.
Like most 20-year old soldiers, Houten is familiar with the creature comforts valued by every grunt since Hannibal. Although there are exceptions, he likes the variety of the U.S. Armys Meals-Ready-to-Eat. In general, theyre pretty good, he says. In Israel, they have Manot Krav a cardboard box, you get one per squad and its a bunch of cans of tuna, a can of corn, they used to have something Loof, which is kind of like kosher Spam but now its all tuna and you get a loaf of bread, a couple of vegetables and thats it. You get really tired of tuna really, really tired of tuna.
He recalls his assignments at forward posts: In general, it was tuna and bread, tuna and bread.
Houten says he was impressed when he got his U.S. Army footwear. The boots over there are kind of an older style, he says. Although there are some newer models, the boots I was issued when I was there were sort of like the older combat boots youre supposed to polish them and shine them and everything. That was something that stuck in my mind: the boots.
His U.S. Army boots with their suede uppers dont need such high maintenance. And they grab better: My old Israeli boots had Brill soles, which were good, but they dont have the traction that these Vibram ones do I can already tell Im going to have them for awhile theyre tough.
Houten laughs when asked which army has the cooler uniform. All right define cooler. When told coolness is in the eyes of the wearer, he thinks for a moment. The American uniform is kind of a little bit cooler Im not going to lie its sort of a better material he says. And the Israeli uniforms dont sport a camouflage pattern, which means another layer is needed to blend in. So if youre operating in the desert, you need to have a second camo suit over that, Houten says. Which I think, personally, is a little bit ridiculous.
Houten was born to an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn, N.Y. His father, John, is a neurosurgeon. I thought about being a doctor like my dad, he concedes, but I always came back to being a soldier. While in high school, his motivation waned, and he dropped out. He couldnt get into the U.S. Army without a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Degree. He basically stumbled into the Israeli army when someone told him a Jew could serve without Israeli citizenship or a high-school diploma.
Read more
An American soldier contrasts the U.S. Army with the Israeli army he recently left | TIME.com
==================================================
Very interesting!
I don't think you can call your officers by their first name in Pakistan Army. But being a little more 'homey' with your military leadership/command can be a great motivator to fight for them with great courage...no? Interesting insights...
He may be singing to the choir here, but Private Houten, 20, says the U.S. Army has better food, boots and uniforms than the Israel army he left in June. The food is better here, he says. Americans in general have better equipment, newer equipment. And he says the Israeli army is a more relaxed, less disciplined outfit than his new employer.
One of the biggest differences is the Israeli military is less focused on discipline things are more relaxed over there, Houten says. Rank structure absolutely exists, but at the same time all enlisted ranks are more of less equal 90% of the time when youre on a base and youre dealing with your commanders up to a lieutenant, or even sometimes a captain as long as youre not in a frontline combat unit where everything is a little more rigid theres a good chance that within a few months youre going to be addressing him on a first name basis.
Such slack, he thinks, wouldnt work in the U.S. Army. The U.S. is a very different system, Houten says, adding diplomatically: Each system works better for the military that they are a part of.
Israel, he adds, is a compact country where many soldiers know one anothers families or friends. The mentality in Israel is that theyve been fighting for their survival since day one, he says. Service is compulsory, so the average soldier by the end of his service is kind of ticking off the days on his calendar.
The Israeli armys smaller size makes it less institutional than the far larger U.S. Army. With a small population like that, theres a good chance that someone in your family is going to know someone on your base and when everythings less formal it sort of gives them a chance to connect in a certain way, Houten says. The disadvantages of having a system like that over here would be because everyone doesnt have a certain degree of familiarity outside of the military I think it would just lead to insubordination. Because people would feel: well, I know this officer, and I can speak to him on a first-name basis so when he tells me to do something why should I listen to him?
Houten doesnt hesitate when asked who fields the worlds best army. All in all, at the end of the day, its going to be the U.S., he says. We have the technology, we have the size, and we have our Army values to live by.
Like most 20-year old soldiers, Houten is familiar with the creature comforts valued by every grunt since Hannibal. Although there are exceptions, he likes the variety of the U.S. Armys Meals-Ready-to-Eat. In general, theyre pretty good, he says. In Israel, they have Manot Krav a cardboard box, you get one per squad and its a bunch of cans of tuna, a can of corn, they used to have something Loof, which is kind of like kosher Spam but now its all tuna and you get a loaf of bread, a couple of vegetables and thats it. You get really tired of tuna really, really tired of tuna.
He recalls his assignments at forward posts: In general, it was tuna and bread, tuna and bread.
Houten says he was impressed when he got his U.S. Army footwear. The boots over there are kind of an older style, he says. Although there are some newer models, the boots I was issued when I was there were sort of like the older combat boots youre supposed to polish them and shine them and everything. That was something that stuck in my mind: the boots.
His U.S. Army boots with their suede uppers dont need such high maintenance. And they grab better: My old Israeli boots had Brill soles, which were good, but they dont have the traction that these Vibram ones do I can already tell Im going to have them for awhile theyre tough.
Houten laughs when asked which army has the cooler uniform. All right define cooler. When told coolness is in the eyes of the wearer, he thinks for a moment. The American uniform is kind of a little bit cooler Im not going to lie its sort of a better material he says. And the Israeli uniforms dont sport a camouflage pattern, which means another layer is needed to blend in. So if youre operating in the desert, you need to have a second camo suit over that, Houten says. Which I think, personally, is a little bit ridiculous.
Houten was born to an Orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn, N.Y. His father, John, is a neurosurgeon. I thought about being a doctor like my dad, he concedes, but I always came back to being a soldier. While in high school, his motivation waned, and he dropped out. He couldnt get into the U.S. Army without a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Degree. He basically stumbled into the Israeli army when someone told him a Jew could serve without Israeli citizenship or a high-school diploma.
Read more
An American soldier contrasts the U.S. Army with the Israeli army he recently left | TIME.com
==================================================
Very interesting!
I don't think you can call your officers by their first name in Pakistan Army. But being a little more 'homey' with your military leadership/command can be a great motivator to fight for them with great courage...no? Interesting insights...
Little Satan and Big Satan. 
