IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot ordered IDF Comptroller on Tuesday ordered a comprehensive review of reports that the Ground Forces were unprepared for the possibility of war.
A recent report by outgoing IDF Ombudsman Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Brik, claimed that IDF troops were unprepared for a full-fledged ground conflict, citing, among other things, budget cuts, low pay and an uncertain professional future as the main reasons why junior and senior noncommissioned officers leave the military.
Eizenkot ordered the review following consultations with GOC Army Headquarters Maj. Gen. Yaakov Barak. IDF Comptroller Brig. Gen. (res.) Ilan Harari will head the review.
Brik's report, submitted in 2017 and made public this summer, presented a worrisome picture of a drop in motivation among combat officers to sign on for career service; budget cuts that have eliminated thousands of career soldiers; and policy changes that shorten the mandatory service for men to two years, which the ombudsman said made it difficult for the military to complete missions because of the ensuing shift in available manpower.
Brik also reported a lack of routine maintenance on equipment and serious problems in the medical services provided in the IDF.
The ombudsman based his report on a series of interviews he conducted on his own initiative with commanders and soldiers in IDF combat units.
Harari will carry out the review as part of the comptroller work he is currently conducting with former GOC Army Headquarters Maj. Gen. (res.) Avi Mizrahi and other senior reserves personnel. All IDF units are expected to participate.
Eizenkot said that while the IDF's level of preparedness for and ability to win a ground war were "high," he lends importance to probing Brik's claims using the in-depth methods of evaluation available to official oversight entities, including the IDF Comptroller's Unit.
Eizenkot ordered the first findings to be ready within 45 days.
Brik's report angered many senior IDF commanders.
Last week, Barak told Israel Hayom that the report was unprofessional and unfounded, and that Brik did not have the experience, knowledge. or tools to conduct an evaluation that would support his conclusions. Barak also objected to the report being made public and said that the IDF Ground Forces were better prepared for war than they had been in years.
