The military's war readiness has improved significantly since Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the Subcommittee for War Readiness, operating under the auspices of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, concluded Wednesday.
The conclusion followed a series of sessions held in the wake of a report by Military Ombudsman Maj. Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Brik, warning that various logistical, training and personnel issues have dramatically eroded the Israeli ground forces' ability to effectively wage war.
GOC Army Headquarters Maj. Gen. Yaakov Barak, as well as several division and brigade commanders, testified before the committee and refuted Brik's assertions, leading the subcommittee to find that not only has training increased, its efficiency has improved.
Subcommittee members also found that the IDF's multi-year work plan, designed by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot and codenamed "Gideon," was well outlined and supported the military's needs on these fronts.
As part of its efforts to study Brik's report, the subcommittee, chaired by Col. (ret.) MK Omer Bar-Lev (Zionist Union), visited 18 IDF sites and emergency storage warehouses, and interviewed Brik, defense and IDF comptrollers, senior officers past and present, and the chief of staff.
"Given the claim that the IDF is not ready for war, I state, on behalf of the subcommittee that the IDF has improved its readiness and is, in fact, ready for war despite several weak points, most of which have been identified," Bar-Lev said.
He added the subcommittee's recommendations have been divided into three levels: urgent, high priority and ongoing, and have been presented to the relevant officials.
