Wars cannot be won using intelligence and firepower alone as there is more to them than their technical aspects, former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Yair Golan remarked Monday.
Speaking at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya's 18th World Summit on Counterterrorism, Golan said that "Anyone who has dealt with fighting understands that wars cannot be won using only intelligence and precise firepower. That way of thinking poses a problematic assumption because technology alone has never won a war and probably never will."
Golan explained that wars "have one very unpredictable element, which is leadership. I hope that whenever we face a crisis, we have the kind of leadership that is usually described as being like [British Prime Minister Winston] Churchill during World War II – an epic character who works to strengthen the people's spirit."
"This is certainly a demand the people should make of their leaders," he added.
Commenting on threats posed by Iran, Golan said, "I can say that we would be wise not to overestimate the gravity of the threats, in the sense that not everything that is potentially evil about Iran is known to us here and now or to the fullest extent. On the other hand, we absolutely must not underestimate it."
Contrary to various forecasts that suggested the imminent collapse of the ayatollah regime in Iran, he continued, "The Iranian regime is far more stable than we think and its hostility toward Israel is not going anywhere anytime soon."
"In regard to Iran, closely monitoring the situation and taking prudent action is the correct course of action," he said.
Golan is one of the frontrunners for the position of the next IDF chief of staff, alongside current Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, former GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, and former GOC Southern Command Eyal Zamir.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot is slated to retire in January 2019.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said recently that he will announce his pick to replace Eizenkot after the High Holidays.
