A senior military official recently sent IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi a lengthy report alleging a gross erosion of ethics and morals among army ranks, severe issues with the military's organizational culture, as well as "massive corruption."
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The report comes on the heels of a recent Israel Democracy Institute study, which found that the Israeli public's confidence in the IDF has greatly eroded.
Titled, "Red with shame: The problem of corruption and values in the IDF," the three-volume report was penned by former military attaché to the United States Col. Alon Madanes.
According to Israel Defense magazine, which broke the story, Madanes' report focuses on "suspicions of corruption in the IDF, the defense establishment and the military industries, as well as on operational failures and a morbid organizational culture, including commanders' fears of expressing independent opinions."
According to the magazine, Madanes presented the "redacted report" to Kochavi during a private meeting held recently. He reportedly also presented the chief of staff with a five-volume study of lessons he learned from the US Army during his assignment there.
Israel Defense contended that while Kochavi distributed the latter study among members of the General Staff and other senior officers, he has not shared the content of the "Red with Shame" report with anyone.
Madanes has allegedly asked Kochavi to distribute the report, but the latter refused. According to the magazine, while Kochavi has listened to Madanes' grievances, he has not read the report.
An IDF statement included in Israel Defense's report said that while the military does not comment on closed-door meetings held by the chief if staff, "Morality is a core IDF value, and at any case where there is a deviation from this, it is and will be treated harshly. Every case in which information on this is provided is handled with the utmost seriousness.
In a separate statement, the IDF denied that Kochavi had received the "Red Shame" report, saying Madanes wrote "five volumes of professional and unclassified documents" and that the "content deals with the US Army and does not express any criticism against the IDF. The volumes were distributed among the Ground Force Command and to the attaché office in Washington, DC, the chief of staff, and his deputy. The critical document mentioned was not viewed by the chief of staff."
This is not the first time Madanes has leveled scathing criticism at the IDF. While serving as chief operations officer at the Central Command some three years ago, he alleged that there was "a moral degradation" in IDF ranks.
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