"The IDF is the more prepared for war it has been in recent decades. We are ready for any time of war on any front, and anyone who claims differently simply doesn't understand the profession," said commander of the IDF Ground Forces Maj. Gen. Kobi Barak in an exclusive interview to Israel Hayom.
Barak said that the current level of readiness in the IDF was very high, and said his statement was based on professional parameters, which included the level of training, equipment stockpiles, personnel, options, and more.
Barak spoke to Israel Hayom in the wake of criticism directed at the military by outgoing IDF Ombudsman Maj. Gen. (res) Yitzhak Brik, who claimed that the country's ground forces are unprepared for war. Brik, who is soon slated to step down after 10 years in the position, submitted the report to cabinet ministers, the subcommittees of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and the IDF leadership. The report called to establish a committee that will be charged with evaluating the ground forces' preparedness for war.
Brik's call angered Barak, who said, "It borders on irresponsible."
Barak thought that "if we find ourselves in a situation in which we establish committees of inquiry based on what army officers say, we can shut down the army. If I fail, if there's a war that doesn't go well, probe me. For years, we had failures, but all in all, this is a good army with a lot of achievements, and where will we be if there's an investigative committee for every little thing?"
According to Barak, Brik's claims "aren't serious."
"Things are checked professionally, not by drifting among units. He has no tools for evaluation, but what makes me the craziest is the anonymity in what he writes. If he is arguing that this is the situation, he should lay his cards on the table and we'll look into who is right," the ground forces commander said.
Barak's response was very much in line with how the IDF saw Brik's report, which offended and angered many officials. It wasn't only the outgoing ombudsman's overstepping the bounds of his role, but also his decision to do so without informing the army, submitting his report for an official opinion and response, and after spending a decade in a role that had nothing to do with the issue of military preparedness for war.
The IDF ground forces did undergo a crisis of many years. Supplies dwindled, ground forces nearly stopped training, and the general faith in their ability to fulfill their mission eroded steadily. It was Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot who put the ground forces front and center of the army's multiyear Gideon work plan. Training has increased significantly, commands have been combined, and bases have been refurbished. And as Barak said, the army's supply stocks are "bigger than ever."
"I don't think Brik is a liar, but he has presented a picture that is at best inaccurate. This isn't a case of 'the emperor's new clothes.' Our emperor is fully clothed. Those clothes have some faults, and we're working to fix and improve them where needed. But then someone comes and shows things through a very narrow lens, without giving the big picture, without discussing processes [under way], without showing changes [that have been made], and just sets up a target and heads for it.
"In the next war, when thousands of missiles strike the home front, the only way to remove the threat will be through the ground forces. Can Israel really allow itself to forgo the crushing force known as maneuvers? I think it would be a serious mistake because if the goal is to make a fundamental change to the strategic situation in the Middle East, there's no other way. You'll always need to plant a flag on the hill."
The IDF erred in its initial response to Brik's report, which he published early this summer, by attacking the ombudsman personally. The motives of a soldier decorated for bravery in the Yom Kippur War cannot be suspect. Brik found himself pushed into a corner and set out to prove his claims, most of which are summed up in a 200-page document in which he summarizes meeting he held with commanders of the army's field units.
"I'm not going to get into his [Brik's] motives, and I don't want to analyze his personality," Barak said.
Barak pointed out the strong points of the IDF ground forces: a steady budget, frequent training, high-quality commanders, a steady increase in strength, and work on infrastructure. However, Barak could see the logistical problem of mobility and warns that in the next ground war, "trucks will get stalled."
The head of the IDF's ground forces also touched on the crisis in motivation and efforts to retain talented officers for career service. He also warned against further budget cuts: "It would be irresponsible. It will cause real damage to the ability of the ground forces."
