IDF Chief of Staff Orders Surprise Military-Wide Readiness Exercise

The Israeli military's Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, ordered a surprise, full-scale readiness exercise codenamed "Dawn's Readiness 2.0" early Sunday morning. The drill aims to test the preparedness of the General Staff and all main commands, their readiness levels, and their ability to handle a complex, multi-front, rapidly escalating event. According to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit, the exercise is designed to evaluate the military's readiness for various unexpected operational scenarios, the activation of reserves, decision-making processes, and operational responses across all levels, from regional commands and branches to the General Staff.

As part of the surprise drill, commanders across all commands, branches, and directorates were mobilized, and reserve forces are being called up and assessed. Increased movement of security forces and aircraft is expected throughout the country, though there is no concern of an actual security incident. The exercise is part of the IDF's ongoing process to strengthen its foundations, the fitness, and the readiness of all combat soldiers and commanders.

The drill will incorporate operational plans and lessons learned from recent combat and the events of October 7th. Regular and reserve officers from the Military Advocate General's Corps are conducting inspections of units and commands to assess their operational fitness and readiness. Separately, a large-scale exercise involving hundreds of police officers and soldiers is scheduled to begin in Eilat on Monday, simulating scenarios such as terrorist infiltrations and attacks, with participation from the Navy and special forces.