IDF Chief of Staff Warns Against Surprise Scenarios

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited a divisional exercise of Division 38, the IDF's new training division, on Wednesday. During the visit, Zamir, accompanied by Head of the Ground Forces Command Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan and Division 38 Commander Brig. Gen. Sharon Altit, assessed the forces' readiness and capabilities.

In his remarks, Zamir issued a sharp message to the military command regarding lessons from security failures. "We are marking 53 years since the Yom Kippur War and three years since October 7th, two painful failures, two defeats, and a common thread between them," Zamir stated. "The lesson we must all learn from both wars is that the surprise scenario must occupy us all; the IDF must always be prepared for war by surprise."

Zamir emphasized the importance of questioning assumptions and the ability to change, saying, "A commander who does not question and entrenches himself in his views will be defeated. Reality constantly signals to us, and it is our duty to discern these signals, listen to them, and constantly change."

He also addressed the military's ongoing learning process, noting, "We are dealing with the roots of the failure and the learning process. We opened the week with a learning day to summarize the lessons of October 7th, and we are constantly working on implementation and integration so that the failure does not recur. This is my duty as Chief of Staff and the duty of all service members, regular and reserve."

However, the Chief of Staff cautioned against dwelling solely on failure: "We must not sink only in failure, we must look it in the eye, learn from it, and move forward." Zamir clarified that the establishment of Division 38 is part of a broader effort to strengthen the IDF. "In the last twenty years, we reduced the IDF; this trend has stopped. Our missions are growing, and the size of the army is our strategic depth in such a small country. The establishment of Division 38 and other frameworks in the past year are essential moves in building the IDF's strength and fortifying Israel's security."

According to Zamir, Division 38 is now becoming an operational division and will be based in the coming year as a flexible, multi-purpose technological reserve division capable of operating in any theater. He concluded by thanking reservists for their exceptional sacrifice over the past three years, stating, "To the reservists here, I say thank you. The entire State of Israel must thank you for the actions you have taken in the last three years with exceptional sacrifice."