Ex-IDF Officer Shachar Bak Appointed Head of New National Rehabilitation Authority
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
Brigadier General (Res.) Shachar Bak has been appointed as the first director of Israel's new National Authority for the Rehabilitation of IDF and Defense System Casualties. This new body will replace the existing Rehabilitation Department and aims to improve services for an estimated 87,000 casualties. The move follows a recommendation from a committee that highlighted the need for dramatic organizational changes and increased funding, which has already doubled since the October 7th war.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Shachar Bak appointed first director of new National Authority for IDF Casualties.
- New authority replaces Rehabilitation Department to aid 87,000 casualties.
- Rehabilitation budget doubled to over NIS 10 billion since October 7th.
- Number of casualties expected to reach 100,000 by 2028.
- At least half of future casualties expected to have psychological injuries.
A Ministry of Defense tender committee has selected Brigadier General (Res.) Shachar Bak to lead the new National Authority for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of IDF and Defense System Casualties. This new authority is slated to care for approximately 87,000 casualties from all Israeli systems, with about 30,000 injured since the outbreak of the October 7th war over three years ago. Bak, who has managed the Ministry of Defense's Mine Clearance Authority since 2024, previously commanded the Yahalom unit and the Tactical Command College. He also served as a military deputy to the Defense System Comptroller. In recent months, he acted as interim head of the Ministry of Defense's Rehabilitation Department, succeeding Limor Luria.
Bak is set to become the first director of the National Authority for the Rehabilitation of IDF Casualties, which will replace the current Rehabilitation Department. The establishment of this new authority stems from a key recommendation made seven months ago by a professional committee, headed by Prof. Shlomo Mor Yosef, that examined the defense establishment's handling of its numerous casualties. The Ministry of Defense stated that Bak's appointment marks the first phase in transforming the Rehabilitation Department into an independent national authority with broad powers, aiming to improve services for defense system casualties.
Since the October 7th war began, the rehabilitation budget has doubled from NIS 5.2 billion annually to over NIS 10 billion. The committee recommended increasing this budget by approximately NIS 2 billion each year, alongside adding about 280 positions to the department. Ministry of Defense Director General Amir Baram commented that the transition signifies "a conceptual change in the service the state provides to its fighters." The ministry anticipates that by 2028, the number of IDF casualties requiring support will surge to around 100,000, with at least half suffering from psychological injuries. The Mor Yosef committee had previously warned that without significant organizational changes and hundreds of additional positions, the state would struggle to adequately support tens of thousands of casualties.