Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir stated today (Sunday) that the IDF is required to increase its force structure and prepare for a war that will break out by surprise, as part of the key lessons learned from the events of October 7.
""The size of the IDF is our strategic depth," said Zamir at a conference held at Camp Glilot, attended by the IDF's senior command staff, from the rank of brigadier general and above - commanders from all commands, wings and branches in the IDF.
""I chose to convene the IDF's senior commanders' forum today, on the eve of the national day of remembrance for the events of October 7, as a message," said Zamir.
According to him, the IDF is examining the assimilation of lessons "out of recognition of the magnitude of the failure, coupled with the understanding that we must not dwell on them, but rather learn, draw lessons, improve and move forward.".
During the conference, the investigations of October 7 were summarized and the main lessons learned were presented. The General Staff bodies presented the actions taken to implement the lessons and the mechanisms for monitoring their implementation, alongside comments from the commanders.
The Chief of Staff emphasized that summarizing the investigations and implementing the lessons learned constitute a critical step on the path to formulating the IDF's strategy for the day after.
Zamir announced that the current process is only the first stage in investigating the entire war. According to him, the year 2027 will be defined in the IDF as the year of investigating the war and drawing lessons from it, both at the theater level and at the IDF-wide level. As part of the process, investigations into Operation Roar of the Lion are also expected to be concluded, and later on, the lessons of the war in general.
One of the changes the Chief of Staff pointed out concerns the scenario for which the IDF is required to prepare. "We are building the IDF strategy with our reference scenario being preparedness for a surprise war, including thwarting serious threats as they arise - this is our operational compass," he said.
Zamir directly addressed the army's failure on the day of the attack. "On October 7, the IDF failed miserably, but the IDF got back on its feet and proved itself to be resolute, leading to a historic and unprecedented multi-front victory; and this was thanks to the heroism of the fighters, the sacrifice, the leadership of the commanders, and the inter-service coordination.".
""We have removed threats, we are operating in all arenas, defending from the front and continuing to pursue our enemies everywhere. Our statement is clear: whoever threatens to harm us and builds the capabilities to do so - we will act in advance and deal him a decisive blow.".
The Chief of Staff pointed to the expansion of the force structure as one of the key lessons from the war. "One of our greatest lessons is the need to expand the margin of security. The State of Israel is a small country in terms of geographical size and without land depth, which is under multi-area threats. We need to build the IDF's strategic depth in the face of all challenges and threats. The size of the IDF is our strategic depth. Therefore, we must increase the IDF and adapt it to its expanding missions.".
During the conference, Zamir presented a certificate of appreciation to Private V of Unit 8200, who warned before October 7 that Hamas was preparing for a large-scale surprise attack.
The Chief of Staff presented it as an example of the importance of critical thinking within the military.
""F. is a clear example of intellectual courage and professionalism," he said. "Our organizational culture does not allow lecture-style discourse, intellectual tyranny, or the suppression of critical thinking. As commanders, we must ensure that we demand from our people freedom of expression as an essential component of our operational culture and our frameworks.".
Zamir also addressed the current state of readiness in the IDF. "The entire IDF is in constant readiness. We are all on guard. Our duty is to prevent surprise and prepare for surprise. We are in a period of tension and alertness, and everyone in their sector needs to be alert and prepared.".
. "We are building our future and moving forward. Much appreciation to you and all IDF units for the hard work. Only our actions will speak.".
