IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Col. Hertzi Halevi, last week convened the General Staff Forum for its first meeting since Halevi’s appointment, to discuss the IDF’s multi-year plan for the next five years, Walla reported Sunday. The discussion focused on increasing readiness for the campaign against Iran; preparing for a multi-front war, strengthening the relationship between the army and society, and organizing command and control.
In Halevi’s view, the IDF’s top priority is the proper treatment of enlisted, professional, and reserve soldiers, while dealing with the relationship between the army and Israeli society, including the anti-judicial reform protests of reservists, and the Haredi draft.
Regarding Iran, according to senior Air Force officers, the level of preparedness for an attack today is good, and a year of intensive training is required to reach an excellent level. Meanwhile, the IDF is required to accumulate capabilities and improve existing skills in attacking, defending, and intelligence gathering.
Preparing for a multi-arena campaign, meaning strengthening the IDF’s ability to fight on several fronts at the same time, as well as on the home front, was defined by the senior IDF forum as sensitive and as requiring precise plans. Chief Halevi instructed the Air Force to develop capabilities to operate simultaneously on several fronts to respond to threats and challenges on the ground. Sources in the security apparatus believe that the warplanes, army’s skills, armaments, and the scope of the order of battle, accumulated in recent years, and will increase in the next five years – will give the IDF effective flexibility in several arenas at the same time.
An order of battle shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of the units and formations of the armed forces.
The security apparatus believes it is still necessary to reduce gaps in the training of reserve forces that were created during the pandemic years when some reserve brigades did not train.
