Strategic Assessment

The war in Lebanon brought to the surface various failings in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Numerous committees have examined these failings from a variety of angles and viewpoints but have not focused directly on what appears to be the heart of the matter – the command-related quality of the IDF. An ominous pattern has been evident for years: command procedures in the IDF have become more and more like work procedures in bureaucratic civilian organizations, and less like those necessary in a military hierarchy environment. Why the military command concept is the foundation of any military achievement is beyond the scope of these remarks. It is worthwhile, however, to mention a number of key points, based on the understanding that the core of military activity is the order (command) to carry out a mission. Orders are the heart of military work and can be compared to blood in the human body; without them, military life cannot exist.