March 7, 2024
The Chief of the General Staff’s Letter to the Commanders of the IDF - Reviews of the “Swords of Iron” War
Commanders,
The "Swords of Iron" War began with a surprise that resulted in a difficult outcome and a significant loss of civilian and soldier lives. Since then, the IDF has been defending and striking successfully and effectively - we had a difficult start, we recovered and we are making significant progress.
Reviews hold an honorable place in our military values. They are the lever that allows for improvement after failure, a way to be better after success, the tool with which a unit can build itself a climbing route that will elevate it indefinitely.
Just as charging in the face of enemy fire requires strength and courage, holding ourselves accountable and facing reviews also requires bravery and leadership.
Reviews have one purpose: learning! We suffered tough events at the start of the war, and we failed to protect civilians - our most important mission. If we do not bravely assess our doings, we will experience difficulty in learning and improving; we will experience difficulty standing before Israel's people and proclaiming that we have inquired, learned, and will know how to better protect them.
In the coming months, we will review our defensive capabilities at the beginning of the war and the circumstances that preceded it. Reviews regarding the offensive operations phase will be conducted by each unit after concluding its fighting, as early as possible. Senior-level reviews among the General Staff in this area will be conducted later after we have finished the defensive reviews.
We will conduct these reviews while fighting in a multi-arena war. The IDF’s forces are focused on achieving the goals of the war, operating on all fronts. The existence of operational reviews while fighting is necessary to improve the IDF’s combat capabilities. This requires a balance and quality distribution of attention from the commanders, with the focus of course being fighting.
The topics of the reviews were determined by the IDF General Staff Reviews Protocol, I will soon approve the probe plans for each element in the IDF. A quality review must begin with a firm and agreed-upon factual basis, followed by the collecting and explanation of information with the participation of all parties involved. The common factual basis will allow a discussion of the conclusions and the insights for the future. We should make as much effort as possible to reach an agreed-upon factual basis; there will always be differing points of view; there is no reason to be afraid of disputed conclusions and insights; these will be discussed in depth up the chain of command. We will learn from differing opinions and arguments.
Many incidents will be reviewed, each with many details, and we will not be able to thoroughly examine every step, every bullet fired. Unfortunately, some of our people are no longer here with us, and we will not be able to hear their point of view. Therefore, each commander must decide on the primary focus throughout each investigation, based on either the learning potential, the gravity of the outcome, or any other complexity. When dealing with complex situations, it is critical to explore and make decisions that allow for evaluation and learning. Each framework will undertake its own investigations before progressing to the next level, until all findings are concluded and finalized at the General Staff Headquarters.
This is a complicated challenging, and poignant process, and I am committed to leading it based on five values:
· Honesty - because between two points runs a single line.
· Transparency - because clarity improves learning.
· Pertinence - focus on this matter is necessary and there is much background noise.
· Responsibility - because we always bear it.
· Camaraderie - even where difficult things happen and in this complex process, we will stand together and strengthen each other.
Just as I trust the IDF's ability to fight well, I believe each of us has the ability to ask questions in an unassuming, but constructive manner.
This is how we'll learn, and this is how we will better defend Israeli civilians in the future.
March 2024
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