No place for ‘it’ll be okay’ mentality in IDF, army chief says

Ashkenazi tells Command and Staff College graduates 2007 will be dedicated to ‘improving army’s level of operational readiness, while continuing to battle terror effectively’

Hanan Greenberg
Published: 02.15.07, 23:47 / Israel News

"There is no place for the ‘trust me, it’ll be okay’ mentality in the IDF," newly-appointed Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi said on Thursday, referring to the long lamented military culture of last minute improvisation largely owed to lack of planning ahead and overconfidence on the part of troops.

"What there is room for is foresight, thorough planning and professionalism," continued Ashkenazi.

Speaking before the graduating class of the IDF Command and Staff College, his first address as the IDF's chief commander, Ashkenazi said: “We must demand of ourselves and of our men a high level of performance, initiative, responsibility and the meticulous implementation of orders and guidelines.”

The army chief outlined the military's work-plan for the coming year, saying that 2007 will be dedicated to the implementation of the lessons drawn from the second Lebanon war and the improvement of the IDF’s level of operational readiness. "We must prepare the military so it can respond to any and every conflict, while continuing to effectively battle terror. We must secure a strong, combatant military, fit and triumphant, in order to realize the IDF's purpose – the assurance of the existence, sovereignty and security of the state of Israel. Or in short – so we can defend this country and its people.

“Years ago, on this very stage, then-defense minister Yitzhak Rabin warned the graduates this college of the ‘trust me, it’ll be okay’ mentality rife in the army and Israel's society. It is apparent that through the years Rabin's words take on a validity we must recognize, an intensity we must assimilate and we must
implement his warning every hour on the hour every day."

Gabi you are a breath of fresh air.

The IDF has the leader that it needs to move it ahead to face the wars ahead, may we accept nothing less than total victory and the vanquishing of our enemies.