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IDF Chief of Staff: Confidence in IDF must be maintained

Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kocahvi was speaking following a recent controversy in which the military was accused of deliberately inflating number of ultra-Orthodox recruits.

DECEMBER 16, 2019 20:21

Public confidence in the IDF must be maintained IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi said Monday night following a recent controversy in which the military was accused of deliberately inflating number of ultra-Orthodox recruits.

“Honesty, truthfulness and reliable reporting are the soul of the IDF,”Kohavi said during an award ceremony in central Israel. “Presenting things incorrectly is a violation of the contract of trust that exists between the IDF and Israeli society, who entrusts us with its sons and daughters.”

"Where a mistake is found - we will learn and improve. And where malicious intent or intention is found, we will act harshly," he said. "In the area of honesty and credibility there will be no room for compromise, there will be no room for cutting corners or turning a blind eye."Kochavi said.

The case was uncovered earlier this month and led to widespread criticism of the IDF which denied that there was any effort to falsify the numbers and that the discrepancy in the statistics came from a change of criteria of who is considered ultra-Orthodox.

According to a report by KAN News, over the past five years the military has been pushing the recruitment of haredim and has been reporting that the number of recruits doubled and even tripled over the years.

Kochavi also touched on IDF operational activity, telling the crowd that Israel’s military is the most active army in the world.

“The Iranian arms are going deeper into Syria and Lebanon.The number of enemies is greater than the number of front, which have also recently expanded. The IDF is one of the most, if not the most active, armies in the world,” he said.

“Delegation, commanders and units from armies from all over the world come to learn from the IDF combat methods and operational processes,” he continued, adding that it was an expression of Israel’s power and capabilities

According to Kochavi, the IDF is “currently in the midst of a formative period” which will have a major impact on its capability for the coming years.

In October, the IDF released its new multi-year plan which will focus on improving the military’s defensive and offensive capabilities.

Dubbed “Momentum”, the multi-year plan will officially begin on January 1st 2020 and was formed following a critical and comprehensive investigation into the IDF’s strengths and weaknesses which led the military to decide to update the operating concept and build a new one for the next decade.