Maj.-Gen. Udi Shani's findings say troops were issued "confusing orders."
By YAAKOV KATZ
Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz confused ground forces by changing operational orders during the war in Lebanon last summer, in some cases on an hourly basis, according to Maj.-Gen. Ehud Shani-Shinotar, the former head of the C4I Communications Branch.
Shani-Shinotar presented the findings of his investigation into the IDF's performance during the war to the General Staff on Monday. He was replaced as head of the C4I Communications Branch by Maj.-Gen. Ami Shafran last month.
The second Lebanon war: JPost.com special report
Shani-Shinotar was asked by Halutz to investigate the process under which orders were issued by the General Staff and delivered to Northern Command, including the divisions, brigades and battalions.
The probe found that orders issued by the General Staff were in some cases not even adopted by Northern Command since the generals took too long to make decisions that were no longer relevant. It also criticized the failure to stop or even minimize the Katyusha attacks.
Shani-Shinotar criticized the head of IDF Operations during the war, Maj.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, who is now OC Northern Command, for changing operational orders, in some cases on an hourly basis, a complaint heard often during the war by battalion and brigade commanders.
OC Logistics Directorate Maj.-Gen. Avi Mizrahi also presented General Staff with the conclusions of his probe into the call-up process and utilization of reservists during the war. His report exposed a series of flaws in the enlistment process of reservists and the level of equipment they received.