IDF Chief: ‘We Are Building Our Strategy Around Readiness for a Surprise War’

A conference for senior command staff, from the rank of brigadier general and above, was held today (Sunday) at Camp Glilot. Focused on the process of investigation, learning, and reviewing the status of implementing lessons from the October 7 events, it was led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and attended by commanders from across the IDF’s commands, directorates, and branches.

At the opening of the conference, the commanders observed a moment of silence in memory of all those killed in the October 7 massacre. The October 7 investigations were summarized, and the key lessons that emerged from them were presented. General Staff bodies presented their processes for implementing the lessons and the mechanisms for monitoring their execution, and commanders offered their perspectives.

The IDF noted that the conference marks the first stage in a series of investigations into the entire war that will be summarized by the IDF in the coming period, including investigations into Operation “Roar of the Lion” and, later, a summary of all the war’s lessons. The conference also presented the General Staff’s areas of investigation and plans for continuing the review and learning process.

In addition, during the conference, the chief of staff awarded a certificate of appreciation to Master Warrant Officer V. of Unit 8200, who warned before October 7 that Hamas was prepared for a large-scale surprise attack. 

He said, “It was important to me to invite Master Warrant Officer V. here. V. is a clear example of intellectual courage and professionalism. In our organizational culture, we must not allow people-pleasing discourse, intellectual tyranny, or the suppression of critical thinking. As commanders, we must ensure that we require our people to have freedom to express their opinions, as an essential component of our operational culture and our frameworks.” As previously reported, the noncommissioned officer’s warnings were not addressed by intelligence bodies.

Zamir said: “I chose to convene the IDF’s senior commanders’ forum today, on the eve of the national memorial day for the October 7 events, as a message. We are examining the status of implementing the lessons from the October 7 investigations, recognizing the magnitude of the failure while understanding that we must not become consumed by it, but rather learn, draw lessons, improve, and move forward. The events of October 7 continue to accompany us, and our duty is to ensure they do not happen again.”

“Today marks the starting point for a long process of learning and drawing lessons. The year 2027 will be defined as a year for investigating the entire war and drawing lessons from it—lessons for individual arenas and broader lessons for the entire IDF. We will increase our focus on this to improve the IDF’s competence and readiness for war.”

“We are building the IDF’s strategy with readiness for a surprise war as our reference scenario, including thwarting severe threats as they emerge—this is our operational compass. On October 7, the IDF failed miserably, but it got back on its feet and proved itself to have a determined spirit, delivering a historic and unprecedented multi-front victory. This was thanks to the bravery of the male and female fighters, their sacrifice, the leadership of commanders, and interbranch coordination.”

“We have removed threats. We are operating across all fronts, defending from the front, and continuing to pursue our enemies everywhere. Our message is clear: Whoever threatens to harm us and builds the capabilities to do so, we will act in advance and strike them decisively.”

The chief of staff added that one of the IDF’s major lessons is the need to expand its security margins. The State of Israel is geographically small and has no territorial depth, while facing multi-front threats. Therefore, he said, the IDF’s force structure must be built to confront all challenges and threats.

“The entire IDF is in constant readiness. We are all standing guard. It is our duty to prevent surprise and prepare for surprise. We are in a period of tension and vigilance, and everyone in their sector must remain alert and ready. We are building our future and moving forward. I greatly appreciate you and all IDF units for your hard work. Only our actions will speak.”