Zamir: "The IDF Must Always Be Ready for a Surprise War"

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir visited today (Wednesday), alongside Ground Forces Commander Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan and Division 38 Commander and head of the Ground Forces Operations Division Brig. Gen. Sharon Altit, a division-level exercise held by Division 38, the new training division. During the visit, the chief of staff assessed the forces’ fitness and their readiness for their missions.

Addressing the security tensions and potential threats across all fronts, Zamir said: "This week marks 53 years since the Yom Kippur War and three years since October 7, two painful failures, two breakdowns, with a common thread connecting them. The lesson we all must learn from both wars is that the possibility of a surprise scenario must concern every one of us. The IDF must always be ready for a surprise war."

On the October 7 terrorist attack, he added: "We are dealing with the roots of the failure and with the learning process. We opened the week with a day of study to summarize the lessons of October 7, and we are constantly working to implement and embed them so that this failure will not repeat itself. This is my duty as chief of staff, and it is the duty of everyone in uniform, in both regular and reserve service. A commander who does not question assumptions and entrenches himself in his own concepts will be defeated. Reality is constantly signaling to us, and it is our duty to recognize those signals, listen to them and change continuously. At the same time, we must not remain consumed only by failure; we need to look it in the eye, learn from it and move forward." 

"Over the past 20 years, we reduced the size of the IDF. That trend has stopped. Our missions are growing, and the size of the military is our strategic depth in such a small country. The establishment of Division 38 and the creation of additional frameworks over the past year are essential steps in building the IDF’s strength and reinforcing the security of the State of Israel. Division 38 is now becoming an operational division, and over the coming year it will be established as a flexible General Staff reserve division capable of operating in any arena. To the reservists here, I say thank you. The entire State of Israel should thank you for the work you have carried out over the past three years, with extraordinary sacrifice."