Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)
Our assumption that the army is ready at all times for a major operation, and would need a few hours’ warning at most if the political echelon decided to go to war, was shot down overnight. We have a hollow leadership, as David Grossman put it, and the same goes for their judgment in launching an all-out war in a matter of hours. The army did not deliver the goods at even the most basic level, and it couldn’t have.
The exclusive focus on preventing terror distorted the army’s whole approach to its task. Most military experience is gained through training, not by policing territories. But for years, there were hardly any drills. Battalion and company commanders went into battle without ever putting their soldiers through their paces. The equipment, both light and heavy, was outdated and rusty for lack of use. Access the full article>>