The IDF must always be prepared for a surprise war.

The Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, visited today (Wednesday) along with the Commander of the Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan, and the commander of Division 38 and head of the Ground Forces Operations Division, Brig. Gen. Sharon Altit, at a divisional exercise of Division 38 – the new training division. 

During the visit, the Chief of Staff examined the forces’ readiness and their preparedness for their missions.

The Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, spoke: “This week we mark 53 years since the Yom Kippur War and three years since October 7th – two painful failures, two defeats, and a connecting thread between them. The lesson we must all learn from both wars is that the surprise scenario must occupy us all; the IDF must always be prepared for war by surprise.”

“We are dealing with the roots of the failure and the learning process. We opened the week with a learning day to summarize the lessons of October 7th, and we are constantly working on their implementation and integration so that the failure does not repeat itself. This is my duty as Chief of Staff and the duty of all those in uniform, regular and reserve.”

“a commander who does not question and entrenches himself in his beliefs will be defeated. Reality is constantly signaling to us, and it is our duty to notice these signals, listen to them, and change constantly. At the same time, we must not dwell only on failure – we must look it in the eye, learn from it, and move forward.” 

“In the last twenty years, we have reduced the IDF; this trend has stopped. Our missions are growing, and the size of the army constitutes our strategic depth in such a small country. The establishment of Division 38 and the establishment of additional frameworks in the past year are essential steps in building the IDF’s strength and fortifying the security of the State of Israel. Division 38 is now becoming an operational division, and in the coming year, it will be established as a flexible, multi-purpose Chief of Staff reserve division that can operate in any theater.” 

“To the reservists who are here, I say thank you. The entire State of Israel must thank you for the actions you have taken in the last three years with exceptional sacrifice.”