The Chief of Staff stressed the importance of self-questioning and the ability to change course. "A commander who does not question himself and entrenches himself in his conceptions will be defeated," he said. "Reality signals to us all the time, and it is our duty to notice the signals, to listen to them, and to change constantly."
He also addressed the ongoing learning process within the military. "We are dealing with the roots of the failure and with the learning process. We opened this week with a learning day summarising the lessons of October 7th, and we are working constantly on implementation and internalisation 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."
At the same time, he warned against dwelling too much on failure. "We must not sink only into failure, we must look it in the eyes, learn from it, and move forward."
He explained that the establishment of Division 38 is part of a broader move to strengthen the IDF. "In the last twenty years we reduced the size of the IDF; that 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 necessary moves in the force build-up of the IDF and in fortifying the security of the State of Israel."
According to him, Division 38 is now becoming an operational division, and in the coming year will be established as a flexible General Staff reserve division that can operate in any arena.
He concluded his remarks with an address to the reservists. "To the reservists who are here I say thank you. The entire State of Israel must thank you for the activity you have carried out over the past three years with extraordinary sacrifice."
