What he called "the government's faulty decision-making process" lead to delays in the preparation of a rocket defense system, State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss said in his annual report, which was transmitted to acting Knesset Speaker Michael Eitan Monday afternoon. In addition, Lindenstrauss warned, the poor process could lead officials to accept an inferior defense system “for fear of overspending or wasting time.”
Lindenstrauss focused on three central defense issues in his report: rocket defense in the south, civilian defense against chemical warfare, and security in the Jerusalem area.
Once the IDF decides a particular system is worth pursuing, the matter should be brought before the government for confirmation, Lindenstrauss said. Instead, he said, senior IDF commanders failed to get authorization for projects, projects continued without authorization, and the IDF Chief of Staff gave authorization without the authority to do so.
Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi approved funding for the “Sharvit HaKassam” defense system, but was unauthorized to do so, according to the report. In 2005, Brigadier-General Dr. Daniel Gold, the head of IDF Research and Development, decided to develop the “Iron Dome” system without approval from the Chief of Staff, Defense Minister or government.
IDF officials responded by saying that sometimes the army must act quickly, and then seek approval. “In these situations, the already existing tension between providing a fast response, even partial, to threats and abiding by the IDF's regular purchase procedures is exacerbated,” they said.
Brigadier-General Gold defended his decision to go forward with the Iron Dome project before getting approval, saying the project allowed a much faster and cheaper form of rocket defense than other systems on the market.