Former IDF ombudsman Maj. Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Brick spoke about his meeting with Deputy Chief of Staff Eyal on a military podcast on 103FM on Friday. Zamir was a major general in the IDF during the writing of Brick's ominous report in January 2019 about the IDF's lack of readiness for a major military confrontation.
According to Brick, Zamir didn't debate the facts presented in the report. "Zamir said he accepts the fact that we are in serious trouble. He read the report, wrote down my recommendations and began implementing them, as did Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, who understood the problem even when he was deputy chief of staff."
Brick added that the committee which conducted the criticism of his report, the Ilan Harari Committee, admitted to him that he was right: "The IDF commander, Harari, told me that the facts are daunting," said Brick, who emphasized that "Harari is the IDF chief of staff's appointment and subordinate to him - so naturally he couldn't say that the army was not ready for war."
Brick strongly asserts that a significant change is required in the IDF's organizational culture. "If the army doesn't learn to accept criticism and deal with the problems, God help us," Brick said, repeating his warning that the next military campaign would be more difficult than any of its predecessors.
"The next war will be the worst in the history of Israel. Every day 1,000 to 2,000 missiles will fall, weighing as much as 100 kilograms per missile and with precision targeting capabilities," Brick warned, adding that Judea and Samaria would also become a front with thousands of armed Tanzim who will leave the Palestinian villages and shoot in all directions. "We will need infantry units on several fronts and at the moment we don't have such capabilities," concluded Brick.
And what about the political arena? According to Brick, the political situation is even worse. "I sit and talk to cabinet members, one by one, spending an hour with each one - and it turns out that they don't know the army. These are the people who make the fateful decisions - and they know almost nothing." Brick says that no one took him seriously in his meetings with cabinet members. "Ultimately the main desire of cabinet ministers is to advance in politics," he said.
In spite of the harsh attacks against him, including statements that the trauma of the Yom Kippur War has affected him and statements on social media networks which hint at Brick's insanity, Brick hasn't given up on revealing the truth about the deeply rooted problems in the IDF. "Many are worried about my health, fearing I could have a stroke or a heart attack. There aren't many people who have boldly and determinedly faced such a formidable system [as the IDF]."
"I've been through a lot of life and I've seen what happens to the state of Israel when it's not ready for war. I'm doing something right for the people of Israel - so we won't be counting our losses [after the next war]."