IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv KochaviSraya Diamant/Flash90

Chief of General Staff Aviv Kochavi spoke at the land commander exchange ceremony about a significant increase in motivation for combat service.

"Maneuverability has improved also the motivation to serve in combat units has improved, and in the last two years there has been a continuous increase in the desire to serve in combat units," said Kochavi.

"This increase was particularly pronounced in the desire for combat service this last August - and these are the highest figures in the last seven years," the chief of staff added.

He said, "In 2000, the huge gap between the tasks that IDF units were required to carry out, and the exercises, methods of fighting, and the means at our disposal was immediately felt. Shortly before, the IDF left Lebanon and finished 18 years of fighting in the security zone, characterized by open space, ambushes of all kinds, and possession of areas and outposts."

The style of fighting has changed, as well as the fighting field. Many times adaption was required mid-battle.

"Relevance is the name of the game. Relevance is the purpose of any organization, and irrelevance is the most serious situation an organization in general and a military organization, in particular, can fall into. Non-changing organizations die. When military organizations do not change, people die, civilians and soldiers. "But the challenge is to change before the fight. We are working on that, for that we have formulated the concept of activation for victory and the multi-year plan 'Tnufah'," Kochavi added.

He noted that "the current battlefield has undergone far-reaching changes: not just an urban, dense space, but large-scale combat armies, equipped with advanced weapons and missiles and rockets. The land arm under your command, Joel, offers a fighting model and fighting methods that provide a solution to the profound change that is taking place on the battlefield. "By increasing the military achievement, reducing the price, and shortening the duration of the war. To that end, we must streamline methods for exposing an enemy, destroying an enemy, and realizing their tricks in the most effective way."

"The test of war is not what capabilities we use - maneuver or fire, but what results we achieve. When necessary- if we must fire and attack, to achieve the goals of the war, so be it. And when the maneuver is required to operate, as in the overall war plans, it will penetrate the enemy territory vigorously to bring about a clear victory, in a short time so for a price as low as possible for the home front." He concluded.