Israel Air Force commander, General Tomer Bar, participated on Friday in a meeting with 60 pilots and officers at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, in which he commented on the calls to refuse service due to opposition to the government’s proposed judicial reform.
"There is limited damage to the competence of the IDF, mainly in the Air Force but also in other formations in the army, in the headquarters and among the ground forces," said Bar.
"The damage to the Air Force is in the operational squadrons as the core of the force's competence, in the operational headquarters, in the flight school and in the air control units. It will take time to train alternatives at headquarters and there are no drills this month in any case. The challenge will come starting next month, with the resumption of the big training sessions."
General Bar stated that personal conversations are being held with officers and pilots who announced the termination or suspension of their service. He explained that the Air Force is still ready, "but less so."
"The cohesion has been greatly damaged. The Air Force will not be the same, even if they all return tomorrow. The picture has been presented to the Minister of Defense and the Prime Minister. The pilots are following their conscience and we do not cut the branch we are sitting on," he said.
Bar added, "Trust in the squadron commanders and the commander of the Air Force is critical. Using the Air Force to influence the top is wrong. It is a slippery slope on the way to influencing the political echelon. The public's trust in the Air Force cannot be undermined."
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)