The debate has been going on since the start of the Gaza war.
It has nothing to do with military strategy, the draft or military deployments. The debate is focused solely on soldier safety and whether the Israel Defense Forces have been providing troops with appropriate and reliable protective equipment, food and medical supplies.
The military has long claimed that it gives soldiers everything they need to fulfill their military mission. And it has repeatedly asserted that its gear is up to date and of the highest military quality.
But critics expressed concern that much of the equipment provided to reserve units, regular army divisions and even elite forces was outdated, ineffective and unsafe. And notwithstanding military rules that prohibit solicitation or acceptance of donations or gifts from donors, many soldiers and soldier support groups did just that.
The volunteer efforts raised hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase helmets, protective eyewear, body armor, rifle scopes and even military fatigues and distributed them to soldiers for their use.
IDF spokespeople and senior officials were adamant in their denial of supply problems and raised concern about the quality and safety of donated gear. They claimed that much of the donated gear was not military grade or otherwise fit for use by IDF personnel.
But according to an October investigative report in The Jerusalem Post, the IDF’s claims were probably driven by pride and bravado and were not accurate. According to the report, the IDF has faced severe shortages of necessary military supplies for soldiers and was benefiting substantially from donated equipment by a very active volunteer network.
The Jerusalem Post report was based on a classified document presented to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which set out the details of the military equipment crisis. The numbers are staggering, and the report lends credence to the private donor group claims of inadequate supplies and the need for volunteer support.
Then, late last month, the IDF acknowledged the problem. It did so quietly, in the launch of a new website by the Ground Forces and the Ground Technology Division in the Technological and Logistics Directorate that enables soldiers to check anonymously whether their military-issued safety equipment complies with official standards. And echoing the recurring criticism of the volunteer groups, the website says that any ceramic body armor plates manufactured before 2009 and any army-issued helmet made of metal must be replaced.
The critics are vindicated. And their impressive efforts on behalf of IDF soldiers must be recognized and acknowledged.
But there is something else this story tells us. Coupled with the intelligence and operational failures exposed on Oct. 7, the stubborn refusal of Israel’s military leadership to acknowledge serious supply and equipment needs of its personnel unquestionably put lives at risk.
Military pride and hubris got in the way of soldier safety. This very disturbing failure by IDF leadership should be added to the list of items to be reviewed when the government starts the long overdue review of Oct. 7 and related activity.
