IDF: IDF Chief of the General Staff at the Conference for Presenting and Implementing the Lessons of October 7th: “I chose to convene the IDF senior commanders forum today, on the eve of the national memorial day for the events of October 7th, as a message. Today, we conclude the investigations into the failures of October 7th, with an understanding of the magnitude of the disaster, alongside the understanding that we must not sink into them, but rather learn, draw lessons, implement them, and move forward”

“One of our greatest lessons from October 7th is the need to expand our margin of security — we must build the IDF’s force structure in light of all multi-front challenges and threats. The size of the IDF is our strategic depth”

“We are building the IDF’s strategy with readiness for a surprise war-, as our reference scenario, including the preemptive thwarting of severe threats as they develop — this is our operational compass”

A conference for the senior command staff at the rank of Brigadier General and above, marking the process of investigation, learning, and reviewing the status of implementing the lessons from the events of October 7th, was held today (Sunday) at the Glilot base, led by the IDF Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir, and with the participation of commanders from all IDF commands, directorates, and branches.

At the start of the conference, the commanders observed a moment of silence in memory of all those who fell in the October 7th Massacre.

As part of the conference, the October 7th investigations were concluded, and the key lessons that emerged from them were presented. The General Staff bodies presented the processes for implementing the lessons and the oversight mechanisms for their implementation, and the commanders’ remarks were heard.

The conference constitutes the first stage in a sequence of investigations into the war as a whole that will be concluded in the IDF in the coming period, including the investigations into Operation Roaring Lion, and subsequently, a summary of all the lessons from the war. As part of the conference, the General Staff’s investigation focal points and the planning for the continuation of the investigation and learning process were also presented.

In addition, during the conference, the Chief of the General Staff awarded a certificate of appreciation to CWO V. from Unit 8200, who warned before October 7th that Hamas was prepared for a wide-scale surprise attack.

The Chief of the General Staff summarized the conference and emphasized that concluding the investigations and implementing the lessons constitute a critical stage on the path to formulating the IDF’s strategy for the day after.

From the remarks of the IDF Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir: “I chose to convene the IDF senior commanders forum today, on the eve of the national memorial day for the events of October 7th, as a message. We are examining the status of implementing the lessons from the October 7th investigations, with recognition of the magnitude of the failure alongside the understanding that we must not sink into them, but rather learn, draw lessons, improve, and move forward. The events of October 7th continue to accompany us, and our duty is to ensure that they do not happen again.

Today marks the opening of a long process of learning and drawing lessons. The year 2027 will be defined as the year of investigating the war as a whole and drawing lessons from it — theater-specific lessons and general lessons for the IDF as a whole. We will increase our engagement with this in order to improve the IDF’s competence and readiness for war.

We are building the IDF’s strategy with readiness for a surprise war, including the preemptive thwarting of severe threats as they develop, as our reference scenario — this is our operational compass.

On October 7th, the IDF failed severely, but the IDF got back on its feet and proved itself to have a determined spirit, bringing about a historic and unprecedented multi-front victory; this was thanks to the bravery of the male and