Humbling of the supertroops shatters Israeli army morale

times online ^ | August 27, 2006 | The Sunday Times

[jpsb]

Ok, your right, we are doomed, ill trained poorly lead troops lacking vital equipment, happy now?

[fso301]

“I noticed behaviour I’d never heard of in the Israeli army,” Kima said last week on Israeli television. “In my training I got used to the idea that the commander shouts ‘Advance!’ and is the first to face the enemy. Here my battalion commander was in the back of the group and the brigade commander didn’t even cross the border into Lebanon.”

I think this is a result of enforcing the "land for peace" surrender. Competent NCO's and officers deemed unreliable with respect to evicting settlers were replaced en masse with "yes men" and "team players".

[Leisler]

"There are no bad regiments( soldiers ), only bad colonels." --Napoleon Boneapart
Israli intel, command and politics were poor, at best. Let's see how the butt covering goes.

Hezzbollah made the most of what they had and made the Israelis pay. This will become the stuff of legends and a recruiting tool for generations. Twice Hezzbollah has slapped around the IDF, each time a little better. Hezzbollah doesn't, and the fighters don't care about causalities. In a few years Hezzbollah will recover, stronger. Lessions learned from this will not be enough. Israel has to leap frog ahead of expected Hezz inovations.

[sine_nomine]

I have read the history of previous Israeli wars. They were surprised before, several times before. They usually pulled together fast. America tended to tamp them down when they were winning.

I agree with those who say the political leadership lost this war. The condition of the military and intelligence is dependent on political leadership as well.

[fso301]

6. The IDF has gotten a good lesson (watching the success of the Yanks in Iraq wasn't enough). The IDF will come up with counters to Hezbo's use of wire guided missiles in lieu of tube artillery

The Israelis first encounter with wire guided missles was the 1973 Yom Kippur War. They've had plenty of time to develop counter-tactics. They just didn't use them.

and will train the troops to avoid sheltering in buildings in sight of enemy positions.

Only inexperienced troops would bunch up in a combat zone.

[Mogollon]

Lesson learned: NEVER PUT A LIBERAL WUSSY LIKE OLMERT IN THE POSITION OF BEING COMMANDER-IN-CHEIF.

Benjamin Netanyahu would have annihilated the Hezbo's on the Israeli-Lebanon border.

[veronica]

The best troops in the world hampered by politicians and State Dept. wonks and their agendas.