Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir: "We must increase the size of the IDF"

At a special tribute conference for the IDF and security forces, organized by the Federation of State Employees led by Ofir Alkalai and with the participation of the Head of the Manpower Directorate Dado Bar-Kalifa, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir received the main award. In his remarks, he emphasized:

"I accept this shield with great humility, but in fact, this shield is not for me. I stand here solely as the commander of hundreds of thousands of fighters and commanders in regular and reserve service."

Zamir dedicated the award to the fighters and their families: "This shield belongs to the reservists who left home, family, and career and stepped up out of a pure sense of duty. It belongs to the families who provide a solid backbone, and to the fallen and wounded who paid the ultimate price."

Referring to the prolonged campaign, the Chief of Staff noted: "For over a thousand days, the State of Israel has been in a prolonged, unprecedented, and multi-front campaign for our existence and our homeland." He added that the IDF has fundamentally changed its security perception: "There is no ignoring and no containment, there is the removal of threats in advance."

At the end of his remarks, the Chief of Staff addressed personnel challenges: "We must increase the IDF, expand the pool of those serving, and adapt it in terms of force structure and advanced capabilities in order to meet its expanding missions," while emphasizing the supreme duty to care for those in regular, career, and reserve service.