Ex-IDF chief Halevi slams Mossad chief: 'Takes credit for ops led by IDF'
Former chief of staff Maj.-Gen. Herzi Halevi criticized Mossad head David (Dedi) Barnea in a series of meetings since he stepped down from the role in March, Channel 13 reported on Wednesday.
Halevi slammed the Mossad head for allegedly taking credit for operations led by the IDF.
"The head of Mossad crowns himself, takes credit for operations led by the IDF, and engages in self-promotion in an uncooperative manner.
'It occupies him to the point that he allowed videos from operations in Iran to be published," he added, according to the report.
Halevi resigned, keeping his promise made in October 2023, to take responsibility for the failure of the October 7 massacre.
In the meetings, Halevi reportedly criticized Barnea's performance, particularly during the 12-Day War against Iran.
Barnea's approach was PR-driven
"He didn't take the right approach," Channel 13 reported Halevi as saying, criticizing what he saw as a PR-driven management of operations.
He also reportedly accused Barnea of "suggesting actions beyond his role and failing to take responsibility for their outcomes."
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While their training may be basic, it would give them the numbers needed for potential warfare – and that's not including the 28,500 US troops stationed in the country. Pyongyang is also facing its own population problems, with its fertility rate dipping in the last few years after the pandemic. The nation's authoritarian leader, Kim Jong Un, pointed to the problem at a national conference of mothers in 2023, urging them to 'give birth to many children' as a patriotic duty. That could bode ill for a highly isolated nation with an economy that relies on labor-intensive industries like agriculture and mining, said Lee. It's hard to tell how much this has impacted the North Korean military so far. But the fact that Pyongyang has sent tens of thousands of troops to fight for Russia suggests Kim 'doesn't feel concerned about not having enough soldiers on board to do the task of defending the homeland,' Seiler said. Their military has also enlisted more women to fill whatever gaps do exist. This trend began near the turn of the century after a previous dip in fertility, Lee said, with the proportion of female recruits now reaching as high as 20% by some estimates. Many are younger women serving in the military's communications, administrative and anti-aircraft artillery sectors, said Lee, who has interviewed many North Korean refugees who fled the country. Meanwhile, middle-aged and older women have been mobilized to fill gaps in other civilian sectors. By contrast, women are not conscripted in South Korea – a controversial point that has stoked resentment among some young Korean men who argue their mandatory service puts them at a disadvantage in their studies, careers and personal lives. As of 2023, volunteer females accounted for only 3.6% of the entire military, according to the Defense Ministry. Some experts have suggested that conscripting more women could solve South Korea's problem, which the Defense Ministry has not ruled out. But Choi, the national security professor, argued the country needs to move away from the idea of increasing its manpower – and instead focus on advancing its technology and making the troops elite. 'I don't personally agree with opinions that we must have a large number of troops because North Korea does,' he said. 'The size of our troops has decreased and there are not many options to increase it … I think we need to take this crisis as an opportunity as South Korea is in the route of becoming a science technology powerhouse.' On the battlefields of Europe, Ukraine has shown firsthand how an out-manned and out-gunned military can still hold back and inflict painful losses on a much larger opponent by embracing new and affordable technology. Tools like drones and cyber-warfare could help decrease South Korea's reliance on infantry and artillery, Seiler said. AI-assisted and autonomous systems could further boost a shrinking military, said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor of international studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. Choi pointed out that South Korea spends far more on defense than the North, and conducts many military drills including with allies like the US – making it better equipped in overall combat readiness. However, Seiler warned, at the end of the day 'you still need people. There's no robots or automation that can replace a trained soldier, airman, marine.' Easley agreed, saying South Korea's military would still face shortages in manpower in the event of war. And a broader challenge remains: how do authorities change cultural attitudes toward the military within South Korea? While people can volunteer to become professional cadres who serve longer terms and train with more advanced weapons, the number of applicants has dropped steadily over the years. High-profile cases of hazing, bullying and harassment within the South Korean military may have contributed to negative perceptions of the force. In recent years, the government has loosened restrictions on conscripts – including allowing them to use cell phones at certain times of the day – and offered a longer civilian service alternative to conscription. But that's not enough, said Choi. 'We need to improve military welfare and fighting spirits as a whole,' he said – adding that supporting the current size of the military will become even harder in the coming decades as the population declines further. 'By 2040s, even maintaining 350,000 troops will be difficult, and that is why we need to establish an optimized manpower structure system … as soon as possible.'
