This is the right appointment of the right person at the right time. We have said this all too often in the wake of newly announced appointments. But too few of them actually managed to properly capture the moment. But on Sunday we could all yell Bingo!on hearing of the newly designated IAF chief Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel. Eshel is the prototypical Israel Air Force commander, as if tailor made for the job: intelligent; has a quick handle on things; cuts the crap where he sees it; a man of big systems and small details. This is by no means meant to belittle the other contenders for the top job, the prime ministers Military Secretary Maj. Gen. Yohanan Locker and Brig. Gen. Nimrod Sheffer, both of whom are flowing with credentials. The past several years have turned Eshel's hair gray and matured him but he still has that swagger, that mischievous glare of someone who is dead certain that he is truly better than everybody else. Precisely what Israelis want in their air force commander. Now Eshel has to navigate the air force further, with even greater velocity and altitude. Instinctively Iran pops to the forefront our minds when it comes to such an appointment, but the truth is that things are more complicated than that. While the Ayatollahs' nuclear program is most certain to dominate Eshels activities, he now faces additional tasks that bear no less importance: to make sure the IAF, as Israels strategic arm, continues to enjoy its qualitative edge in an ever changing and constantly arming Middle East; finding a solution to missiles that may compromise Israels air superiority; phasing into service a slew of new systems - from the F-35 jets and trainer aircraft to mid-air refueling and transport planes and unmanned aerial vehicles; and enhancing Israels active defense posture, although without falling into the trap of having it supplant an offense-based mindset. Eshel is up to all these tasks; his experience on the field and in administrative roles have rendered him cut out for the job. His four years as the head of the IDF Planning Directorate allowed him to look at the Israeli reality through two separate prisms simultaneously: the strategic prism that displays the decision-making process at the top echelons of government, and a prism that shows how budgets and constraints they create affect Israeli life and politics. What is new is that he now has to shoulder this great responsibility while weighing the pros and cons of acting against Iran. It is likely that Eshel will subscribe to the same highly responsible and levelheaded approach when it comes to this issue. Namely, he will be willing to take risks while all the while making sure to stay away from perilous misadventures. He knows Auschwitz not only from his flyover there but also through his familys biography. But he appreciates the antithesis to Auschwitz full well - the handle with care approach that must be applied to things built through great effort lest they unravel in one fell swoop, as with the peace treaty with Egypt and Jordan. Four years ago, after he was denied the position of IAF chief in favor of Maj. Gen. Ido Nechushtan, Eshel indicated he would retire, only to be dissuaded by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and then-Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi. They let him understand, with an unwritten accord, that he would be the next in line. On Sunday, Barak and Chief of General Staff Benny Gantz did the right thing - not only in terms of the merits of their decision, but also from a moral standpoint: they acted like gentlemen by selecting him as the next IAF chief.
