The General Staff's new foundations

The foundations for the Israel Defense Forces General Staff were put in place over the weekend for whoever succeeds IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz in around 10 months.

More appointments are expected to take place in the fall, after the next IDF chief is named, and they will undoubtedly coincide with the decision on whether or not to introduce far-reaching changes to the military's structure.

Last weekend's appointments came as no surprise to those privy to the consultations held by Gantz and Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon in recent months. Naming Director of Military Intelligence Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi as the next GOC Northern Command was expected, and head of the Command and Staff College Brig. Gen. Herzl Halevi was the leading candidate to replace Kochavi, alongside GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon.

The dilemma Ya'alon and Gantz faced was whether to name Alon the new MI chief, or designate him the potential GOC of the joint army headquarters-technological and logistics command that is slated to be formed as part of the IDF's restructuring plan. But the Defense Ministry's desire to introduce such changes gradually, as well as the recent developments on the Palestinian front and the concerns of a security escalation across Judea and Samaria, meant keeping Alon where he is, for now.

Ya'alon and Gantz now need to compensate Alon somehow, especially given the rumors suggesting the settlers had somehow foiled his appointment to the role of MI chief. Should the plans to form the new command stall, Alon might be named head of the IDF's Technological and Logistics Directorate, which may eventually merge with the Operations Directorate.

Halevi is the second brigadier-general to be named to the sensitive position of MI chief. He follows Kochavi, who has introduced far-reaching changes to Military Intelligence and has had a very productive and successful term in office, making him the front-runner for a future chief of staff bid.

Halevi is intimately familiar with the military intelligence arena and his main challenges would be in the fields of research and assessment and in dealing with the government. It is likely that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who previously wanted Halevi to serve as his military aide, had knowledge of the appointment, and may have even had a hand in mending the rift between Military Intelligence and the Mossad and Shin Bet security agency, following what the latter two perceive as the former's aggressive practices.

Another significant appointment is that of current head of the Israeli Air Force's General Command Brig. Gen. Hagai Topolansky, as the new head of the IDF's Personnel Directorate. Gil Regev, the last IAF officer to hold the position, did not leave his mark on the directorate and prompted the Defense Ministry to seek officers who specialize in human resources for the role.

Topolansky will have to tackle the complex mission of dealing with the dismissal of thousands of career officers, as well as with the diminishing motivation among recruits to serve in the military. He will also have to implement the induction of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men into the military. Whether or not he is successful will undoubtedly determine his eligibility to succeed IAF chief Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel in two years.

The next round of appointments in the IDF will be held only after Gantz's successor is named. The front-runner here is current IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, who was most likely privy to the current round of appointments. While Eizenkot was alleged to have been involved in the Harpaz affair, the Defense Ministry is convinced that there was no wrongdoing on his part, saying that it is highly unlikely that the ongoing police investigation into the matter will postpone the ministry's plans to name the next chief of staff.

Later on a new deputy chief of staff will be named as well, and here too we might be in for a surprise: Traditionally, it is the GOC Northern Command -- in this case Maj. Gen. Yair Golan -- who should be named to the position, but GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Sami Turgeman seems to be nipping at his heels.

The current round of appointments also marks two other milestones: The retirement of Head of the IDF Personnel Directorate Maj. Gen. Orna Barbivai means that the General Staff will be devoid of women, as no woman is slated to become a part of it in the near future. The retirement of Commander of the Northern Corps Maj. Gen. Gershon Hacohen, who will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Yossi Bachar, means that only one major-general who fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War will remain on active duty -- Depth Corps Commander Maj. Gen. Shai Avital, who is also expected to retire on the near future.

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