The right man for the job

The best thing about Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot's appointment as the military's next commander in chief was that it was free of any drama. For once -- and for a change -- the predictable, sensible, right choice was made, and the process was kept aboveboard, businesslike and clean, devoid of any games or trickery. Much like Eizenkot himself.

Eizenkot had to graduate four tests en route to the coveted appointment: The first was the colleagues' test, where his fellow General Staff members offered his appointment wall-to-wall support. The second test was the "formers" test, whereby the former defense ministers and chiefs of staff, with whom Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon consulted ahead of tapping Eizenkot, all said he was the right man for the job.

The third test focused on legal vetting, whereby Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein ruled Eizenkot's involvement in the Harpaz Affair (which eventually became one of the issues that derailed Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant's 2010-2011 candidacy for the position of chief of staff) was minor and therefore had no bearing on the appointment. The Public Service Nominations Committee still has to weigh in on the matter, but it is doubtful it will rule any differently.

The fourth test was his superiors' evaluations -- IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz and the political echelon. Ya'alon had no doubts about Eizenkot and Gantz backed his decision. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have delayed his decision on the appointment, straining the candidates' nerves, but he eventually gave Eizenkot his blessing.

The main criticism about Eizenkot concerns his overall nature. Too mellow, some said over the weekend, or as others chose to put it -- he does not carry a dagger between his teeth. The same has been said about him throughout his entire career, that he was the least combative officer in the Golani Brigade.

With time, however, the issue, such as it was, has become an advantage. A brigade commander's gung-ho attitude might not be the most desired quality in an officer commanding an entire military apparatus, and Eizenkot, who has proven he knows how to take a deep breath and think before he speaks or acts, has come to understand that the main challenge of having military might is knowing when to rein it in.

The question is, of course, whether this temperament is right for the frenzied Middle East, and whether when facing the Iranian nuclear threat, the growing threat of terrorism from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, and the encroaching threat posed by the Islamic State group, Israel should be armed with a slightly less conservative chief of staff. The predictable answer would be "yes," but in reality, the more conservative approach is the better one.

As long as Eizenkot maintains true pluralism in the General Staff, and listens even to officers who do not share his worldview, he will be able to minimize his shortcomings.

The new chief of staff will face three major challenges: an operational one, a budgetary one, and one that has to do with generating deterrence. Under his guidance, the military will have to adapt its operational plans to the new regional realities, especially given the dissatisfactory results of Operation Protective Edge, which the General Staff is scheduled to review within the next few days.

The IDF will also have to increase its efforts to prevent a war in an increasingly destabilized region, focusing on two theaters that Eizenkot is closely familiar with -- Judea and Samaria, where he served as brigade commander, and the northern borders, which he oversaw as GOC Northern Command.

An equally challenging issue is the new defense budget and the structural reform it will mandate across the IDF. This challenge is likely to require Eizenkot to do what he does best -- speak his mind. Only a handful of officers have unapologetically done so throughout their careers, and Eizenkot is unlikely to change his ways.

The new chief of staff will state his opinion on financial, diplomatic and operational issues before the government, and while this conduct is a recipe for potential conflicts, it is good to know that the 14th floor of the General Staff's building will house a man who strives to serve the public, one who speaks his true mind.