The IDF's New Multi-Year Program: "Ascent"

Yesterday (Monday), a seminar was held with the participation of senior IDF officials on the subject of the 'People of the IDF' as part of the design of the new multi-year plan "Ma'alot” (Ascent).

The name “Ma'alot” (Ascent) was chosen to symbolize a process of development in which there is a continuous ascent, step by step, to new peaks. The development process, which involves a gradual and dynamic transition between the stages, equates to the program being an additional important stage in the IDF's force buildup progress.

The plan will put an emphasis on the IDF's service members - retaining those with the best and highest quality virtues who will enable the IDF to fulfill its long-term missions.

The symbol of the multi-year plan includes several circles that represent the IDF's areas of action. The circle has a prominent angle to the east which represents the focus on Iran. The circles represent a 360-degree response to multi-arena scenarios.

Furthermore, the three circles symbolize the three main characteristics in the force buildup during combat scenarios - knowledge, precision and strength.

The Chief of the General Staff set four main themes for the multi-year plan:

1. The IDF’s People and its Connection with Israeli Society - The State of Israel will only be able to properly face its challenges if the best, most suitable people choose to continue in their military service in a meaningful way. The model of the ‘People’s Army’ is what mainly allows the IDF’s human quality and constitutes an inseparable part of its identity.

2. Iran and Multi-Arena Threats - The security reality obligates the IDF to strengthen its readiness for the multi - arena threat and the Iranian regime. The plan will revolve around updating capabilities in the fields of intelligence gathering, defense and striking.

3. Operational Maneuvers and Defense at the Borders - Fulfilling the mission of defending the State of Israel. The IDF will operate to better train and strengthen its maneuvering capabilities in multi-branch cooperation.

4. Operational and Organizational Culture - The IDF is required to strengthen the level of its young commanders to amplify the sense of responsibility within them and act to effectively expend the human capabilities. The plan will revolve around the streamlining of the military organizational system and all its components in order to strengthen the IDF’s performances in various fields.