Source: Maariv
Author: Efraim Ganor

The disaster of the drone that exploded at the Golani base and its aftermath left a sense of helplessness and frustration, in addition to a great feeling of pain. The recurring question was how a smart and modern army, armed with the best multi-layered air defense system in the world, with the best missiles, aircraft, and more, could not have a response to the drones? A weapon that seems like a toy against the immense capabilities of the Israeli army.
The failure to counter the drones is, in fact, a direct continuation of the failure on October 7, a failure resulting from mental inadequacy, arrogance, and denial of reality, and the illusion that the enemy is deterred and lacks the courage, and that everything is fine.
Ben Gurion was not a great military leader with a military past, but he had the wisdom of life and possessed insight capable of seeing reality; regrettably, no government leader has had that over the past thirty years.
We have missed Ben Gurion in recent days, but we can learn from what he said and what he sought to achieve during his tenure. For example, Ben Gurion said in the 1950s: "The most dangerous enemies to Israel's security are the intellectual stagnation of those responsible for the security of the state; we must be continuously vigilant, and we need constant alertness, renewal of security thinking and planning, and to check again every morning whether we are ready for a new day."
It didn’t stop there; Ben Gurion said in every discussion that the first condition for standing firm against our enemies is, above all, our ability to take the war to the other side, to the enemy’s land, and he adhered to the motto that "the attack is the best form of defense."
It is true that we do not need to be like Ben Gurion to realize that we are a small state surrounded by enemies, a state that cannot afford to bear the cost of fighting to maintain its existence on its land; from here, the essential part of its military effort should focus on its offensive capabilities, something that has not happened in recent years.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed, more than once and rightly so, that the one responsible for the state’s security and security doctrine is always the Prime Minister, regardless of who the Minister of Defense or the Chief of Staff may be. One cannot disagree with Netanyahu on this matter. The problem is that during his long years in power, he did not understand, or did not want to understand, that defending ourselves is not the solution to the reality arising around us.
We saw this concretely and clearly in the strategic investment in the fence, and in the underground defense system to counter the tunnels in Gaza, which failed miserably. The rapid and deadly developments on the battlefield necessitate speaking with those responsible for the security of the state, initiated by the Prime Minister, to formulate a different, out-of-the-box thinking, instead of protecting themselves with another layer of defense.
In modern warfare, there are no complete victors, as we have witnessed in wars more than once, when they raised the flag atop the palace or the mountain. Victory on the modern battlefield is not absolute and can only be achieved through the ability to surprise and create a significant shock that leaves the enemy stunned and incapacitated, and in turn, being ready immediately for the upcoming blows that will throw the enemy off balance.
Modern war cannot be long, as it harms the economy and morale, and it is clear that economic damage means military damage and hinders achieving victory on the battlefield.
All of this imposes an integrative thinking capable of blending defense and attack, with much wisdom and deception, this with all due appreciation for the Iron Dome, the Arrow system, and the magic wand that cover us with layers of defense. In reality, without them, our situation today would be much worse.
Had we not had this "protective wall," we would have had to work to establish it with all our might to prevent our enemies from reaching such a capability to launch missiles, and of course, to ensure that they do not launch unmanageable quantities of missiles and drones at the State of Israel.