The pilots in the reserve do not show up for training: "immediate damage to the ability to operate" - voila! news

On video: At the end of the demonstration: hundreds broke through the police blockade in Ayalon (photo: Reuven Castro, Karin Sagi, police)

Last week, officers, including a doctor who has served for years in a reserve brigade, announced that they would not return to reserve service until the legal revolution led by the government is stopped, but the threat that was greatly feared at the top of the IDF General Staff materialized today (Sunday) with the announcement of dozens of pilots from Squadron 69 of the Air Force to show up for training. It should be noted that the pilots did not refuse to come to training but asked not to cross on the days when there are demonstrations.

37 of the 40 reserve pilots in the squadron known as the "Hammer Squadron", which is considered another of the most strategic squadrons in the Air Force that was involved in the attack on the nuclear reactor in Syria In 2007, they announced that they would not come on training flights this week due to the legal revolution unless they were called to operational activity. They also stated that instead of these reserve days, they would demonstrate in front of the government offices.

Against the background of the developments, claims were made at the top of the army, the central one of which concerns the sensitive situation in which the air force found itself, and as a result the question arises regarding the operational competence of the force.

Air force officials said that damage to the training scope of the air crews is a direct damage to the immediate range of readiness of the corps in operational activity and in the long term to readiness for war, therefore it is not a matter of concern but a serious injury that obliges Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Air Force Commander Tomer Bar, who in the past commanded Squadron 69, to take a position and clarify the operational consequences with the government.

Members of Squadron 69. Those photographed have no connection to the article (Photo: Reuven Castro)

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"The question of whether to go to the reserves in view of the emerging political reality in Israel has been with us for a long time," said a pilot in active reserve service in a conversation with Walla!.

"Our WhatsApp groups are full of criticism of the opacity and the situation with many questions. Not everyone knows what to do beyond the demonstrations. I would not be surprised if pilots decided to take a clear position and announce that they are not coming to training."

The former Chief of Staff, MK Gadi Eisenkot, addressed the pilots and asked them to refrain from boycotting the training: "I understand your great pain, but without the IDF - there is no existence for the State of Israel.

We must keep him out of the important and just struggle.

I urge you to avoid not coming to the reserves."

On Friday it was published in Vala! that Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar had an informal conversation with officials in operational reserves from the corps, in which they expressed to him their fear of the effects of the legal revolution. After the conversation, the commander of the corps sent a letter to the reservists in which backed them up:

Meanwhile, despite the directive of the Chief of Staff to the commanders of the arms, wings and spatial commands to hold talks on the subject of the political storm and the legal revolution led by the government - not all the generals held talks with the senior command staff.

Last week, the graduates of Unit 9900 in the IDF sent a letter to the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff and the head of the IDF in which they wrote that they would not serve in the reserves due to "the predatory legislative processes that the government is promoting these days, chief among them, the attempts to eliminate the existing balance between the authorities." In the letter

, which was signed by hundreds of reservists from the unit, including dozens of officers, wrote that they felt it was their moral duty "to take a stand and refuse at this time a call for reserve service, as a proxy of the executive branch." The reservists explained that in their view the legal revolution is "a real threat to the very existence of a state Israel as a democratic country, according to the principles of the Declaration of Independence."

The members of the unit also called for "a halt to the legislative processes as soon as possible, and after that, an in-depth and professional dialogue that will lead to broad agreement and a significant consensus regarding such fundamental changes in the form of government of our beloved country."

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• Army and security

Tags

• The legal revolution

• Air Force

• recalcitrance

• IDF

• fighter jets

• Gadi Eisenkot