IDF Commander Removed for Refusing to Wake Up Soldiers

An IDF reserve company commander was relieved from his position after he refused to wake up the soldiers in his command to go out on maneuvers because he felt that they hadn’t had enough sleep.

Head of the Northern Command, Gen. Yoel Strik, ordered him removed from his command after a review of the matter on Sunday morning.

Gen. Strik commended the officer for his fine service over the years, but said that refusing an order of this type was an unacceptable deviance from the norms of training for a combat unit and could undermine its fighting readiness. Other units in the brigade were woken up in time to participate in exercises that day.

At the time of the incident, May 25th, the officer in question explained to his superiors that he made his decision in accordance with army regulations which allow soldiers to make up for lost hours of sleep the day after a military operation.