The commander of an elite reconnaissance unit of the Israel Defense Force’s Golani Brigade was removed from his post last month for pushing his troops too hard during training exercises, the IDF spokesman disclosed Monday.
The unusual step was taken by the army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Ehud Barak, after the commander, a captain, was found to have violated standing orders during a training drill for his recruits last August.
He was found to have violated orders governing permissible training load, the number of sleeping hours and extended activity.
The spokesman said this was the first time that the commanding officer of such an elite unit has been removed from his post for overburdening his soldiers during training.
The officer in question had previously been regarded as “a generally very good officer,” highly praised by his superiors.
The chief of staff has stressed during recent months that he will not tolerate IDF casualties due to negligence, carelessness, or disobedience of orders during training.
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