It's good they train in full combat gear, but the course is far too short and easy. IDF does not have the luxury of manpower, so they can't set their standards too high.
In contrast, there are multiple events in Army basic training that take longer and are far harder than the IDF obstacle course. Below is a clip of climbing and rappelling Treadwell Tower at Fort Sill, where I completed basic training in 2016.
The courses for Army Rangers (elite airborne infantry) and Special Forces are even harder. In some cases, I think the difficulty is excessive.
Obstacle courses became a standard part of military training worldwide in the 20th century because of the work of a French policeman named George Herbert who noticed that activities such as climbing, jumping, and crawling improved fitness and courage.
Good training is relevant and realistic. It should neither be too easy to boost graduates nor too hard just so the graduates can have bragging rights.
Training in combat gear is good and so are challenging obstacles. I think there's a happy medium to be found.
If you want to find brave people, have them go skydiving or bull riding. Few soldiers will ever need to traverse strange obstacles in combat. Filtering out the unhealthy and weak is easy enough through running or swimming.
I write these things in the hope that the US does not lose another war, and also because I don't want Israel to lose one either. In fact, I hope neither country ever has to fight another war.
My autobiography Story of My Life and my novella I, Soldier can be read in full on this blog.
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