Barak weighs truncating chief of staff's term

Defense minister considers option of reinstating old system in which chief of staff officially appointed for three years plus option for one more. Ashkenazi first to be appointed ahead of time for four-year term

Hanan Greenberg|Published: 09.02.10 , 10:27

Defense Minister Ehud Barak is considering shorting the term of the chief of staff. In doing so, he would be moving from the newly instated system of a four-year term with the option of a fifth year in the case of an emergency to the older three-year system that allowed the defense minister the option of granting a one-year extension.

Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi was the first chief of staff to take office under the four-year system, and may be the last. The IDF's 20th chief of staff, Yoav Galant, whose appointment will be authorized by the cabinet this coming Sunday, is slated to serve in the post for a shorter period than Ashkenazi.

During the cabinet meeting, Barak is expected to make lay a proposal on the table to return to the system in which the chief of staff serves a three-year term. Under this method, the defense minister has the option of granting the chief of staff a one-year extension for a fourth year in the position.

Under the three-year plus one system, most nearly all chiefs of staff were granted the extension, with the most notable exception being former Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon when then defense minister Shaul Mofaz did not extend his term.

The revert back to the old system being examined by Barak stems from a hazy definition of what constitutes a "state of emergency" justifying a fifth year to be added to the chief of staff's term.

Should the proposal receive the go ahead on Sunday, Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant, who will enter the post of chief of staff in February 2011, will finish his term at the beginning of 2014 or February 2015, if the defense minister grants an extension.