School of War Ep 232: Ran Baratz on the Gaza War and Israel’s ‘Postmodern’ Military
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Sep 19, 2025 Ran Baratz, a military historian and former senior Israeli official, dives deep into the complexities of the Gaza conflict. He critiques the IDF's 'postmodern' military approach, highlighting issues in operational readiness and officer training. Baratz discusses the challenges of ground combat, intelligence gaps, and the influence of political constraints on military decisions. He also explores the shift from conventional strategies to modern deterrence tactics, raising concerns about the military's evolving doctrine and its impact on achieving decisive victories.
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Paradox Of Slow Operations
- Ran Baratz argues Israel's Gaza campaign is slow because leaders prioritized minimizing casualties and diplomatic constraints over rapid decisive operations.
- He calls the conflict paradoxical because Israel supplies Gaza while fighting it, undermining operational success.
Lack Of Operational Readiness
- Baratz says Israel lacked operational plans, intelligence, and a conventional army ready on October 7, 2023.
- He contrasts strong special forces with an underprepared infantry and armored corps lacking equipment and doctrine.
Wasted Operational Opportunity In Lebanon
- Baratz argues Israel's Lebanon operations underutilized initial strategic advantages and left Hezbollah's deeper assets intact.
- He warns limited border-focused actions failed to leverage the opening strike into decisive operational gains.
