Worst of all, according to Nardi, a career soldier develops disdain for anyone who isn't a combat soldier. A soldier learns that a boy becomes a man by being a soldier. Nardi asks pointedly. After all, he was only acting according to the prevailing norms. According to Sheffer, military thinking is inherently uncreative and undemocratic.
Military men learn to assess reality according to what can be solved in practical terms.
The military demands a loss of individuality in order to mold a recruit into a soldier, and the system can tolerate only a modicum of intellectual freedom, too. Soldiers are expected to act according to the SOP - Standard Operating Procedure. But in a democracy, the proof is also in the process. Barak was the quintessential Israeli soldier. Sayeret Matkal, with its daring secret missions, has captured the imagination of the public, and both men tried to capitalize on this.