The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday warned of a steadily worsening shortage of combat soldiers in the standing military, high burnout among troops, and fears that the reserve army could “collapse” if necessary legislation is not advanced by the government.
According to the IDF, a bill being advanced by the government that would ostensibly increase military conscription in the Haredi community, but ultimately enshrine blanket exemptions from military service, will not provide an adequate solution to the military’s personnel needs in the short term.
The coalition’s draft exemption bill is widely seen as legally iffy and loophole-laden and has generated intense resistance even among members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. The government has been working on advancing it despite repeated warnings from the IDF that it needs more troops.
If the bill is passed, and even if all its recruitment targets are met, only several hundred additional Haredi combat soldiers are expected to enlist per year, which the military has said would not answer its current needs.
The military has repeatedly warned that it is currently short some 12,000 standing army soldiers, a gap that it said would only expand due to the shortening of mandatory service at the start of 2027, unless the government passes legislation addressing the personnel shortages.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has several times urged the government to again extend mandatory military service for men to 36 months, after it was shortened to 30 months in August 2024. The government has so far refused to approve this move.
Hellbound and Down 