The disappearing reserves default: Half a year before the start of the war, the IDF has not yet begun an initiative procedure for the return to service of tens of thousands of reservists who were removed from the service pool in the last decade. Such a move may significantly ease the reserve units that are groaning under the heavy load that exists today.
The omission, defined as such by the Knesset members of the Yesh Atid party, was revealed about a month ago in two debates held by the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee. Following the discovery, the committee asked the IDF to update what actions it is taking to return to service those it released. However, as of yesterday (Sunday), such an update had not yet been provided. The storm arose following many complaints from reservists who fought in Gaza and had already been called up for additional reserve service. , the “Israel Today” system received inquiries from soldiers who had been withdrawn from reserve service in the past, asking to return – but were not answered.
Reserve fighters training in the north of the country (archive), photo: IDF spokesman
The committee’s discussions dealt with the IDF’s request to postpone for a year the release of the reservists who are due to be released soon due to their age. However, at the same time, it became clear that the army is not at all trying to return to service the masses of soldiers who have been released over the past few years. Its representatives admitted that there is an unknown amount, Apparently at least tens of thousands of potential reservists, who are not called back into service – even during the war.
IDF representatives admitted to the Foreign Affairs Committee: They do not know the reasons for the release from the IDF before 2020
The ombudsman is shocked: “You don’t have data on who you released from the IDF in the last ten years? What?”
MK Idan Roll also remained speechless: this is a complete fog over a whole decade of reserve servants who are no longer serving. This is a colossal failure. This failure is the mother of failures” pic.twitter.com/n3nGon4Y5J— Knesset Channel (@KnessetT) February 26, 2024
According to the representative of the IDF, Brigadier General Shay Taib, head of the planning division and director of personnel, “we do not use the entire SDAK (order of force, i.e. manpower) and “immediately pour it into the units”, but “try to do the This is in accordance with the needs of the army and its programs.”
Head of the Planning Division and Director of Personnel, Brigadier General Shai Taib, Photo: Yonatan Zindel / Flash 90
Later, Brigadier General Taib explained that due to a technical malfunction, the IDF does not know the reason for the release of those tens of thousands. “The (computerized) system has changed in these years, we have the names of those we dismissed from service, but we do not know the reason behind the release of each of them in the last ten years.”
Taib said that the IDF took in about 50,000 volunteers who asked to return to service during the war. He also informed the MKs about the establishment of a number of armored battalions and the filling of manpower shortages in units that suffered from a lack of soldiers due to injuries and other reasons. But the officer’s words did not convince most of the committee members, especially those from the opposition. They claimed that the army chooses the easy solution of adding days of service to the small minority that bears the burden, instead of “working harder”, and returning to service those who were dismissed but are fit to serve.
MK Elazar Stern, former head of the IDF personnel department, photo: Dodi Vaaknin
The harshest in his criticism was MK Elazar Stern from the Yesh Atid party, a former general and head of the IDF’s personnel division. Stern told the army representative that “the time to guard reserves (of reservists) is now. You come here in order to increase the burden imposed on those who serve, after they have been in the reserves for almost five months – work harder, go to all those people who are in the reserves. When will you keep them in the reserves if not for now?
MK Sharon Nir, from the Israel Beitenu party, said that “the unbearable ease with which we always go to the existing solutions and to those who already carry the burden and impose an additional burden on them – is a very difficult feeling.” We need to force the army to get out of its comfort zone.”
Chairman of the committee, MK Yuli Edelstein, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The chairman of the committee Yuli Yoel Edelstein, from the Likud party, also demanded that the army take proactive actions against those who were exempted from service, and not wait only for those who voluntarily try to serve. He pointed out in particular new immigrants and older ultra-Orthodox, who are suitable for “stage 2 recruits”. But they are not called in her favor. “A conscription order should be sent to them and they should come. I’m not suggesting that you send military police to anyone who doesn’t show up, but if you send 1,000 conscription orders and 600 come, that’s already something,” said the chairman of the committee.
MK Idan Roll, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The one who was amazed by the words was MK Idan Roll, from the Yesh Atid party, who defined Taib’s words as the mother of the omission. It’s a piece of event, the reason for the exemption is the difference between a potential recruit and who isn’t. It’s a complete blur over a whole decade of reservists, who are no longer serving. This is the most important information regarding the legislation of the conscription law that will reach the committee’s table.”
Ofir Cohen, the chairman of the association for reserve officers, also criticized the army as well as the political echelon. He described in the debate that “the reserve law that the government needs to approve once a year, and will define the scope and competence of the army’s force. Therefore, a discussion should be held once a year in which the Chief of Staff presents the matters to the Minister of Defense and the government, which confirms the competence of the force and its scope. Unfortunately, this discussion has almost never been held since 2008, it happened twice in the last two years, and before that it never happened.”
According to him, “Over the past decade, many units have been disbanded, I will not give numbers because we are in an open discussion. Battalions and brigades have been disbanded, tens of thousands of soldiers have been released from these units. It is clear to all of us that there is a reserve. I know that the army is doing a good job to bring all these people back, but there are other things more that can be done”.
Activity of the reserve brigade in the Gaza Strip, photo: IDF spokesman
An IDF spokesman said in response: As part of the manpower building procedures and the effects of the war within them, tens of thousands of reserve soldiers who were not previously employed and were not part of the reserve system were activated. In addition, new reserve frameworks are being established, including battalions, settlement defense frameworks, and more.
Since the beginning of the war, the IDF has been engaged in extracting those who are not in the reserve system and are fit to serve, including return procedures with exemption according to needs and regular procedures.
were we wrong We will fix it! If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
