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Reducing military service is dangerous for Israel

2020-07-14T09:43:04.926Z


Ephraim InbarUnder the auspices of the Second Corona Wave, the Knesset's decision to shorten compulsory service in the IDF to a period of 30 months came into effect at the beginning of this month. The period of regular service has undergone several incarnations in recent years: in June 2015 the law was amended. In December 2016, it was decided to further shorten the service by two months, a decision that, as s...


Under the auspices of the Second Corona Wave, the Knesset's decision to shorten compulsory service in the IDF to a period of 30 months came into effect at the beginning of this month. The period of regular service has undergone several incarnations in recent years: in June 2015 the law was amended. In December 2016, it was decided to further shorten the service by two months, a decision that, as stated, came into force this month, despite the Chief of Staff's opposition. 

The main driver of the move was the Ministry of Finance, whose officials argued that shortened service earlier releases young manpower to the economy and allows those released to start their civilian lives earlier, thus even reducing the "gap" between them and service exemptions, such as the ultra-Orthodox and Arabs. There is no doubt that the economic infrastructure of the country is an important component in its security, and the defense budget must take maximum account of its economic needs. However, there will be no national economy without the IDF that can effectively withstand the existential and non-existent challenges that the strategic environment poses to Israel. 

The shortening of military service has significant consequences, and it entails considerable risks to Israel's security. The first and clear consequence is the reduction of the manpower pool available to the IDF. The IDF relies on conscripts as its main source of manpower, and it also suffers from manpower shortages, especially in the combat and technological units. Following the shortening of the service, these problems will only get worse. 

A modern military requires skills that take longer to acquire than military professions have required in the past. This is true for combat units and of course for units whose technological component requires study and training for relatively long periods. As a result of the shortening of service, the army will have less time available to those soldiers who have been endowed with special skills in a considerable investment of money and time. The shortening will also increase turnover in sensitive positions, which will result in a loss of experience and greater friction within the organization. 

The savings in shortening the service are not necessarily large, certainly not at the beginning of an economic crisis and a wave of unemployment. Already after the shortening of the first service in 2018, there are soldiers who will continue in their positions for another four months in full-time permanent service. Shortening the service will also increase the need to use reserve forces, especially for missions of ongoing security. The cost of using the reserve is much greater than conscripts. 

There have also been suggestions in the past for shortening the service. A committee headed by Avi Ben-Best recommended this in February 2006. The Second Lebanon War, which broke out several months later, caused a shift in approach to the issue. Indeed, unforeseen security incidents, such as those expected in our provinces, require extreme caution in IDF manpower policy. The era of peace has not yet arrived. In short, the service, both to Israeli society internally and to its enemies (and friends) in the area, is wrong and even dangerous.

”Prof. Ephraim Inbar is president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security (JISS).

For more opinions by Ephraim Inbar

Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2020-07-14

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