The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is currently facing a serious manpower crisis as more and more military officers and non-commissioned officers refuse to continue their military service.
A study shows that only 63% of officers plan to remain in service, compared to 83% in 2018, while the percentage of non-commissioned officers has dropped to 37% from 58% five years ago.
In addition, the IDF is short of approximately 1,300 lieutenant and captain officers, as well as 300 major officers.
This situation is believed to be due to the stress of war, fatigue, leadership changes and frustration with the work environment.
A total of 600 regular service members are currently choosing early retirement, while young officers will be immediately absorbed into the army to fill the vacancies.
IDF Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir stressed that the 2026 military training plan will be enhanced by increasing training sessions and reducing reservist deployments from 136 days to 60 days per year.
The Israeli parliament is also discussing amendments to the service exemption law for the ultra-Orthodox, which is alleged to be affecting the recruitment of new members.
