The IDF chief, in his response letter dated March 30, wrote that the MK\u2019s letter was \u201cimportant.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that he wanted to address \u201cthe concern that you raised regarding IDF soldiers and the reserve system in particular, and to call on you to fulfill your responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe central challenge standing at our doorstep in the campaign is the expansion of the missions that the IDF leads, including: defense against threats to our communities on the borders, and the realization of a concept of removing threats before their development,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n 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. In January 2027, the first cohort enlisted under this shorter service will be relieved, further exacerbating manpower issues, unless the existing law is changed.<\/p>\n \u201cIn January, the decision to shorten mandatory service to 30 months will come into effect, and this is despite my clear demand<\/a> in the past year to move in the opposite direction of extending the service,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \t \u201cThe meaning of this is severe harm and a decrease in the IDF\u2019s force size, which will be expressed in a shortage of thousands of fighters and combat-support personnel,\u201d Zamir warned.<\/p>\n Zamir said the \u201cheavy price\u201d will be paid by reservists and their families. \u201cThey are the ones who will be called to service time after time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI \u2018raised red flags\u2019 both in the last cabinet meeting and in meetings with the subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and on additional opportunities,\u201d he said, confirming reported warnings<\/a> he recently made to lawmakers.<\/p>\n Zamir said he requested that three laws \u201cthat affect the readiness of the IDF and its reserve system be advanced.\u201d<\/p>\n Those include a law extending the mandatory service time; a law changing how reservists are called up and for how long, given that currently the IDF relies on emergency call-up orders with various limitations; and \u201ca relevant conscription law that will be adapted to the needs of the IDF at the present time.\u201d<\/p>\n \t The current government has been working to pass a bill that would enshrine blanket exemptions from military conscription for Haredi yeshiva students, despite the IDF warning repeatedly that it needs more troops after two years of war.<\/p>\n The bill has come under fire from IDF brass<\/a>, the attorney general<\/a>, and a wide array of other critics<\/a>, who have objected to it on the grounds that it is full of loopholes<\/a>, preserves inequality in the mandatory draft, and will not increase Haredi enlistment amid what the military says is a manpower shortage.<\/p>\n A senior military officer told lawmakers<\/a> in December that the bill falls short of solving the IDF\u2019s manpower shortage.<\/p>\n The IDF has said it urgently needs 12,000 recruits \u2014 mostly combat troops \u2014 due to the strain on standing and reserve forces caused by the IDF\u2019s recent conflicts.<\/p>\n Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged between 18 and 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service, but have not enlisted.<\/p>\n \u201cIn summary, in light of the expansion of missions in the coming years and the motivation of the IDF to realize them all with excellence, the IDF is required to grow,\u201d Zamir wrote. He added, \u201cAs we have expressed more than once, we need a large and strong army.\u201d<\/p>\n Sam Sokol contributed to this report.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tIDF troops of the 769th \u2018Hiram\u2019 Brigade operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued by the military on March 29, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/F250610CG508-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tAn Ultra-Orthodox man near a protest outside an IDF enlistment center in Jerusalem, June 10, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
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