The Israeli news site, “Walla,” has disclosed that the army is preparing for a new and unexpected wave of protests. It has refrained from conducting surveys on service motives among soldiers so as not to foster discourse about expanding protests within its ranks.
“Walla” states that the Israeli army is concerned about the impact of the protest on primary formations and permanent service activity. Officers report that in recent days, soldiers in the rear units have received notices that their service would be shortened to two years, similar to the service of women. This comes at a time when the army is dealing with a decrease in incentive towards permanent service registration. It is noted that six months ago, it was challenging to appoint competent soldiers due to service conditions, such as salary and working days. Recently, the tension surrounding the army has posed another challenge, hence soldiers were offered to remain in their positions for about six months.
Under the title “The Real Drama… The Israeli Army Prepares for a New and Unexpected Wave of Protest,” the website reports that the army is preparing for a third wave of protest, which will affect the drive for permanent service in the Israeli army, especially in the Air Force.
Doubling the Number of Reserve Soldiers
The site mentions that at this stage, the Israeli army has decided to double the number of reserve soldiers who go to study at universities and sign up for permanent service. It continued, “At this stage, there are no known difficulties in motivating the main combat recruitment cycle, which starts next week, but the Israeli army is preparing for the possibility of unusual events and will conduct evaluations of the situation in preparation for recruitment in combat units starting in November.”
Not Conducting Surveys
Sources in the Israeli army said that the Behavioral Science Department has been careful not to conduct surveys in various units so as not to incorporate the protests that have flowed into the army ranks into the internal military discourse and reinforce them.
High-Level Concern
The site confirmed that the Chief of Staff, Hertzi Halevi, the Air Force commander, Brigadier General Tomer Bar, and other senior officials, are greatly concerned about the military capability of the Ramat David base, which is known to be the first response in case of deterioration on the northern border.
High Absenteeism Rate
Officials in the Air Force reported a sharp increase last week in the absenteeism rate of drone operators in the reserve, in addition to Shayetet 13, where there is also an increase in the number of reserve crews who announced that they will not come to the special formations of the elite unit. Navy officials identified these gaps as “extremely worrying.”
