IDF general warns mandatory service extension will not solve army manpower crisis

Maj.-Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF Manpower Directorate, stated in a letter on Friday that the Knesset-approved extension of mandatory IDF service to 32 months will not resolve the military's manpower crisis. He emphasized that the extension "does not eliminate the need to expand the pool of draftees" and called for new legislation to create an effective conscription law and a further extension of service. The Knesset passed the temporary measure by a vote of 43-12, which also includes economic compensation for retroactively extended service. Despite this, IDF representatives informed the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the military faces a shortage of approximately 12,000 soldiers. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir previously warned the political leadership, "I am raising 12 red flags; the army will collapse into itself," advocating for a 36-month mandatory service.