Mandatory service extension will not solve army manpower crisis, head of IDF personnel warns

Maj.-Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF Manpower Directorate, stated in a letter on Friday that the Knesset's approval to extend mandatory IDF service to 32 months will not resolve the military's manpower crisis. He emphasized that this extension "does not eliminate the need to expand the pool of draftees" and called for legislation to create an effective conscription law and a further service extension to meet operational needs. The Knesset passed the bill by a 43-12 vote, extending service for soldiers drafted from July 2024 until June 2029, with economic compensation for those whose service is retroactively extended. 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, "I am raising 12 red flags; the army will collapse into itself," advocating for a 36-month mandatory service to alleviate pressure on reserves and enable regular unit training.