The IDF is considering cutting the pre-enlistment service year for future soldiers and extending the mandatory service period for yeshiva students, according to Hebrew media reports. The moves are being weighed as part of a broader response to a deepening shortage of combat personnel across the military.
The IDF is examining two parallel personnel measures in response to a pronounced shortage of combat soldiers, Hebrew media reported Wednesday evening. The first would shorten the pre-draft national service year that many future soldiers complete before enlisting; the second would extend the mandatory service period for yeshiva students.
The discussions come amid a deepening personnel crisis that military leadership has warned about in recent weeks. As The Zioneer reported, the IDF chief of staff warned top decision-makers of a severe fighter shortage and has been examining exceptional measures to address the shortfall. A senior defense official similarly described the coming weeks as 'critical', warning that without legislative action to extend mandatory service, the force picture for January 2027 would be 'bleak'. The chief of staff has also been reviewing the policy barring Hesder yeshiva students from serving in the Armored Corps, a shift that could ease tensions with the religious-Zionist education streams.
The precise scope of the proposed cuts to the pre-draft service year and the length of the proposed extension for yeshiva students have not yet been detailed. The reports did not specify whether the measures require new Knesset legislation or can be implemented by military order.
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