Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Hebrew: ??? ????? ?????? {{Audio|He-Israeli Defense Forces.ogg|Ts'va Ha-Ha'ganah Le-Yisrael}} (" Force for the Defense of Israel"), often abbreviated ??"? Tsahal, alternative English spelling Tzahal, is the name of Israel's armed forces, comprising the Israel army, Israel air force and Israel navy. It was formed following the founding of Israel in 1948 to "defend the existence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state of Israel" and "to protect the inhabitants of Israel and to combat all forms of terrorism which threaten the daily life." The predecessors to the IDF were the Haganah (in particular, its operational branch, the Palmach) and former elements of the Jewish Brigade that fought under the British flag during World War II. See also Jewish legion.

Overview

Service and manpower

Regular Service

National military service is compulsory for Jewish men and women over the age of 18, although exemptions may be made on religious, physical, or psychological grounds (see Profile 21). The fact that an increasing number of men in the Haredi community are exempt has been a source of tension in Israeli society.

Related Topics:
Profile 21 - Haredi

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Men serve three years in the IDF, as do the women in combat positions, while women in non-combat positions serve two. The IDF requires women who volunteer for combat positions to serve for three years because combat soldiers must undergo a lengthy period of training, and it is in the interests of the IDF to get as much use of that training as possible.

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Reserve Service

Following regular service, men may be called for reserve service of up to one month annually, until the age of 43-45 (reservists may volunteer after this age), and may be called for active duty immediately in times of crisis. In most cases, the reserve duty is carried out in the same unit for years, in many cases the same unit as the active service and by the same people. Many soldiers who have served together in active service continue to meet in reserve duty for years after their discharge, causing reserve duty to become a strong male bonding experience in Israeli society. A well-known Israeli joke refers to civilians as soldiers on 11-month furloughs.

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Although still available to be called up in times of crisis, most Israeli men, and virtually all women, do not actually perform reserve service in any given year. Units do not always call up all of their reservists every year, and a variety of exemptions are available if called for regular reserve service. Virtually no exemptions exist for reservists called up in a time of crisis, but experience has shown that in such cases (most recently, Operation Defensive Shield in 2002) exemptions are rarely requested or exercised; units generally achieve recruitment rates above those considered fully-manned.

Related Topics:
Operation Defensive Shield - 2002

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Recently, legislation has been proposed for reform in the reserve service, lowering the maximal service age to 40, designating it as a purely emergency force, as well as many other changes to the current structure (although the Defence Minister can suspend any portion of it at any time for security reasons). The age threshold for many reservists whose positions are not listed, though, will be fixed at 49. The legislation is set out to take effect by 13 March, 2008. The Hapashim Forum (????? ???"???), a movement for reform in the reserve service, however, criticized the new legislation in being "at worse, a bad joke, and at best, another push for total collapse of the reserve force."

Related Topics:
13 March - 2008 - Hapashim Forum

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Minorities in the IDF

Druze Arabs and Circassians, like Israeli Jews, serve mandatory service in the IDF. In recent years, some Druze officers have reached positions in the IDF as high as Major General and many have received orders of distinctions.

Related Topics:
Druze Arabs - Circassians

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Service is not mandatory for all other Israeli minorities (notably Israeli Arabs but also Black Hebrews and others). However, a large number of Bedouin, as well as some Christian Arabs and even a few Muslim Arabs, volunteer. Six Israeli Arabs have received orders of distinction as a part of their military service; of them the most famous is a Bedouin officer, Lieutenant Colonel Abd El-Amin Hajer (also known as Amos Yarkoni), who received the Order of Distinction. Recently, a Bedouin officer was promoted to the rank of Colonel.

Related Topics:
Israeli Arab - Black Hebrews - Bedouin - Christian Arabs - Muslim - Amos Yarkoni

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No direct social benefits are tied to completion of military service, but doing so is sometimes required for attaining security clearance and serving in some types of government positions (in most cases, security-related), as well as some indirect benefits. Israeli Arabs claim that this puts them at a disadvantage vs. non-Arab Israeli citizens. According to the 2004 U.S. State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for Israel and the occupied territories, "Israeli Arabs were not required to perform mandatory military service and, in practice, only a small percentage of Israeli Arabs served in the military. Those who did not serve in the army had less access than other citizens to social and economic benefits for which military service was a prerequisite or an advantage, such as housing, new-household subsidies, and employment, especially government or security-related industrial employment. Regarding the latter, for security reasons, Israeli Arabs generally were restricted from working in companies with defense contracts or in security-related fields." In recent years, there have been several initiatives to enable Israeli Arabs to volunteer for civilian National Service instead of to the IDF, completion of which would grant the same privileges as those granted to IDF veterans. However, none of these initiatives have been implemented yet.

Related Topics:
2004 - U.S. State Department - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Prerequisite - Advantage - Subsidies - National Service

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Women in the IDF

Israel has female conscription, but about a third of female conscripts (more than double the figure for men) are exempted, mainly for religious reasons.

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Following their active service, women, like men, are in theory required to serve up to one month annually in reserve duty. However, in practice only some women in combat roles get called for active reserve duty, and only for a few years following their active service, with many exit points (e.g., pregnancy).

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Women were historically barred from battle in the IDF, serving in a variety of technical and administrative support roles, except during the 1948 war of independence, when manpower shortages saw many of them taking active part in battles on the ground. But after a landmark 1994 High Court appeal by Alice Miller, a Jewish immigrant from South Africa, the Air Force was instructed to open its pilots course to women (several served as transport pilots during the war of independence in 1948 and "Operation Kadesh" in 1956, but the Air force later closed its ranks to women fliers). Miller failed the entrance exams, but since her initiative, many additional combat roles were opened. As of 2005, Women are allowed to serve in 83% of all positions in the military, including Shipboard Navy Service (except submarines), and Artillery. Combat roles are voluntary for women.

Related Topics:
1948 war of independence - Air Force - "Operation Kadesh" in 1956 - Artillery

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As of 2002, 33% of lower rank Officers are women, 21% of Captains and Majors, but only 3% of the most senior ranks.

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450 Women currently serve in combat units of Israel's security forces, primarily in the Border Police. The first female fighter pilot successfully received her wings in 2001. In a controversial move, the IDF abolished its "Womens Corps" command in 2004, with a view that it has become an anachronism and a stumbling block towards integration of women in the army as regular soldiers with no special status. However, after pressures from Feminist lobbies, The Chief of Staff was persuaded to keep an "advisor for Women's affairs".

Related Topics:
Border Police - Anachronism - Feminist

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Expenditures and alliances

During 1950-66, Israel spent an average of 9% of its GDP on defense. Defense expenditures increased dramatically after both the 1967 and 1973 wars. In 1996, the military budget reached 10.6% of GDP and represented about 21.5% of the total 1996 budget.

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In 1983, the United States and Israel established a Joint Political Military Group, which convenes twice a year. Both the U.S. and Israel participate in joint military planning and combined exercises, and have collaborated on military research and weapons development. Israel has the official distinction of being a US Major Non-NATO Ally. As a result of this, America shares the vast majority of its security and military technology with Israel.

Related Topics:
United States - Joint Political Military Group - NATO

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