Political inaction sparks exodus of skilled personnel from Israeli army

Yoav Zitun, the newspaper’s military correspondent, wrote: “The widespread personnel crisis in the Israeli army, spanning various demographic, age, and service levels, has reached a boiling point. A wave of resignation requests from career soldiers is expected, even though they have not yet received the modest pension increases previously promised.”

Zitun noted that despite a deadline set by the Israeli Supreme Court for the Knesset by the end of this month, the legal amendment regarding an agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of War—reached two and a half years ago—has still not been approved. The agreement was supposed to provide limited pension increases for army retirees, but its approval in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee has stalled due to the committee’s focus on the military service exemption law.

The correspondent added that experts believe this delay will exacerbate the exit of career personnel from the army. Last year alone, the army received over 500 early contract termination requests, which are effectively resignations. Despite opposing these requests, army leadership acknowledges serious difficulties in convincing thousands of elite officers and non-commissioned officers to continue their service.

Zitun states that the result of this trend is a decline in the quality of the army’s command staff: “Today, career soldiers are more often chosen from second- or third-tier options for promotion.”

He cited military sources revealing that if the pension law is not passed by the end of this month, the army will be forced to halt the planned 7% pension increase for retired career personnel. Under the previous agreement, combat soldiers were to receive an 11% increase, and technical and technological personnel who joined the army through academic pathways were to receive a 10% increase—but this agreement has yet to become law.

Army commanders have warned political authorities in Tel Aviv: “Today, a distinguished battalion commander in the Golani Brigade or an elite technical officer in Unit 8200 sees their pension and benefits deteriorate by age 25. As a result, they say ‘goodbye, you’ll see us in the reserves’ and pursue civilian life with better income and stability.”

According to sources, this trend leaves the army with only mid-level command personnel, directly affecting organizational performance.

Zitun continued: “Army leadership has warned that if the current legislative reform process remains stalled, the army will face a serious decline in the quality of its personnel. Meanwhile, certain Knesset members—particularly one or two representatives—have blocked progress.”

He added: “These personnel serve around the clock on the front lines or in support roles, without a union or the right to protest or strike. Despite these conditions, they are even subjected to verbal attacks from politicians in the middle of war. Since 2019, pension law reform has been delayed about 20 times, resulting in the exit of skilled personnel from combat and technological units.”

The report further states that the army has requested political authorities to extend compulsory service to three years to partially compensate for manpower shortages, a pressing issue following the wounding or death of roughly 12,000 Israeli soldiers in the recent war, primarily from combat and support units.

Under the current law, compulsory service is set to be reduced to 30 months in January 2027, which military sources say will worsen the manpower gap. Zitun concludes: The army recognizes that a return to 36-month service is not feasible at this point but is seeking a temporary cabinet approval, which will likely face social and legal challenges, as the formal conscription law for the Haredi community has not yet been enacted, and the ruling coalition is still attempting to pass the Haredi military exemption law.