IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir sent a strongly worded letter last week to the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, and the Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, warning of a severe shortage of combat soldiers in the IDF.
In the letter, which was revealed by Channel 12 News, Zamir cautioned that the current manpower shortage could seriously undermine the army’s operational readiness as early as the coming year.
Zamir referenced the security challenges of the past two years, which he said have created unprecedented difficulties and deeply affected the IDF’s manpower systems. He noted that legislation related to the Draft Law and the extension of mandatory service is not progressing at the necessary pace, and this delay could significantly impair the army’s ability to fulfill its missions.
The Chief of Staff emphasized that without an immediate, urgent, and even retroactive extension of mandatory service for men to 36 months, the IDF’s force buildup would suffer severe damage. He further stated that failing to extend service would harm both the army’s readiness and the quality of combat training, with the consequences likely to be felt as early as next year, and more acutely from January 2027 onward.
The IDF points to gaps of thousands of soldiers in its combat forces and warns that, in addition to the existing shortage, the Knesset is advancing legislation that aims to expand draft exemptions.