TEL AVIV — Israel's military has again pledged to reduce compulsory
service.
The military has accepted the recommendations of a panel to determine
the feasibility of reducing service for conscripts. The panel, established
in July 2005, proposed to reduce military service for men and women to two
years.
"The large increase in the population of eligible conscripts combined
with the reduction in some of the threats against Israel — through
agreements — have brought us to the conclusion that we can reduce the
military force," Avi Ben Bassat, the chairman of the panel, said. "There
will be more career soldiers, more technology and fewer conscripts."
The plan would be implemented in stages. In the first phase, non-combat
soldiers conscripted after August 2004 would serve 28 months rather than the
current three years.
Combat soldiers and those trained for technology or support units would
serve 32 months. These soldiers would be provided with a grant of up to
$1,000.
In 2010, compulsory service would be further reduced to two years.
Combat soldiers and those in the special support units would serve 28 months
and receive monetary compensation.
"There's no question that we will need some of these people in the
regular army to fill holes in combat and support," Chief of Staff Lt. Gen.
Dan Halutz said.
Officials acknowledged that the recommendations could be delayed should
Israel come under threat from either terrorism or foreign militaries. They
said the reduction in service could also be suspended should mobilization
levels continue to decline.
The plan reflects the priority of Halutz, a career air force officer.
The chief of staff has sought to reduce the standing army and reserves
through advanced technology, particularly in the area of unmanned platforms.
The army contains 138,000 regular and 380,000 reserves, a report by Tel
Aviv University's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies said. Halutz plans to
reduce the standing army by 20 percent in 20006.
"Technology is helping us bring down our force levels," Deputy Chief of
Staff Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky said. "My rough, personal estimate is that
we should be able to cut land forces about 10 percent."
The panel also recommended eliminating the use of the regular army for
civilian duties, such as education or police. Thousands of soldiers have
been assigned to the police to bolster internal security as well as missions
in the West Bank.
Alex Fishman, a military analyst for the Yediot Aharonot daily, said the
release of the military plan reflects the election campaign of the ruling
Kadima Party. Fishman cited numerous previous government promises to reduce
service and said he was skeptical whether the current plan would be
implemented after elections are held on March 28.
"There is an impression that the clash between the social and security
agenda is unavoidable, particularly during the period of elections,"
Fishman, who published a study on the future army, said.
