IDF again warns it is missing some 12,000 soldiers, with gap expected to widen in coming year

The Israeli military again warns that it is short some 12,000 standing army soldiers, a gap that it says will only expand due to the shortening of mandatory service at the start of 2027, unless the government passes legislation addressing the army’s personnel shortages.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has several times urged the government to again extend mandatory military service for men to 36 months, after it was shortened to 30 months in August 2024.

The first cohort enlisted under this shorter service period will be discharged in January 2027, further exacerbating manpower issues unless the existing law is changed.

The IDF has repeatedly said it urgently needs 12,000 recruits — including 7,000 combat troops — due to the strain on standing and reserve forces caused by the multi-front war of recent years.

The military warns that if the shortened service period takes effect as planned in January 2027, the gap will grow by thousands more combat soldiers and service members in non-combat roles.

Reservists, meanwhile, are serving dozens more days in reserve duty beyond the IDF’s original planning. Initially, the military sought to call up reservists for 55 days of duty in 2026. However, due to the war in Iran, many reservists have now served 80 to 100 days.

“If we do not do something now through legislation, the situation will worsen and disrupt the entire system,” a senior officer says.

The IDF’s Personnel Directorate has intensified its efforts over the past two and a half years to “maximize manpower” and expand its pool of recruits, including by opening more combat roles to women, calling on those exempt from reserve duty to return to service, and working to integrate ultra-Orthodox men into the army.

The current government has been working to pass a bill that would enshrine blanket exemptions from military conscription for Haredi yeshiva students, despite repeated warnings from the IDF that it needs more troops.

Some 80,000 ultra-Orthodox men aged 18 to 24 are currently believed to be eligible for military service but have not enlisted.

During the first half of the 2025–2026 draft period, around 1,850 Haredi soldiers enlisted, and the military estimates that by the end of the draft period, the number will exceed 3,000 — a record figure, but still far below the military’s goal of 4,800 ultra-Orthodox recruits per year.

According to the IDF’s data, there are some 80,000 individuals designated as draft evaders or who will soon be declared such. Among them, 50% are confirmed to be ultra-Orthodox, while another 25% are likely Haredi.