From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
IDF to further cut male conscripts’ service by 2 months — report
The IDF will further shorten military service for male conscripts by two months in 2020, Hadashot TV news reports, as part of the army’s Gideon plan to improve efficiency and cut costs.
According to the network, the Finance Ministry is pushing to shorten mandatory military service by four months in light of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent vow to increase spending, but this is opposed by the army.
The plan to slice off an additional two months from male soldiers’ military service comes after the army shortened the required service time in 2015 from 36 to 32 months.
In June, the army’s ombudsman cited the decrease in mandatory military service from 36 to 32 months as a reason for what he called a decline in the IDF’s readiness for battle.
The Times of Israel Community.