The Israeli occupation army has acknowledged a breakdown in its management of reserve forces, following months of unchecked spending and what senior officers have described as exploitative practices that turned reserve service into a lucrative enterprise.
According to the Israeli outlet Walla, vast budgets were squandered without proper oversight or enforcement, amid what a high-ranking officer termed “trading in reserve days.” Under the banner of shifting “from maximum mobilization to maximum responsibility,” a senior military official conceded that the system had effectively lost control of its manpower. The burden of correction, however, is now being shifted onto reservists in the field.
Billions Spent, Oversight Absent
Military data cited by Walla indicate that maintaining 10,000 reservists in active service annually costs approximately 3.5 billion shekels ($945 million). To date, the army has reportedly spent tens of billions of shekels—estimated at around 50 billion shekels ($16.1 billion)—on reserve duty days.
Rather than disciplined management, a “wild west” environment emerged. Recruitment advertisements were circulated on social media, and reserve service—according to a senior officer—was transformed into a de facto full-time occupation, exploiting loopholes in the military’s manpower system.
The army further admitted that its incentive mechanisms created severe distortions in payments. Efforts to reduce average service days from 72 to 55 encountered a field-level phenomenon known as “attached personnel.” Thousands of reservists reportedly rotated between units and battalions primarily to accumulate service days and financial bonuses, without being organically integrated into those units.
A senior officer said this practice would be halted, with limited exceptions focused on the Home Front Command. However, it remains unclear who will enforce these measures or how violations will be prevented.
Operational Readiness Undermined
Criticism has also centered on operational preparedness. Military officials acknowledged that the widely cited “10:4” model—ten days of service followed by four days off—is not being implemented. Entire battalions are operating on a “week-on, week-off” basis, spending one week in the unit and one at home.
According to the senior officer, this arrangement erodes unit cohesion and directly undermines operational readiness.
Despite the controversy, the army insists that the sharp reduction in reserve service days is not the result of a deal with the Finance Ministry, but rather stems from “value-based resource management,” not financial pressure. The military says it has shortened post-operational processing periods, reduced headquarters staff, and adjusted functional standards.
Nevertheless, Walla reports growing frustration among reservists and their families, who describe a state of confusion and instability.
“We have restricted the phenomenon of attached personnel,” the senior officer was quoted as saying. “After completing reserve duty in one battalion, they would move to another. We want to return them to the labor market. Some gave up the idea of being a teacher and preferred becoming a reservist.”
Source: Al-Ahed News (Edited and translated by Al-Manar News Website)