IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz commented Monday for the first time on the growing financial crisis faced by the Israeli defense establishment, and announced that in light of the budgetary woes, the IDF will halt all planned training for its reserve soldiers.
“As of now our plans for the reservists in the next year will not take place. Reservists will stop training in the next year to give precedence to the training of (regular) soldiers,” Gantz said at a ceremony honoring reserve soldiers held at the Glilot base.
The IDF claims to be facing an unprecedented financial crisis, and as a result has canceled a number of training operations recently; but the claims have been questioned by the Finance Ministry.
Speaking at the event, Gantz adumbrated on the change in the IDF’s training plan, and warned of the dangerous implications it could have: “We planned a small and specialized reserve formation plan in line with the IDF’s operations outlook. (But) national priorities change and with it decisions taken in the past, and this could have dramatic consequences.
“We will not give up and we will bring this to the attention of decision makers. I will not allow soldiers to be the hostages of the argument (regarding the budget), or allow them to use as bargaining chips.”
Reservists present at the event slammed the drop in training – which serves as an additional source of income for many Israelis – and a senior commander confirmed that cancelation notices for the next two months have already been sent out.
Read more at YNET NEWS.
{Matzav.com Israel}
60% of those in the IDF could be sent home today, this very minute, and it would not effect the IDF at all. As long as the army is used as a social service and brainwashing organization, there will be a budget crisis. Get rid of all the militarily useless people and there will be more than enough money.
End the draft and end the waste.
Chareidim will somehow be included in the blame and more cuts. probably.
The IDF are the biggest Schnorrers. All over the world they have campaigns to raise money.
But there’s plenty of money to draft all the Yeshiva students!
If Israel stopped giving the PA bribes and paying for the PA’s electrical system, Israel would have enough money for the people of the country. These people can’t hate Israel anymore then they do now, so? Now could the world hate Israel then they do, since Israel is the blame for all things then make it so, give them something to blame.