Treasury plans shorter IDF compulsory service

The Ministry of Finance wants 28 months army service for men and plans paying NIS 5,000 for each of the final four months.

7 August 12 18:48, Adrian Filut

The Ministry of Finance is promoting a plan to shorten compulsory national IDF service for young men from three years to 28 months as it strives to cope with overstaffing in the military. In some areas that are less vital for the IDF, military service will be shortened even further to two years. This highly significant plan stems from the Ministry of Finance's intention of including the reform in the Economic Arrangements Law for 2013. Sources inform "Globes" that senior officials in the Ministry of Finance have already given the plan the green light, which will implement the Ben-Bassat Committee findings.

Prof. Avi Ben-Bassat told "Globes," "The Ministry of Finance will implement the reform because it wants it. They understand how important it is. It is my belief that they will implement it in full. That's my impression from the most recent conversations that I have had."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set Wednesday of next week, August 15, for a major debate on the discussion of the defense budget. Under the proposed plan to shorten national service, as recommended by the government as long ago as 2006, those soldiers that serve 28 months will receive "loyalty remuneration" similar to other 21 year-old workers in the economy of about NIS 5,000 per month. In exchange for this shortening of conscripted service, the IDF will receive an additional budget previously agreed between the Ministries of Defense and Finance.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 7, 2012

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