כיכר השבת

600 IDF Career Officers Have Requested Early Discharge

Senior officials from the IDF’s Manpower Directorate revealed a stark picture today during a Knesset Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs and Defense, warning of a deepening crisis in the standing army. Brig. Gen. Amir Vudmani, Chief of Staff of the Manpower Directorate, and Brig. Gen. Liat Shabo, Head of the IDF Personnel Division, told lawmakers that 600 career service members have formally requested early release from the military. Brig. Gen. Vudmani described a system under strain: “There is erosion in the status and conditions of career officers across all units. We are seeing a sharp rise in personnel seeking mental-health assistance. We are promoting younger, less experienced officers into positions previously held by veterans—just to close the gaps.” Committee chair MK Elazar Stern issued a blunt warning: “There is a deep crisis in the IDF. There is no time for coalition–opposition games. Career officers are under fire from the coalition, which prefers to ignore the situation while allocating billions to those who neither serve nor contribute.”