Israeli army faces ‘worst manpower shortage in history’

The Israeli army is currently facing ‘the worst manpower shortage in history’, according to the country’s reserve general and military analyst Yitzhak Brik. According to him, the country’s army is now facing the biggest manpower shortage in history due to the constant wars and the attitude of officers to avoid the army. TRT World reported.
In an opinion article published in the daily Maariv, he said that in recent months, thousands of officers and non-commissioned officers have not responded to calls or have refused to renew their service terms. Israel has been conducting an offensive on Gaza for two years. In this war, the country’s soldiers have been killed and about 6,500 wounded. The country’s media reported this news, citing data from the Israeli army. In addition, it was noted that about 20,000 soldiers are currently suffering from post-war stress or trauma.
The Israeli army has been accused of concealing the true number of casualties in the war, despite strict military censorship to maintain the morale of its soldiers. Brick said that many army officers are seeking early retirement and young members are refusing to sign long-term contracts, resulting in a massive manpower shortage in various branches of the army.
According to him, the crisis is now also disrupting the maintenance of military equipment and the management of war materials. He warned that if it continues, the army could fall into a state of “complete stagnation”. And Brick blamed the situation on the “wrong decisions” of previous chiefs. According to him, all the measures such as reducing manpower and shortening the service period of soldiers in the past few years have created a huge vacuum. And it is not possible to fill it quickly.
He said that these decisions have pushed experienced soldiers out of the army and thrown unqualified members into sensitive positions. And they are not able to adapt to the realities of the current battlefield. He alleged that for years the army’s manpower department had been operating “irresponsibly” and had ignored the basics of human resource management. He also noted that the army suffers from “information blindness” due to outdated technology and fragmented databases. Brick warned that the manpower crisis could quickly “completely cripple” the Israeli army.