First Haredi Unit Opens at Tel Nof Air Force Base Amid Draft Protests

Twenty haredi air force technicians began working on F-15 aircraft at Tel Nof Air Force Base last week, following a two-month training course. This marks the establishment of the first religious data center on the base.

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the IDF will collapse due to lack of manpower

The recruitment comes as the IDF grapples with a significant military manpower crisis. The army faces a widening gap between operational needs and available soldiers, exacerbated by ongoing operations across multiple arenas, heavy casualties, and extensive reserve duty.

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implementing a law for mandatory service for all “is the need of the hour. It is a moral imperative. Only it will return Israel to the right path, fulfill the IDF’s mission, and safeguard Israel’s security.”

Officials warn that the IDF's manpower shortage could lead to its collapse unless legislation extending mandatory service advances. The army is working to integrate haredi men while maintaining their religious lifestyle, but faces challenges in drafting them amid protests against jailing yeshiva students who evade service. The IDF Chief of Staff has raised "ten red flags" regarding the manpower shortage, with former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot calling mandatory service for all a "moral imperative."

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the chief of staff is right. Listen to him. Victory requires soldiers. The government repeatedly uses the reservists as a resource and wears them down to the limit.