Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1995, only one-third of reservists were called up, with about half serving less than ten days
and only 2.3 percent serving longer than thirty-three days.
Increasingly, though, the burden is unequal. Those in combat and technological units spend
more time doing service. In 2008, a law was passed limiting reserve duty during a three-year
period to a maximum of fi fty-four days for enlisted men, seventy days for noncommissioned
offi cers, and eighty-four days for offi cers. Call-ups can be for a single day — to refresh soldiers'
knowledge of equipment — or a short period for maneuvers, or for a longer period in case of
war or the need to provide security in the territories captured in 1967.
The regular career army is small. The reserve system is designed to enable a quick call-up of
a large portion of the population for emergencies while minimizing disruption of the economy
and the lives of civilians during quieter times. Generally, reservists stay with the same unit for
their whole career. This practice brings them together with friends and builds the personal
bonds of trust and comradeship necessary for army units to work smoothly together. Reserv-
ists on active duty do not lose vacation days from work, and their employers must hold their
jobs open for them. While on call-ups, however, reservists do not receive their normal salaries.
According to a 2008 law, they are paid about $1,000 a month, a bit less than half of an average
salary, plus they receive tax breaks.
Service branches and specialized units often have their own spirit and style. These include
the artillery and the armored corps; the Galei Tzahal military radio station (which in peace-
time provides regular news and music); the media offi ce; the paratrooper units; the elite head-
quarters' reconnaissance unit, which carries out covert missions and is considered the most
select group of all; the elite navy frogmen; and many others.
The Nahal units bring together soldiers interested in forming an agricultural community
that would continue after they leave the military. There is also a Nahal Haredi unit, a Nahal
paratrooper unit, and the Hesder units for Datim, which combine combat training and reli-
gious study. The Tracking Unit is largely Bedouin; its members use skills developed to track
stray animals from their herds to fi nd infi ltrators and terrorists.
Because Israel is a small country, much of its defense is carried out close to home, and many
reservists or regular-duty soldiers have jobs that permit them to go home every night. Soldiers
are supposed to carry their weapons even when off duty in case of terrorist attacks, although
noncombat soldiers no longer take guns home with them. Soldiers do not normally patrol
towns and cities, but seeing soldiers on leave, doing their jobs, or traveling is common, and
they blend into daily life.
Despite the large social role played by Israel's citizen army, Israeli society is not militaristic.
Indeed, it is more accurate to speak of a civilianized military in which soldiers feel free to speak
their minds and discipline is rather informal. Soldiers may argue with their offi cers or with
each other about specifi c orders.
Aside from the IDF, Israel's other security organizations include law enforcement and intel-
ligence agencies. The main law enforcement agencies are the police and the Border Police. The
police force fi ghts crime and upholds public safety, as in other democratic countries. Israel is
unique, however, in that the 30,000 civilian police offi cers are under national control. There
are no municipal police.
