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Israel
Gadna
The Youth Corps (Gdudei Noar--Gadna), another IDF "functional
command," consisted in 1988 of more than 30,000 young men and
women aged fourteen to seventeen, who were formed into battalions,
each under the command of an IDF captain. One of numerous youth
groups, Gadna was administered by the Ministry of Education and
Culture, with IDF officers serving as advisers to the ministry.
Obligatory for most secondary-school students, Gadna introduced
them to the common Israeli experience of army life and indoctrinated
them as to Israel's special security situation. Time spent in
training increased from fifteen days yearly plus one hour per
week during the ninth year of school to roughly forty days a year
in the twelfth year of school. Over the years, its emphasis had
shifted from weapons familiarity and drilling to sports, physical
fitness, and camping. Gadna also participated in the socialization
of recent immigrants and the rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents
to qualify them for military service. It had not been mobilized
for military tasks since the War of Independence in 1948, although
Gadna members had performed support services during later emergencies.
Data as of December 1988
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